Rapid and Simultaneous Determination of Coproporphyrin and Protoporphyrin in Feces by Derivative Matrix Isopotential Synchronous Fluorescence Spectrometry

Label-Free Assessment of Key Biological Autofluorophores: Material Characteristics and Opportunities for Clinical Applications

Autofluorophores are endogenous fluorescent compounds that naturally occur in the intra and extracellular spaces of all tissues and organs. Most have vital biological functions - like the metabolic cofactors NAD(P)H and FAD+, as well as the structural protein collagen. Others are considered to be waste products - like lipofuscin and advanced glycation end products - which accumulate with age and are associated with cellular dysfunction. Due to their natural fluorescence, these materials have great utility for enabling non-invasive, label-free assays with direct ties to biological function. Numerous technologies, with different advantages and drawbacks, are applied to their assessment, including fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, hyperspectral microscopy, and flow cytometry. Here, the applications of label-free autofluorophore assessment are reviewed for clinical and health-research applications, with specific attention to biomaterials, disease detection, surgical guidance, treatment monitoring, and tissue assessment - fields that greatly benefit from non-invasive methodologies capable of continuous, in vivo characterization.

Unveiling angular sweep total fluorescence Spectroscopy:A novel multidimensional technique for analysis of complex multi-fluorophoric systems

Analyzing multi-fluorophoric real systems without pre-processing is challenging, often addressed with unconventional fluorescence techniques and chemometrics. In this context, we introduce a novel addition - 'Angular Sweep Total Fluorescence Spectroscopy (ASTFS),' to the arsenal of multidimensional steady-state fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. ASTFS utilizes a series of variable angle synchronous fluorescence spectra, strategically covering the fluorescence region between the first and second-order Rayleigh scattering ridges. The plot features a minimal data matrix size, avoids Rayleigh scattering signals, and incurs no blind regions. The study delves into the instrumental configurations for spectral acquisition, highlights the enhanced spectral resolution due to the band-narrowing effect, and discusses other notable features of the ASTFS plot. Further, this technique is reported to be effective in analyzing analytes in complex systems with strong background fluorescence, such as milk. The antibiotic- Norfloxacin is quantified via minimal pre-processing in milk samples and yields excellent analytical figures of merit.

Micelle-enhanced spectrofluorimetric determination of diphenhydramine: application to human plasma and its simultaneous determination with naproxen in pharmaceutical tablets

Two simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric methods were developed and validated for determination of diphenhydramine. The use of sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant at pH 7 enhances the fluorescence intensity of diphenhydramine at 286 nm (method I) enabling its nanodetermination in biological samples with mean per cent recovery ± SD of 100.33 ± 1.519. Method I was validated according to ICH-Q2R1 guidelines and was successfully applied for determination of diphenhydramine in pharmaceutical dosage form and spiked human plasma in the concentration ranges 0.1-4.0 μg/mL and 0.2-1.0 μg/mL, respectively. Method I acted as a basis for the development of a first derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetry (method II) for simultaneous analysis of diphenhydramine and naproxen using a zero-crossing approach. Method II determines both drugs with linearity ranges of 0.05-3.0 μg/mL and 0.1-0.9 μg/mL for diphenhydramine and naproxen, respectively. The developed method was applied for the simultaneous determination of both drugs in their laboratory-prepared mixtures containing all expected excipients. Method II determines both drugs with a mean percent recovery ± SD of 100.56 ± 0.891 and 100.20 ± 1.125 for diphenhydramine and naproxen, respectively. The method was statistically compared with a reported method using Student's t- and F- tests, and no significant differences were observed.

Evaluating the effect of local pH on fluorescence emissions from oral bacteria of the genus Prevotella

A number of anaerobic oral bacteria, notably Prevotellaceae, exhibit red fluorescence when excited by short-wavelength visible light due to their accumulation of porphyrins, particularly protoporphyrin IX. pH affects the fluorescence of abiotic preparations of porphyrins due to transformations in speciation between monomers, higher aggregates, and dimers. To elucidate whether the porphyrin speciation phenomenon could be manifested within a microbiological system, suspensions of Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens were examined by fluorescence spectrophotometry while being titrated against NaOH. The initial pH of the samples was <6, which was then raised toward the maximum found within a diseased periodontal pocket, being ∼pH  8.7. The intensity of the fluorescence emissions increased between 600 and 650 nm with increasing pH. Peak fluorescence emissions occurred at 635±1  nm with a second emission peak developing with increasing pH at 622 nm. A linear relationship was demonstrated between pH and the log10 ratio of 635:622 nm excitation fluorescence intensities. These findings suggest that the pH range found within the oral cavity could affect the fluorescence of oral bacteria in vivo, which may in turn have connotations for any clinical diagnoses that may be inferred from dental plaque fluorescence.

Photobleaching of red fluorescence in oral biofilms

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Many species of oral bacteria can be induced to fluoresce due to the presence of endogenous porphyrins, a phenomenon that can be utilized to visualize and quantify dental plaque in the laboratory or clinical setting. However, an inevitable consequence of fluorescence is photobleaching, and the effects of this on longitudinal, quantitative analysis of dental plaque have yet to be ascertained.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Filter membrane biofilms were grown from salivary inocula or single species (Prevotella nigrescens and Prevotella intermedia). The mature biofilms were then examined in a custom-made lighting rig comprising 405 nm light-emitting diodes capable of delivering 220 W/m(2) at the sample, an appropriate filter and a digital camera; a set-up analogous to quantitative light-induced fluorescence digital. Longitudinal sets of images were captured and processed to assess the degradation in red fluorescence over time.

RESULTS

Photobleaching was observed in all instances. The highest rates of photobleaching were observed immediately after initiation of illumination, specifically during the first minute. Relative rates of photobleaching during the first minute of exposure were 19.17, 13.72 and 3.43 arbitrary units/min for P. nigrescens biofilms, microcosm biofilm and P. intermedia biofilms, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Photobleaching could be problematic when making quantitative measurements of porphyrin fluorescence in situ. Reducing both light levels and exposure time, in combination with increased camera sensitivity, should be the default approach when undertaking analyses by quantitative light-induced fluorescence digital.

A simple and rapid fluorimetric method for simultaneous determination of protoporphyrin IX and zinc protoporphyrin IX in whole blood

Derivative variable-angle synchronous fluorescence (DVASF) spectrometry improves the spectral resolution and selectivity of the fluorescence method. The feasibility of DVASF spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of protoporphyrin IX (PP) and zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP) was investigated. PP and ZnPP were distinguished from each other simultaneously and rapidly by the DVASF method. The spectra were resolved well, and the two components were determined in a single scan, avoiding the spectral compensation factor for PP and chromatographic separation. The linear range of the calibration curve for PP was from 0.190 to 152 nmol/L and for ZnPP was from 0.383 to 230 nmol/L. The detection limits of PP and ZnPP were 0.098 nmol/L and 0.088 nmol/L, respectively. The within-run imprecision (RSD, n = 5) for PP was 4.1%, and for ZnPP was 4.2%. Mean recoveries (SD) of PP and ZnPP added to a blood sample were 86.4 (7.3)% and 72.9 (6.6)%, respectively. This method should be a potential tool in the rapid routine screening of large quantities of samples.

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Investigating the Adsorption of a Porphyrin at the Glass/Water Interface in the Presence of a Cationic Surfactant Below the Critical Micelle Concentration

Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) spectroscopy was used to investigate the adsorption behavior of meso-tetrakis(p-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TPPS) at the glass/water interface in the presence of a cationic surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB) far below the critical micelle concentration. The adsorption model of TPPS at the glass/water interface in the presence of low concentration of CTAB was proposed, which was different from the adsorption of TPPS in the presence of micelles of CTAB at the glass/water interface. TPPS and CTAB did not form stable complex at the interface in dilute system. The interfacial species of TPPS were analyzed by comparing the spectra of TPPS at the glass/water interface and in the aqueous phase. The influences of the TPPS concentration, the CTAB concentration, and the pH values on the interfacial fluorescence spectra and intensities were studied. It was demonstrated that electrostatic interaction and hydrophobicity performed an important role on the adsorption of TPPS in the presence of CTAB. The different effects of TPPS concentration on the adsorption behaviour of TPPS at different pH were observed for the first time. It was found that the adsorption isotherms of TPPS at glass/water interface could fit Freundlich equation at pH 7.1.

Fluorescence Spectral Properties of Rhodamine 6G at the Silica/Water Interface

In this work, total internal reflection synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (TIRSF) is applied successfully to investigate rhodamine 6G (R6G) at the silica/water interface. In comparison with the bulk spectra, 5 nm red shift is observed in the interface spectra, which is mainly due to the limitation of freedom of rotational movement of R6G molecules at the interface. The increase of R6G concentration induces the self-quenching of adsorbate at the interface. The dependence of interfacial fluorescence on the acidity and ionic strength was studied. Both the acidity and ionic strength affect the adsorptive behaviors of R6G at the silica/water interface.

Direct determination of closely overlapping drug mixtures of diflunisal and salicylic acid in serum by means of derivative matrix isopotential synchronous fluorescence spectrometry

A direct method for the simultaneous fluorimetric determination of two anti-inflammatory drugs in serum is proposed. The combination of matrix isopotential synchronous fluorescence (MISF) and first derivative technique provides good analytical results and permits the simultaneous determination of diflunisal and salicylic acid in human serum. MISF spectra are obtained by calculating the isopotential trajectory in the three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum for a serum solution. In the spectral contour, the trajectory is taken to be the portion of the line that passes by the fluorescence maxima of both compounds ensuring a sensitivity level similar to that of a direct determination in absence of background fluorescence. Analysis was carried out in water using a pH of 7.2 provides by 0.1 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer. Serum samples are diluted 100 times and provide linear calibration plots at diflunisal and salicylic acid concentrations up to 800 ng mL(-1). The goodness of the analytical signal was checked by using variance analysis. Signals recorded throughout the calibration range were subjected to three calibrations per each analyte, both in the absence and in the presence of variable amounts of the other analyte. Differences between individual calibrations and slopes were compared with those within individual calibrations. Based on the results, diflunisal and salicylic acid can be accurately quantified in the presence of each other. The limit of detection calculated according to Clayton who uses error propagation throughout the calibration curve and a non-centralized security factor was 36.8 and 37.3 ng mL(-1) for diflunisal and salicylic acid, respectively.