Rapid and visual detection of Cd2+ based on aza-BODIPY near infrared dye and its application in real and biological samples for environmental contamination screening

Aza-BODIPY-based logic gate chemosensors and their applications

Dimethylaniline-substituted aza-BODIPY dyes (DA, DM, DP) were designed and synthesized aiming for ion detection. The Zn2+ recognition ability was found in all compounds and the binding mechanism was possibly via dimethylaniline sites linked to the aza-BODIPY core. Upon Zn2+ addition, the new absorption band and the color change occurred due to the altered charge transfer of the adducts. The custom-made colorimeter was successfully integrated into the dye's application, demonstrating a good linear relationship between resistance values and Zn2+ concentration. The chromophore test strips were fabricated and exhibited distinct color changes upon aqueous Zn2+ exposure. The compound DA also exhibits logical behavior with DA-Zn2+-Cu2+ system. In terms of environmental hazards, the compounds exhibited no adverse effect on Pseudomonas putida at the concentration level of 0.2 mg/mL. These findings indicated that all synthesized aza-BODIPYs might be suitable for chemosensor probes for Zn2+ detection with possibly low environmental risk.

Assembly of Dye Molecules in Covalent Organic Frameworks for Enhanced Colorimetric Biosensing

Colorimetric assays have been extensively investigated for biosensing applications due to their advantages of visual recognizability, ease of use, and low cost. However, advancing their development is a great challenge due to the inherent limitations of colorimetric dyes. Herein, we report a strategy to assemble dyes in covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to effectively reinforce the applicability of pH-responsive dyes in colorimetric bioassays. Experimental results reveal that three-dimensional COFs can promote the assembly of dyes through hydrogen bonding, resulting in the formation of a dye-supermolecule@COF assembly. Consequently, when sensitized at increased pH levels (e.g., hydroxyl ions), disruption of hydrogen bonds may trigger a rapid transition from their insoluble fixed state within the COFs into soluble, visibly detectable dye anions. This process can also be facilitated by increased hydrophilicity and elevated electrostatic repulsion between the dye anions and COFs, leading to the substantial release of chromogenic dye anions from the COF pores into the solution, thereby amplifying the colorimetric signal output. Therefore, by employing various synthesized dye-supermolecule@COFs as signal tags, we developed a colorimetric bioassay capable of accurately identifying breast cancer cell subtypes. This study not only highlights the effectiveness of dye-supermolecule@COFs in enhancing colorimetric biosensing but also underscores the potential of employing the COF-mediated dye assembly strategy for colorimetric assays.

Easily synthesizable molecular probe for the nanomolar level detection of Cd2+ in near aqueous media: Theoretical investigations and live cell imaging

The present investigation highlights a quinoline-based small molecule probe (DEQ) for the detection of Cd2+ among other metal ions in near-aqueous media. The probe DEQ and its Cd2+ complex (DEQ-Cd) have been synthesized and characterized by all possible spectroscopic methods. The weakly emissive DEQ showed its strong emission in the presence of Cd2+, which is attributed to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) along with the chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) mechanism. The 1:1 binding mode between ligand and Cd2+ is confirmed by single crystal XRD analysis, which is further supported by Job's plot and HRMS. The detection limit of the probe to recognize Cd2+ was found to be as low as 89 nM. Furthermore, DEQ can act as a reversible fluorescence probe with the off-on-off mechanism by the alternative addition of Cd2+ and EDTA. DFT and TD-DFT studies exposed the proposed mechanism after Cd2+ insertion and the obtained results for electronic spectra are in line with the experimental results. The response towards pH was quite interesting and allowed us to study its application in live cell imaging. With all the positive results, the proposed ligand DEQ can be used as a potential probe for the detection of Cd2+ in real-life applications.

Mitochondria-targeted biotin-conjugated BODIPYs for cancer imaging and therapy

Two BODIPY-biotin conjugates KDP1 and KDP2 are designed and synthesized for targeted PDT applications. Both have good absorption with a high molar absorption coefficient and decent singlet oxygen generation quantum yields. The photosensitizers KDP1 and KDP2 were found to be localized in the mitochondria with excellent photocytotoxicity of up to 18.7 nM in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The cell death predominantly proceeded through the apoptosis pathway via ROS production.

Aza-BODIPY with two efficacious fragments for NIR light-driven photothermal therapy by triggering cancer cell apoptosis

The reasonable structure of aza-BODIPY renders it as an efficient photothermal reagent for photothermal therapy. Herein, we describe the design and synthesis of aza-BODIPY NMeBu with the free rotating tert-butyl group and the dimethylamino-substituted segment to promote the photothermal conversion via the excited state non-radiative transition. NMeBu was found to be the π-π stacking form in the unit cell based on X-ray analysis. NMeBu-NPs by self-assembly possessed a near-infrared absorption (λabs = 772 nm), and once activated by near-infrared light, the photothermal efficiency in aqueous solution can reach 49.3%. NMeBu-NPs can penetrate the cell and trigger cell death via the apoptosis pathway under low concentration and low light power irradiation, thereby avoiding dark toxicity. Aza-BODIPY created using this procedure has excellent photothermal efficiency and could serve as a potential candidate for the treatment of cancer cells and tumors.

Visual and Real-Time Monitoring of Cd2+ in Water, Rice, and Rice Soil with Test Paper Based on [2 + 2] Lanthanide Clusters

Cadmium ions (Cd²⁺) are highly toxic to animal and human health, especially through the drinking of Cd²⁺-contaminated water and eating Cd²⁺-contaminated rice. Therefore, accurate detection of Cd²⁺ in water, rice, and rice soil is urgent. In this work, two [2 + 2] lanthanide clusters of Tb₂Tb₂ and Eu₂Eu₂ were synthesized and characterized in detail. Interestingly, Tb2Tb2 is a rapid sensor for Cd²⁺ through luminescence "turn-off". Further studies show that Tb2Tb2 is a highly sensitive and selective sensor toward Cd²⁺ in water, rice supernatants, and rice soil supernatants, with a very short response time of 20 s. The limit of detection (LOD) in the above three real samples is as low as 0.0112, 1.1240, and 0.1124 ppb, respectively, which is lower than the national standards for food safety in China (GB 2762-2022). More interestingly, a portable sensing device of test paper based on Tb2Tb2 is developed with a facile method, which shows visible, highly sensitive, and selective sensing toward Cd²⁺ in real samples of water, rice supernatants, and rice soil supernatants. Tb2Tb2 and its sensing device of test paper are an on-site analysis sensor for potentially non-expert users, especially for people in remote rural areas.

Aza-BODIPY-based Fluorescent and Colorimetric Sensors and Probes

Aza-boron-dipyrromethenes (Aza-BODIPYs) represent an important class of chromophores absorbing and emitting in the near-infrared (NIR) region. They have unique optical and electronic features and higher physiological and photo stability than other NIR dyes. Especially after the development of facile synthetic routes, Aza-BODIPYs have become indispensable fluors that can find various applications ranging from chemosensors, bioimaging, phototherapy, solar energy materials, photocatalysis, photon upconversion, lasers, and optoelectronics. Herein, we review Aza-BODIPY based fluorescent and colorimetric chemosensors. We show the potential and untapped toolbox of Aza-BODIPY based fluorescent and colorimetric chemosensors. Hence, we divide the fluorescent and colorimetric chemosensors and probes into five sections according to the target analytes. The first section begins with the chemosensors developed for pH. Next, we discuss Aza-BODIPY based ion sensors, including metal ions and anions. Finally, we present the chemosensors and probes concerning reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS) along with biologically relevant species in the last two sections. We believe that Aza-BODIPYs are still in their infancy, and they have a promising future for translation from the bench to real biomedical and materials science applications. After two decades of intensive research, it seems that there are many more to come in this already fertile field. Overall, we hope that future work will further expand the applications of Aza-BODIPY in many areas.

A novel signal amplification biosensor for detection of Cd2+ based on asymmetric PCR

In this work, a novel signal amplification biosensor was utilized to detect Cd²⁺ based on asymmetric PCR. In the presence of Cd²⁺, it can bind with Cd²⁺-aptamer C1 which caused the complementary strand C2 to be released from double-stranded DNA C1-C2. Because the single-stranded C1 cannot be hydrolyzed by Exo III, it can be used as a template to take part in asymmetric PCR reaction. In the absence of Cd²⁺, the C1-C2 was digested by Exo III and no PCR template was left. During the experiment, an interesting phenomenon was found that the asymmetric PCR can obtain higher level of fluorescent signal than that of symmetric PCR. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of using asymmetric PCR to detect Cd²⁺. Through the asymmetric PCR amplification strategy, this biosensor had a low detection limit (19.93 nM) and a wide linear range (0-500 nM). Meanwhile, this biosensor showed a satisfactory selectivity and recovery rate.

A nanozyme-catalysis-based ratiometric electrochemical sensor for general detection of Cd2+

AuPt–rGO showed good peroxidase-like activity for the oxidation of OPD to DAP (a novel internal reference) and achieved sensitive and reliable detection of Cd2+ based on a ratiometric strategy.

A novel near-infrared colorimetric and fluorescent probe based on a piperidine-substituted aza-BODIPY photosensitizer for detection of extreme acidity

In this paper, a novel near-infrared (NIR) colorimetric and turn-on fluorescent pH probe (denoted as Probe 1) has been designed and synthesized based on piperidine-substituted aza-BODIPY, and its ability for sensing pH under extremely acidic conditions has been studied. The maximum absorption band of Probe 1 locates at 811 nm in the NIR region in CH₂Cl₂ with an intense molar absorption coefficient of the order of 10⁴ M^-1 cm^-1, which is highly important for biological application. An approximately 156 nm red shift was observed in the absorption of the aza-BODIPY dyes from BDP to Probe 1 (from 655 nm to 811 nm). Dramatic pH responsive absorption and fluorescence changes can be observed under extreme acidity, in conjunction with a visible colorimetric change from purple to blue. Therefore, the detection of pH can be visualized through the color change. Probe 1 with a pK_a value of 2.17 could be used in the detection of pH in the range 0.84 to 3.15. Remarkably, this developed fluorescent probe exhibits extraordinary performances including rapid response time, good stability, high specificity and excellent recyclability. This work will provide a new research platform for detecting strong acidity.