A naphthalene-based fluorescent probe with a large Stokes shift for mitochondrial pH imaging

Analyst. 2018 Oct 8;143(20):5054-5060. doi: 10.1039/c8an01371c.

Abstract

A mitochondrial-targeted pH fluorescent probe 4-(2-(6-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)vinyl)-1-methylpyridin-1-ium was facilely synthesized via the carbon-carbon double bond bridging of 6-hydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde and 1,4-dimethylpyridinium iodide salt. The probe exhibited remarkable pH-dependent behavior in the linear range of 7.60-10.00, with a pKa value of 8.85 ± 0.04 near mitochondrial pH. A significantly large Stokes shift of 196 nm was obtained, which reduces the interference of excitation light. Application of the probe in live HepG2 cells indicated that the probe had excellent mitochondrial targeting ability and was successfully used to visualize mitochondrial pH fluctuations in live cells.

MeSH terms

  • Drug Stability
  • Fluorescence
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemical synthesis
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry*
  • Fluorescent Dyes / radiation effects
  • Fluorescent Dyes / toxicity
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Light
  • Microscopy, Confocal
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Mitochondria / metabolism*
  • Naphthalenes / chemical synthesis
  • Naphthalenes / chemistry*
  • Naphthalenes / radiation effects
  • Naphthalenes / toxicity
  • Pyridinium Compounds / chemical synthesis
  • Pyridinium Compounds / chemistry*
  • Pyridinium Compounds / radiation effects
  • Pyridinium Compounds / toxicity

Substances

  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Naphthalenes
  • Pyridinium Compounds