pH-induced changes in electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra of phenazine derivatives.

The visible electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra as well as fluorescence polarization degrees of imidazo-[4,5-d]-phenazine (F1), 2-methylimidazo-[4,5-d]-phenazine (F2), 2-trifluoridemethylimidazo-[4,5-d]-phenazine (F3), 1,2,3-triazole-[4,5-d]-phenazine (F4) and their glycosides, imidazo-[4,5-d]-phenazine-N1-beta-D-ribofuranoside (F1rib), 1,2,3-triazole-[4,5-d]-phenazine-N1-beta-D-glucopyranoside (F4gl), were investigated in aqueous buffered solutions over the pH range of 0-12, where the spectral transformations were found to be reversible. The effects of protonation and deprotonation on spectral properties of these dyes were studied. We have determined the ranges of pH, where individual ionic species are predominant. In aqueous buffered solutions the fluorescence was found only for neutral species of F1, F1rib, F2, and F4gl dyes, whereas for the ionic forms of these dyes, as well as for F3 and F4 ones, the fluorescence has not been detected. The concentrational deprotonation pKa values were evaluated from experimental data. It was shown that donor-acceptor properties of the substituent group in the second position of the pentagonal ring substantially affect the values of the deprotonation constants and the character of protonation for chromophore. The substitution of a hydrogen atom in the NH-group by the sugar residue blocks the formation of the anionic species, and results in enhancement of the dye emission intensity. The steep emission dependence for F1 and F1rib over pH range of 0-7 with intensities ratio of IpH 7/IpH 1=60 allows us to propose them as possible indicator dyes in luminescence based pH sensors for investigation of processes accompanied by acidification, e.g. as gastric pH-sensors. A comparative analysis of the studied dyes has shown that F4gl is the most promising compound to be used as a fluorescent probe for investigation of molecular hybridization of nucleic acids.

Absorption and fluorescent spectral studies of imidazophenazine derivatives.

Absorption and fluorescent spectra as well as fluorescence polarization degree of imidazo-[4,5-d]-phenazine (F1) and its two modified derivatives, 2-trifluoridemethylimidazo-[4,5-d]-phenazine (F2) and 1,2,3-triazole-[4,5-d]-phenazine (F3), were investigated in organic solvents of various polarities and hydrogen bonding abilities. Extinction coefficients of F2 and F3 are increased, their fluorescence Stokes shifts are reduced in comparison with those for unmodified imidazophenazine. For F3 a red shift of the longwave absorption band is observed by 15-20 nm. Modifications of imidazophenazine have led to a sufficient increase of fluorescence polarization degrees that enables to use F2 and F3 as promising fluorescent probes with polarization method application. The configuration, atomic charge distribution and dipole moments of the isolated dye molecules in the ground state were calculated by the DFT method. The computation has revealed that ground state dipole moments of F1, F2, and F3 differ slightly and are equal to 3.5, 3.2, and 3.7D, respectively. The changes in dipole moments upon the optical excitation for all derivatives estimated using Lippert equation were found to be Deltamu = 9 D. The energies of the electronic S1<--S0 transition in solvents of different proton donor abilities were determined, and energetic diagram illustrating the substituent effect was plotted. For nucleoside analogs of these compounds, covalently incorporated into a nucleotide chain, we have considered a possibility to use them as fluorescent reporters of hybridization of antisense oligonucleotides, as well as molecular anchors for its stabilization.