The kinetics of fast fluorescence quenching processes

Experimental and theoretical study on p-aminophenylthyil radical geminate recombination in ionic liquids; analysis using the Smoluchowski-Collins-Kimball equation

Recombination dynamics of geminate p-aminophenylthiyl (PAPT) radicals produced from the photodissociation of bis(p-aminophenyl) disulfide in ionic liquids (ILs) were investigated by transient absorption spectroscopy. ILs with various cationic species were used to examine the effect of viscosity and polarity on recombination dynamics. Experimentally obtained recombination yields and dynamics were found to be virtually independent of the cation species, despite the viscosity range of the solvent ILs being extensive, spanning from a few tens of mPa s to several hundred mPa s. We applied a theoretical analysis model based on the diffusion equation to the time profiles of the experimentally determined recombination yields of geminate PAPT radicals. The square well potential was incorporated into the diffusion equation to consider the concerted dynamics of solvent cage formation and recombination. A long-time asymptotic expression for the survival probability of the photodissociated products was derived and used to simulate the experimentally obtained time profile of the recombination yield. The time profiles in the range of 20-1000 ps and the final yield were successfully simulated by the asymptotic expression of the square well potential model. The optimized parameters used for the fit, including the mutual diffusion coefficient of the radical pairs, cage radius of the potential well, and well depth, were discussed in terms of the diffusion coefficient conventional theory and the potential mean force estimated from the molecular dynamics simulation for the photodissociation reaction in ILs.

Fluorescence-based techniques to assess the miscibility and physical stability of a drug–lipid complex

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using fluorescence-based techniques to assess the miscibility and physical stability of a drug–lipid complex pharmaceutical dosage form under a solvent-free condition. An indomethacin–phospholipid complex (IDM–DPC) was used as model complex for this study. The miscibility of indomethacin within the phospholipid was assessed by fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The miscibility limit of the complex system was determined by fluorescence to be 20%–30% drug loading content, showing good correlation with infrared spectroscopy. The physical stability of the IDM–DPC stored at 40 °C was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy. Indomethacin formulated in the lipid complex with an indomethacin loading not more than 30% remained in an amorphous state within a period of 21 days, whereas the samples with a drug loading over 30% started to crystallize earlier with increasing drug content. IDM–DPC having higher miscibilities were found to be more resistant to recrystallization under heating, thus having better physical stability. Fluorescence-based techniques showed convenience and promise in characterizing drug–lipid miscibility and predicting storage stability under a solvent-free condition.

The Dimerisation of Phthalocyanines

In this review, we have shown that the dimerisation of phthalocyanine compounds, notably here the sulphonated aluminium phthalocyanines, is dependent upon concentration, on the medium in which the dye is dissolved, and upon pH. Complex equilibria between various monomer and dimer species are observed as a function of pH, and the probable structures of the dimers elucidated by semi-empirical and ab initio calculations. The formation of a red-shifted dimer leads to the quenching of monomer singlet state in concentrated solution, in reverse micelles, and in lipid vesicles, and this behaviour can account for the fluorescence intensity distributions and decay characteristics of phthalocyanine dyes in living cells as a function of irradiation time.

Fluorescence Characterization of Gold Modified Liposomes with Antisense N-myc DNA Bound to the Magnetisable Particles with Encapsulated Anticancer Drugs (Doxorubicin, Ellipticine and Etoposide)

Liposome-based drug delivery systems hold great potential for cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to design a nanodevice for targeted anchoring of liposomes (with and without cholesterol) with encapsulated anticancer drugs and antisense N-myc gene oligonucleotide attached to its surface. To meet this main aim, liposomes with encapsulated doxorubicin, ellipticine and etoposide were prepared. They were further characterized by measuring their fluorescence intensity, whereas the encapsulation efficiency was estimated to be 16%. The hybridization process of individual oligonucleotides forming the nanoconstruct was investigated spectrophotometrically and electrochemically. The concentrations of ellipticine, doxorubicin and etoposide attached to the nanoconstruct in gold nanoparticle-modified liposomes were found to be 14, 5 and 2 µg·mL⁻¹, respectively. The study succeeded in demonstrating that liposomes are suitable for the transport of anticancer drugs and the antisense oligonucleotide, which can block the expression of the N-myc gene.

Precursor and interstitial Cajal cells in the human embryo liver

Interstitial Cajal Cells (ICCs) were only proven in human adult hepatic tissue. The immune phenotypes of various cell types in the human embryonic liver (HEL) are scarcely described. It was hypothesized that in HEL ICCs are present and distinctive to the precursor/progenitor cells populations. It was aimed and performed a qualitative study of HEL by use of antibodies against CD117/c-kit, CD31, CD34, CD90, CD105, DOG1, Ki67, and adiponectin. Five human embryos of 23-29 mm were used. Blasts and hematopoietic cells were comprising the two major cell populations in late stage embryos. The general population of blasts in the HEL was CD34-/CD105, although scarce CD117/c-kit+ and CD90+ such cells were found. Hematopoietic precursors were Ki67+. Adiponectin-positive plasmalemmas were found mostly in blasts. Endothelia were CD31+/CD34+. Interstitial cells with moniliform prolongations were found; such cells were scarcely CD117/c-kit+ but consistently DOG1+. They were diagnosed as ICCs but based on the morphology of their prolongations they can be equally viewed as being telocytes (TCs). Further studies should better correlate the precursor cell-types and immune phenotypes during human liver organogenesis. Liver ICCs and/or TCs should be also investigated in the human fetal liver.

Analysis of the methods for the derivation of binary kinetic equations in the theory of fluorescence concentration quenching

In the framework of unified many-particle approach the familiar problem of fluorescence concentration quenching in the presence of pumping (light pulse) of arbitrary intensity is considered. This process is a vivid and the simplest example of multistage bulk reaction including bimolecular irreversible quenching reaction and reversible monomolecular transformation as elementary stages. General relation between the kinetics of multistage bulk reaction and that of the elementary stage of quenching has been established. This allows one to derive general kinetic equations (of two types) for the multistage reaction in question on the basis of general kinetic equations (differential and integro-differential) of elementary stage of quenching. Relying on the same unified many-particle approach we have developed binary approximations with the use of two (frequently employed in the literature) many-particle methods (such as simple superposition approximation and the method of extracting pair channels in three-particle correlation evolution) to the derivation of non-Markovian binary kinetic equations. The possibility of reducing the obtained binary equations to the Markovian equations of formal chemical kinetics has been considered. As an example the exact solution of the problem (for the specific case) is examined, and the applicability of two many particle methods of derivation of binary equations is analyzed.

Photobleaching kinetics and time-integrated emission of fluorescent probes in cellular membranes

Since the pioneering work of Hirschfeld, it is known that time-integrated emission (TiEm) of a fluorophore is independent of fluorescence quantum yield and illumination intensity. Practical implementation of this important result for determining exact probe distribution in living cells is often hampered by the presence of autofluorescence. Using kinetic modelling of photobleaching combined with pixel-wise bleach rate fitting of decay models with an updated plugin to the ImageJ program, it is shown that the TiEm of a fluorophore in living cells can be determined exactly from the product of bleaching amplitude and time constant. This applies to mono-exponential bleaching from the first excited singlet and/or triplet state and to multi-exponential combinations of such processes. The TiEm can be used to correct for illumination shading and background autofluorescence without the need for fluorescent test layers or separate imaging of non-stained cells. We apply the method to simulated images and to images of cells, whose membranes were labelled with fluorescent sterols and sphingolipids. Our bleaching model can be extended to include a probability density function (PDF) of intrinsic bleach rate constants with a memory kernel. This approach results in a time-dependent bleach rate coefficient and is exemplified for fluorescent sterols in restricted intracellular environments, like lipid droplets. We show that for small deviations from the classical exponential bleaching, the TiEm of decay functions with rate coefficients remains largely independent of fluorescence lifetime and illumination, and thereby represents a faithful measure of probe distribution.

Distance-dependent proton transfer along water wires connecting acid-base pairs

We report time-resolved mid-IR kinetics for the ultrafast acid-base reaction between photoexcited 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS), and acetate at three concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 M) and three temperatures (5, 30, and 65 degrees C) in liquid D(2)O. The observed proton-transfer kinetics agree quantitatively, over all times (200 fs-500 ps), with an extended Smoluchowski model which includes distance-dependent reactivity in the form of a Gaussian rate function, k(r). This distance dependence contrasts with the exponential k(r) that is typically observed for electron-transfer reactions. The width of k(r) is essentially the only parameter varied in fitting the proton-transfer kinetics at each concentration and temperature. We find that k(r) likely represents the rate of concerted (multi)proton hopping across "proton wires" of different length r that connect acid-base pairs in solution. The concerted nature of the proton transfer is supported by the fact that k(r) shows a steeper dependence on r at higher temperatures.

Interactions in noncovalent PAMAM/TMPyP systems studied by fluorescence spectroscopy

Steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopy and time-resolved fluorescence measurements were employed in the study of meso-tetrakis(4-N-methylpyridinium)porphine (TMPyP) interactions with half-generation carboxyl-terminated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers in water. TMPyP experiences a less polar environment and a strong fluorescence quenching effect upon dendrimer association. The tertiary amine functional groups in PAMAM dendrimers are likely to be responsible for the fluorescence quenching of TMPyP through an electron-transfer mechanism. The Stern-Volmer plots achieve a plateau at high dendrimer concentrations that was attributed to full porphyrin-dendrimer association, and an average fluorescence quantum yield of 15-20% relative to aqueous TMPyP was estimated. The association constant for the 1:1 complex with generation 2.5 at dendrimer-porphyrin ratio D/P = 1 is 5.75 x 10(7) M(-1), indicating a strong binding affinity. The dissociation of the complex with increasing ionic strength reinforces the role of electrostatic forces in porphyrin-dendrimer association. Comparison of Stern-Volmer plots obtained from quantum yields or lifetimes showed the importance of a static effect in these systems. The fluorescence decays of the porphyrin-dendrimer complex were fitted with a dispersed kinetics model. At intermediate dendrimer-porphyrin ratios (D/P approximately 1), diffusional quenching processes between free porphyrin and dendrimer were modeled with the Sano-Tachiya pair survival probability equation. Transient diffusional effects were dismissed as a possible explanation for the static effect detected.

Significant effects of substituents on substituted naphthalenes in the higher triplet excited state

Substituent effect on the lifetimes of a series of substituted naphthalenes (Np) in the higher triplet excited state (Tn) was studied with transient absorption measurements using the two-color two-laser flash photolysis technique. Lifetimes of Np(Tn) in cyclohexane solution were determined from the triplet energy transfer quenching by carbon tetrachloride to be 0.98-63 ps. The different lifetimes of Np(Tn) were explained by the energy gap law for the internal conversion from Np(Tn) to Np(T1), indicating that Np(Tn) quenched by carbon tetrachloride is assigned to Np(T2) with the longest lifetime among Np(Tn). The lifetime of Np(Tn) was correlative with the Hammett sigmap constant. Electronic characters of substituents showed a more significant influence on the energy of the T2 state than that of the T1 state.

Electron-transfer mechanism of the triplet state quenching of aluminium tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine by cytochrome c

The mechanism of electron-transfer from aluminium tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine triplet state to cytochrome c was investigated in this work. This reaction successfully quenches the dye triplet state due to the formation of complexes between the solute and the protein at the active site. The electron-transfer rate constant is around 3x10(7) s(-1), and is in accordance with previous results for the singlet excited state quenching [C.A.T. Laia, S.M.B. Costa, D. Phillips, A. Beeby. Electron-transfer kinetics in sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanines/cytochrome c complexes, J. Phys. Chem. B 108 (2004) 7506-7514.] in the framework of the Marcus theory, with a reorganization energy equal to 0.94 eV. The complex formation is diffusion controlled, but heterogeneities of the protein surface charge distribution lead to quenching rate constants smaller than predicted on a hard-spheres model with electrostatic interactions. Also the binding equilibrium constant is strongly affected by this phenomenon. Ionic strength plays an important role on the complex formation, but its effect on the unimolecular electron-transfer rate constant is negligible within experimental error.

Stochastic simulation of chemical reactions with spatial resolution and single molecule detail

Methods are presented for simulating chemical reaction networks with a spatial resolution that is accurate to nearly the size scale of individual molecules. Using an intuitive picture of chemical reaction systems, each molecule is treated as a point-like particle that diffuses freely in three-dimensional space. When a pair of reactive molecules collide, such as an enzyme and its substrate, a reaction occurs and the simulated reactants are replaced by products. Achieving accurate bimolecular reaction kinetics is surprisingly difficult, requiring a careful consideration of reaction processes that are often overlooked. This includes whether the rate of a reaction is at steady-state and the probability that multiple reaction products collide with each other to yield a back reaction. Inputs to the simulation are experimental reaction rates, diffusion coefficients and the simulation time step. From these are calculated the simulation parameters, including the 'binding radius' and the 'unbinding radius', where the former defines the separation for a molecular collision and the latter is the initial separation between a pair of reaction products. Analytic solutions are presented for some simulation parameters while others are calculated using look-up tables. Capabilities of these methods are demonstrated with simulations of a simple bimolecular reaction and the Lotka-Volterra system.

Diffusion-influenced excited-state reversible transfer reactions, A*+B⇌C*+D, with two different lifetimes: Theories and simulations

We report accurate Brownian simulation results for the kinetics of the pseudo-first-order diffusion-influenced excited-state reversible transfer reaction A(*) + Bright harpoon over left harpoonC(*) + D with two different lifetimes using two different propagation algorithms. The results are used to test approximate solutions for this many-particle problem. Available theories fail when one of the two reactions or (decay) rate constants is large. To remedy this situation, we develop two uniform approximations, which are based on introducing a generalized Smoluchowski term into the relaxation-time approximation. The best of these is the extended unified theory of reversible target reactions, which reduces correctly in all limits and exhibits superior agreement with simulations.

Kinetics of fluorescence quenching for electron transfer and for energy transfer: Molecular dynamics tests for spherical molecules

The Smoluchowski approach to description of fluorescence quenching is tested by comparing the theory with computer simulations for the case of spherical molecules. The distance dependent sink terms describing the electron transfer mechanism and the Forster model for the energy transfer are considered. It is shown that the agreement between the rate coefficient from the model and from simulations depends on the strength of the solute-solvent interactions as well as on the speed of reaction itself. Comparing results of simulations for different quencher concentrations we estimate the strength of quencher concentration dependence effect and the range of times the effect may be significant. In the long time limit the increase in quencher concentration decreased the rate coefficient.

Elementary Steps in Excited-State Proton Transfer

The absorption of a photon by a hydroxy-aromatic photoacid triggers a cascade of events contributing to the overall phenomenon of intermolecular excited-state proton transfer. The fundamental steps involved were studied over the last 20 years using a combination of theoretical and experimental techniques. They are surveyed in this sequel in sequential order, from fast to slow. The excitation triggers an intramolecular charge transfer to the ring system, which is more prominent for the anionic base than the acid. The charge redistribution, in turn, triggers changes in hydrogen-bond strengths that set the stage for the proton-transfer step itself. This step is strongly influenced by the solvent, resulting in unusual dependence of the dissociation rate coefficient on water content, temperature, and isotopic substitution. The photolyzed proton can diffuse in the aqueous solution in a mechanism that involves collective changes in hydrogen-bonding. On longer times, it may recombine adiabatically with the excited base or quench it. The theory for these diffusion-influenced geminate reactions has been developed, showing nice agreement with experiment. Finally, the effect of inert salts, bases, and acids on these reactions is analyzed.

Bimodal proton transfer in acid-base reactions in water

We investigate one of the fundamental reactions in solutions, the neutralization of an acid by a base. We use a photoacid, 8-hydroxy-1,3,6-trisulfonate-pyrene (HPTS; pyranine), which upon photoexcitation reacts with acetate under transfer of a deuteron (solvent: deuterated water). We analyze in detail the resulting bimodal reaction dynamics between the photoacid and the base, the first report on which was recently published. We have ascribed the bimodal proton-transfer dynamics to contributions from preformed hydrogen bonding complexes and from initially uncomplexed acid and base. We report on the observation of an additional (6 ps)(-1) contribution to the reaction rate constant. As before, we analyze the slower part of the reaction within the framework of the diffusion model and the fastest part by a static, sub-150 fs reaction rate. Adding the second static term considerably improves the overall modeling of the experimental results. It also allows to connect experimentally the diffusion controlled bimolecular reaction models as defined by Eigen-Weller and by Collins-Kimball. Our findings are in agreement with a three-stage mechanism for liquid phase intermolecular proton transfer: mutual diffusion of acid and base to form a "loose" encounter complex, followed by reorganization of the solvent shells and by "tightening" of the acid-base encounter complex. These rearrangements last a few picoseconds and enable a prompt proton transfer along the reaction coordinate, which occurs faster than our time resolution of 150 fs. Alternative models for the explanation of the slower "on-contact" reaction time of the loose encounter complex in terms of proton transmission through a von Grotthuss mechanism are also discussed.

Rapid fluorescence quenching of S2-xanthione by 3,3-diethylpentane in perfluorohydrocarbons

Rapid fluorescence quenching of S2-xanthione by 3,3-diethylpentane has been studied in three perfluorohydrocarbons of different viscosities. The donor fluorescence decay in the presence of a quencher was fitted using the Smoluchowski-Collins-Kimball (SCK) model. The molecular parameters, R (the sum of the molecular radii), D (the sum of diffusion coefficients), and the specific rate constant of the process, kappa, were determined. The values of parameter D for all systems studied differed from the sum of the macroscopic diffusion coefficients Dx measured independently. This behavior is explained by the dependence of the molecular diffusion coefficient (as determined from the SCK model) on the distance traveled by the donor and quencher molecules during the excited donor lifetime.

Spectroscopy of photoinduced charge-transfer reactions between tetrasulfonated aluminium phthalocyanine and methyl viologen

Interactions between tetrasulfonated aluminium phthalocyanine (AlPcTS4-) and methyl viologen (Mv2+) have been studied in water and ethanol solutions using several experimental techniques. UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies show that ion-pair complexes occur in ethanol, disappearing in more polar environments such as water. Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (picosecond timescale) reveals the existence of several emissive species in ethanol solutions, of which one of the components is attributed to the charge-transfer complex (AlPcTS4-)(Mv2+)2, another to higher-order aggregates and yet another to the isolated AlPcTS4- molecule. The AlPcTS4- emission is quenched by Mv2+, leading to transient diffusion in the fluorescence decay kinetics. On the other hand, the emissive complex has an exponential decay with a relatively long lifetime (above 1 ns). Time-resolved absorption measurements did not reveal the existence of radicals in aqueous solution, even on the picosecond timescale. The spectra reveal the presence of excited singlet state AlPcTS4-, which decays via the triplet excited state back to the ground state.

A time-resolved study of concentration quenching of disulfonated aluminium phthalocyanine fluorescence

The effects of concentration on the fluorescence decay kinetics of disulfonated aluminium phthalocyanine (AlPcS2) were studied in several solvents. The degree of aggregation, which increased with total dye concentration, was estimated from the absorption spectra. The measured fluorescence decays were shorter and increasingly non-monoexponential with increasing dye concentration. However, stronger quenching was not correlated with higher aggregation. The fluorescence decays were analyzed using a model that assumes excitation energy migration between diffusing monomeric AlPcS2 and quenching by diffusing dimers, both governed by the Förster energy transfer mechanism. The model can explain the observations in three of the four solvents used (phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) pH = 11.5, ethanol, and 67% glycerol-33% water mixture) on the assumption that different dimer configurations are present and not all of them act as quenchers. In PBS at pH = 7.4 the theory predicts much stronger quenching than observed. Excitation energy migration between monomeric species at high dye concentration was confirmed by the observed decrease of the decay time of fluorescence anisotropy in viscous solutions of 67% glycerol, and appears to be a major factor in fluorescence quenching of AlPcS2 at high concentration.