Ten fluorescent fractions originating from the chloroform extracts of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells of human donor eyes (ages 52-98 yr) have been separated and characterized by UV-vis absorbance and corrected fluorescence spectroscopy. The semipurified fluorophores fall into four categories based upon their spectral properties: green-emitting fluorophores, a golden yellow-emitting fluorophore, yellow-green-emitting fluorophores and orange-red-emitting fluorophores. All share common absorbance peaks around 280- and 330 nm, and the orange-red-emitting fluorophores also exhibit a strong absorbance peak at 420 nm. No significant visible-emitting fluorophores were detected in the methanol-water phase of these extracts. While these fluorophores are abundant in extracts from adult-derived RPE, most of the fluorophores occur in much lower amounts in RPE extracts from human donors under 10 yr of age. Eyes from child human donors also have much less RPE lipofuscin than those from adult donors, suggesting that most of the fluorophores are lipofuscin derived. This interpretation is supported by the previous finding that all of the fluorophores from whole RPE are also present in extracts of purified lipofuscin granules. Characterization of the chromatographic and spectral properties of the chloroform-soluble fluorescent components from the human RPE provides an important tool for determining the mechanism of RPE lipofuscin fluorophore formation. The absorbance properties defined here are of significance to investigations into the photobiology of the RPE and to those using laser therapy in treatment of age-related retinal diseases.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0014-4835(88)90025-5 | DOI Listing |
Mini Rev Med Chem
January 2025
Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Pisa, Via Bonanno 33, 56126, Pisa, Italia.
Luminescent Lanthanide (III) (Ln(III)) bioprobes (LLBs) have been extensively used in the last two decades as intracellular molecular probes in bio-imaging for the efficient revelation of analytes, to signal intracellular events (enzymes/protein activity, antigen-antibody interaction), target specific organelles, and determine parameters of particular biophysical interest, to gain important insights on pathologies or diseases. The choice of using a luminescent Ln(III) coordination compound with respect to a common organic fluorophore is intimately connected to how their photophysical sensitization (antenna effect) can be finely tuned and especially triggered to respond (even quantitatively) to a certain biophysical event, condition or analyte. While there are other reviews focused on how to design chromophoric ligands for an efficient sensitization of Ln(III) ions, both in the visible and NIR region, this review is application-driven: it is a small collection of particularly interesting examples where the LLB's emissive information is acquired by imaging the emission intensity and/or the fluorescence lifetime (fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, FLIM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJACS Au
January 2025
Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Understanding the mechanism of drug action in biological systems is facilitated by the interactions between small molecules and target chiral biomolecules. In this context, focusing on the enantiomeric recognition of carbohydrates in solution through steady-state fluorescence emission spectroscopy is noteworthy. To this end, we have developed a third generation of chiral optical sensors for carbohydrates, distinct from all of those previously presented, which interact with carbohydrates to form non-covalent probe-analyte interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Sci
January 2025
Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica, i Fisicoquímica, Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona (UB) Barcelona Spain
Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a powerful technique used to investigate the conformational preferences of biosystems, and molecular simulations have emerged as an ideal complement to FRET due to their ability to provide structural models that can be compared with experiments. This synergy is however hampered by the approximations underlying Förster theory regarding the electronic coupling between the participating dyes: a dipole-dipole term attenuated by a simple dielectric screening factor 1/ that depends on the refractive index of the medium. Whereas the limits of the dipole approximation are well-known, detailed insights on how environment effects deviate from the 1/ assumption and modify the distance dependence that characterizes FRET as a spectroscopic ruler are still not well understood, especially in biosystems characterized by significant structural disorder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRSC Med Chem
January 2025
Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London Stamford Street London SE1 9NH UK +44 (0) 20 7848 9532.
-Formyl peptide receptors (FPRs) are membrane receptors that are abundantly expressed in innate immune cells, including neutrophils and platelets, demonstrating potential new targets for immune system regulation and the treatment of inflammatory conditions. We report here the development and bio-physical validation of new FPR imaging agents as effective tools to track FPR distribution, localisation and functions, ultimately helping to establish FPR exact roles and functions in pathological and physiological conditions. The new series of probes feature a small molecule-based FPR address system conjugated to suitable fluorophores, resulting in highly specific FPR agents, including a partial agonist endowed with high affinity ( low/sub-nanomolar potency) on FPR-transfected cells and human neutrophils.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Biomed Imaging
January 2025
Precision Healthcare University Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, Whitechapel, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom.
Bacterial resistance, primarily stemming from misdiagnosis, misuse, and overuse of antibacterial medications in humans and animals, is a pressing issue. To address this, we focused on developing a fluorescent probe for the detection of bacteria, with a unique feature-an exceptionally long fluorescence lifetime, to overcome autofluorescence limitations in biological samples. The polymyxin-based probe (ADOTA-PMX) selectively targets Gram-negative bacteria and used the red-emitting fluorophore azadioxatriangulenium (with a reported fluorescence lifetime of 19.
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