A novel chalcone derivative (4-(5-(pyridin-2-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-3-yl) phenol (PDP) was synthesized, characterized and investigated for its potential as a fluorescent probe. The structure of the synthesized molecule was determined by FTIR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and LC-MS/MS. The interactions of PDP with fluorescent dyes in aqueous SDS environment and HSA were studied by using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technique and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of PDP against various cell lines (MCF -7, HT -29, and 3 T3-L1) as well as their corresponding healthy cell lines were tested by MTT assay and visualization of FRET efficiency of PDP in vitro was monitored by confocal microscopy. MTT assay showed that PDP has no significant cytotoxic effect on HT -29 cancer cells and moderate cytotoxicity on MCF -7 and 3 T3-L1 cells even at a concentration of 250 μM. Combining confocal microscopes with the FRET technique showed that PDP significantly stained the cytoplasm of MCF -7 cell lines. These results suggest that PDP could be used in fluorescence microscopy for cell staining.
Keywords: Cell staining; Chalcone; Fluorescence energy transfer; Human Serum Albumin (HSA); Micelle.
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