OFF-ON-OFF fluorescent response of N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(1-isoquinolylmethyl)-2-hydroxy-1,3-propanediamine (1-isoHTQHPN) toward Zn(2.).

An isoquinoline-based ligand, N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(1-isoquinolylmethyl)-2-hydroxy-1,3-propanediamine (1-isoHTQHPN), exhibits a fluorescence increase at 475 nm upon addition of 1 equiv. of Zn(2+) (IZn/I0 = 12, ϕZn = 0.023). This fluorescence enhancement turns and then decreases sharply after the addition of more than 1 equiv. of Zn(2+) reaching a constant minimum intensity with more than 2 equiv. of Zn(2+). In contrast, the fluorescence intensity at 353 nm continues to increase until the signal saturates at ca. 5 equiv. of Zn(2+). This observation can be explained by the formation of a fluorescent mononuclear complex ([Zn(1-isoHTQHPN)](2+)) followed by a non-fluorescent dinuclear complex ([Zn2(1-isoTQHPN)](3+)) at 475 nm during the titration of 1-isoHTQHPN with Zn(2+). Both the mono- and dinuclear complexes were characterized by UV-vis, fluorescence, (1)H NMR, ESI-MS, X-ray crystallography and TDDFT calculations. The fluorescence enhancement at 475 nm is Zn(2+)-specific; Cd(2+) induces a much smaller emission increase (ICd/I0 = 3.7, ICd/IZn = 31%). The Zn(2+)/Cd(2+) selectivity of the fluorescent response correlates with the difference in excimer-forming ability derived from the Cd-Nisoquinoline and Zn-Nisoquinoline bond distances.

Quantitative fluorescent detection of pyrophosphate with quinoline-ligated dinuclear zinc complexes.

Dinuclear zinc complex [Zn2(TQHPN)(AcO)](2+) exhibits characteristic fluorescence response (λex = 317 nm and λem = 455 nm) toward pyrophosphate (PPi) with maximum fluorescence upon 1:1 Zn2(TQHPN)-PPi complex formation. The crystallographic investigation utilizing P(1)P(2)-Ph2PPi revealed that the fluorescent response mechanism is due to intramolecular excimer formation of two quinoline rings.

Quinoline-based, glucose-pendant fluorescent zinc probes.

Quinoline-based tetradentate ligands with glucose pendants, N,N'-bis[2-(ß-d-glucopyranosyloxy)ethyl]-N,N'-bis[(6-methoxyquinolin-2-yl)methyl]ethylenediamine (N,N'-6-MeOBQBGEN) and its N,N-counterpart, N,N-6-MeOBQBGEN, have been prepared, and their fluorescence-spectral changes upon Zn binding were investigated. Upon excitation at 336 nm, N,N'-6-MeOBQBGEN showed weak fluorescence (ϕ ≈ 0.016) in HEPES buffer (HEPES 50 mM, KCl 100 mM, pH 7.5). In the presence of Zn, N,N'-6-MeOBQBGEN exhibited a significant increase in fluorescence (ϕ = 0.096) at 414 nm. The fluorescence enhancement is specific for Zn and Cd (I(Cd) /I(Zn) of 50% at 414 nm). On the other hand, N,N-6-MeOBQBGEN exhibited a smaller fluorescence enhancement upon Zn complexation (ϕ = 0.043, λ(ex) = 334 nm, λ(em) = 407 nm) compared with N,N'-6-MeOBQBGEN. Fluorescence microscopic analysis using PC-12 rat adrenal cells revealed that N,N'-6-MeOBQBGEN exhibits a 1.8-fold higher fluorescence-signal response to Zn ion concentration compared with sugar-depleted compound 2 (N,N'-bis[(6-methoxyquinolin-2-yl)methyl]ethylenediamine), due to its enhanced uptake into cells due to the targeting ability of the attached carbohydrates.