RESUMO
Small-molecule fluorophores, such as fluorescein and rhodamine derivatives, are critical tools in modern biochemical and biological research. The field of chemical dyes is old; colored molecules were first discovered in the 1800s, and the fluorescein and rhodamine scaffolds have been known for over a century. Nevertheless, there has been a renaissance in using these dyes to create tools for biochemistry and biology. The application of modern chemistry, biochemistry, molecular genetics, and optical physics to these old structures enables and drives the development of novel, sophisticated fluorescent dyes. This critical review focuses on an important example of chemical biology-the melding of old and new chemical knowledge-leading to useful molecules for advanced biochemical and biological experiments.
Assuntos
Fluoresceínas/síntese química , Corantes Fluorescentes/síntese química , Sondas Moleculares/síntese química , Marcadores de Fotoafinidade/síntese química , Rodaminas/síntese química , Animais , Bactérias/metabolismo , Técnicas de Química Sintética , Fluoresceínas/história , Fluoresceínas/metabolismo , Corantes Fluorescentes/história , Corantes Fluorescentes/metabolismo , História do Século XIX , História do Século XX , História do Século XXI , Humanos , Microscopia de Fluorescência , Sondas Moleculares/história , Sondas Moleculares/metabolismo , Marcadores de Fotoafinidade/história , Marcadores de Fotoafinidade/metabolismo , Rodaminas/história , Rodaminas/metabolismoRESUMO
Fluorescein's property of fluorescence is reviewed. Of the many factors which affect its fluorescence, concentration is probably the most important and it best explains why leaking aqueous turns fluorescein bright green during Seidel's test. The intensity and pattern of fluorescein staining of corneal lesions is probably due to the concentration and distribution of fluorescein in the cornea. The concentration of fluorescein achieved in the retinal blood vessels during fluorescein angiography affects its fluorescence.