Synthesis and Evaluation of Europium Complexes that Switch on Luminescence in Lysosomes of Living Cells

Unlocking same-sign CPL: solvent effects on spectral form and racemisation kinetics in nine-coordinate chiral europium(III) complexes

Understanding the factors that shape the circularly polarised luminescence (CPL) emission profiles of europium(III)-based CPL emitters to have specific sign properties, e. g. monosignate individual CPL transitions, is key to design novel complexes for applications ranging from advanced security inks to bio-probes for live cell imaging. In order to correlate structure and spectral characteristics, a photophysical and kinetic investigation has been conducted on a series of coordinatively saturated nine-coordinate europium(III) systems based on 1,4,7-triazacyclononane. We highlight that lanthanide emission is sensitive to changes in the ligand field by showing the linear dependence of total emission intensity ratios as a function of solvent polarity, for europium(III) complexes displaying an internal charge transfer (ICT) excited state. This sensitivity increases by a factor of 20 when studying changes in CPL spectra, rendering these complexes accurate probes of local polarity. Solvent polarity, solvent-specific effects, and the nature of the chromophores' coordinating donor atoms strongly influence the kinetic stability of europium(III) complexes with respect to enantiomer interconversion. Notably, we show that the choice of donor groups to coordinating to europium(III) and the nature and polarity of the solvent affects the rate of racemisation, leading to systems with very long half-lives at room temperature in non-polar media.

Sandglass-Typed Single Chameleon Luminophore for Water Mapping Measurements: Intramolecular Energy Migrations in the Hydrophilic Tb(III)/Sm(III) Cluster

Novel hydrophilic and color-changeable single chameleon luminophores composed of Tb(III)/Sm(III) nona-nuclear clusters [TbxSm9-x(Sal-PEG-n)16(μ-OH)10]+(NO3)- (x = 1, 2, 3, and 9; Sal-PEG-n: salicylate polyethylene glycolmethylester, n = 2 and 4) are reported for water mapping measurements. Their characteristic sandglass structures and aggregates were analyzed using X-ray single crystal analysis and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. The green- and yellow-luminescence of [Tb3Sm6(Sal-PEG-4)16(μ-OH)]+(NO3)- in water were observed at 20 and 50 °C, respectively. The ratio-metric luminescence analysis using green Tb(III) and orange Sm(III) emission bands is a promising candidate for exact temperature distribution measurements in fluid dynamics. The effective temperature-sensing property based on the competitive intramolecular energy transfer processes between Tb(III)-to-ligand and Tb(III)-to-Sm(III) in a non-a-nuclear cluster is explained using temperature-dependent kinetic analyses in the excited state.

Not just a background: pH buffers do interact with lanthanide ions-a Europium(III) case study

The interaction between Eu(III) ion and different pH buffers, popular in biology and biochemistry, viz. HEPES, PIPES, MES, MOPS, and TRIS, has been studied by solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) techniques. The Good’s buffers reveal non-negligible interaction with Eu(III) as determined from their complex stability constants, where the sites of interaction are the morpholine and piperazine nitrogen atoms, respectively. In contrast, TRIS buffer shows practically no affinity towards Eu(III). Therefore, when investigating lanthanides, TRIS buffer should be preferred over Good’s buffers.

Comparative analysis of lanthanide excited state quenching by electronic energy and electron transfer processes

The relative sensitivities of structurally related Eu(III) complexes to quenching by electron and energy transfer processes have been compared. In two sets of 9-coordinate complexes based on 1,4,7-triazacyclononane, the Eu emission lifetime decreased as the number of conjugated sensitising groups and the number of unbound ligand N atoms increased, consistent with photoinduced electron transfer to the excited Eu(III) ion that is suppressed by N-protonation. Quenching of the Eu ⁵D₀ excited state may also occur by electronic energy transfer, and the quenching of a variety of 9-coordinate complexes by a cyanine dye with optimal spectral overlap occurs by an efficient FRET process, defined by a Förster radius (R₀) value of 68 Å and characterised by second rate constants in the order of 10⁹ M^-1 s^-1; these values were insensitive to changes in the ligand structure and to the overall complex hydrophilicity. Quenching of the Eu and Tb excited states by energy transfer to Mn(II) and Cu(II) aqua ions occurred over much shorter distances, with rate constants of around 10⁶ M^-1 s^-1, owing to the much lower spectral overlap integral. The calculated R₀ values were estimated to be between 2.5 to 4 Å in the former case, suggesting the presence of a Dexter energy transfer mechanism that requires much closer contact, consistent with the enhanced sensitivity of the rate of quenching to the degree of steric shielding of the lanthanide ion provided by the ligand.

Lysosome-targeting luminescent lanthanide complexes: From molecular design to bioimaging

Lysosomes are essential acidic cytoplasmic membrane-bound organelles in human cells that play a critical role in many cellular events. A comprehensive understanding of lysosome-specific imaging can ultimately help us to...

Design of novel tripyridinophane-based Eu(III) complexes as efficient luminescent labels for bioassay applications

In this work, the development of highly luminescent europium(III) complexes in water solution is reported, including their syntheses, analyses of their photophysical properties and applications in bioassays. Three Eu(III) complexes are derived from new ligands based on a tripyridinophane platform. There are four distinct sections in the structure of these ligands: an 18-membered polyaminocarboxylic macrocycle to bind efficiently lanthanide ions in aqueous solutions, three chromophoric subunits (4-(phenylethynyl)pyridine moieties) to effectively sensitize the emission of the metal, two peripheral moieties to solubilise the complex in aqueous media (sulfonate, sulfobetaine or glucose groups) and a free NH₂ group available for grafting or bioconjugation. In our synthetic procedure, a pivotal macrocyclic platform is obtained with a high yield in the crucial macrocyclization step due to a metal template ion effect (74% yield). In Tris aqueous buffer (pH 7.4), the Eu(III) complexes show a maximum excitation wavelength at 320 nm, a suitable overall quantum yield (14%), a relatively long lifetime (0.80 ms) and a one-photon brightness in the range of 10 000 M^-1 cm^-1. Importantly, these photophysical properties are retained at dilute concentrations, even in the presence of a very large excess of potentially competing species, such as EDTA or Mg²⁺ ions. Furthermore, we report the bioconjugation of a Eu(III) complex labelled by an N-hydroxysuccinimide ester reactive group with an antibody (anti-glutathione-S-transferase) and the successful application of the corresponding antibody conjugate in the detection of GST-biotin in a fluoroimmunoassay. These new complexes provide a solution for high sensitivity in Homogeneous Time-Resolved Fluorescence (HTRF®) bioassays.

Novel Dual-Organelle-Targeting Probe (RCPP) for Simultaneous Measurement of Organellar Acidity and Alkalinity in Living Cells

Many organelles, such as lysosomes and mitochondria, maintain a pH that is different from the cytoplasmic pH. These pH differences have important functional ramifications for those organelles. Many cellular events depend upon a well-compartmentalized distribution of H⁺ ions spanning the membrane for the optimal function. Cells have developed a variety of mechanisms that enable the regulation of organelle pH. However, the measurement of organellar acidity/alkalinity in living cells has remained a challenge. Currently, most existing probes for the estimation of intracellular pH show a single -organelle targeting capacity. Such probes provide data that fails to comprehensively reveal the pathological and physiological roles and connections between mitochondria and lysosomes in different species. Mitochondrial and lysosomal functions are closely related and important for regulating cellular homeostasis. Accordingly, the design of a single fluorescent probe that can simultaneously target mitochondria and lysosomes is highly desirable, enabling a better understanding of the crosstalk between these organelles. We report the development of a novel fluorescent sensor, rhodamine-coumarin pH probe (RCPP), for detection of organellar acidity/alkalinity. RCPP simultaneously moves between mitochondrion and lysosome subcellular locations, facilitating the simultaneous monitoring of pH alterations in mitochondria and lysosomes.

Targeted pH switched europium complexes monitoring receptor internalisation in living cells

We report the design and evaluation of pH responsive luminescent europium(iii) probes that allow conjugation to targeting vectors to monitor receptor internalisation in cells. The approach adopted here can be used to tag proteins selectively and to monitor uptake into more acidic organelles, thereby enhancing the performance of time-resolved internalisation assays that require pH monitoring in real time.

The design of responsive luminescent lanthanide probes and sensors

The principles of the design of responsive luminescent probes and sensors based on lanthanide emission are summarised, based on a mechanistic understanding of their mode of action. Competing kinetic pathways for deactivation of the excited states that occur are described, highlighting the need to consider each of the salient quenching processes. Such an analysis dictates the choice of both the ligand and its integral sensitising moiety for the particular application. The key aspects of quenching involving electron transfer and vibrational and electronic energy transfer are highlighted and exemplified. Responsive systems for pH, pM, pX and pO₂ and selected biochemical analytes are distinguished, according to the nature of the optical signal observed. Signal changes include both simple and ratiometric intensity measurements, emission lifetime variations and the unique features associated with the observation of circularly polarised luminescence (CPL) for chiral systems. A classification of responsive lanthanide probes is introduced. Examples of the operation of probes for reactive oxygen species, citrate, bicarbonate, α₁-AGP and pH are used to illustrate reversible and irreversible transformations of the ligand constitution, as well as the reversible changes to the metal primary and secondary coordination sphere that sensitively perturb the ligand field. Finally, systems that function by modulation of dynamic quenching of the ligand or metal excited states are described, including real time observation of endosomal acidification in living cells, rapid urate analysis in serum, accurate temperature assessment in confined compartments and high throughput screening of drug binding to G-protein coupled receptors.

Striking solvent dependence of total emission and circularly polarised luminescence in coordinatively saturated chiral europium complexes: solvation significantly perturbs the ligand field

Examination of total emission and circularly polarised luminescence (CPL) spectra of three 9-coordinate Eu(iii) complexes with well-defined speciation shows that the ligand fields of these C3 symmetric complexes are extremely sensitive to solvent polarity, even when solvent is not present in the first coordination sphere. The energies, intensities, and (for CPL) the sign of some transitions vary with solvent polarity. These observations are rationalised by analysis of the factors that control total and circularly polarised emission, and have important implications for design of responsive luminescent Ln(iii) probes.

In Situ Rolling Circle Amplification Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (RCA-FRET) for Washing-Free Real-Time Single-Protein Imaging

Fluorescence signal enhancement via isothermal nucleic acid amplification is an important approach for sensitive imaging of intra- or extracellular nucleic acid or protein biomarkers. Rolling circle amplification (RCA) is frequently applied for fluorescence in situ imaging but faces limitations concerning multiplexing, dynamic range, and the required multiple washing steps before imaging. Here, we show that Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between fluorescent dyes and between lanthanide (Ln) complexes and dyes that hybridize to β-actin-specific RCA products in HaCaT cells can afford washing-free imaging of single β-actin proteins. Proximity-dependent FRET could be monitored directly after or during (real-time monitoring) dye or Ln DNA probe incubation and could efficiently distinguish between photoluminescence from β-actin-specific RCA and DNA probes freely diffusing in solution or nonspecifically attached to cells. Moreover, time-gated FRET imaging with the Ln-dye FRET pairs efficiently suppressed sample autofluorescence and improved the signal-to-background ratio. Our results present an important proof of concept of RCA-FRET imaging with a strong potential to advance in situ RCA toward easier sample preparation, higher-order multiplexing, autofluorescence-free detection, and increased dynamic range by real-time monitoring of in situ RCA.