Bis( o-methylserotonin)-containing iridium(III) and ruthenium(II) complexes as new cellular imaging dyes: synthesis, applications, and photophysical and computational studies.

Núñez, Cristina; Silva López, Carlos; Faza, Olalla; Fernández-Lodeiro, Javier; Diniz, Mario; Bastida, Rufina; Capelo, Jose; Lodeiro, Carlos

We report the synthesis, characterization, and scope of a new versatile emissive molecular probe functionalized with a 1,10-phenanthroline moiety containing methylserotonin groups as binding sites for metal ion recognition. The synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of the in vitro imaging capability of the iridium(III) and ruthenium(II) complexes [Ir(ppy)(N-N)] and [Ru(bpy)(N-N)], in which ppy is 2-phenylpyridine, bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine, and N-N is a 1,10-phenanthroline ligand functionalized with two methylserotonin groups to serve as binding sites for metal ion recognition, is reported. The uptake of these compounds by living freshwater fish ( Carassius auratus) was studied by fluorescence microscopy, and the cytotoxicity of ligand N-N and [Ru(bpy)(N-N)] in this species was also investigated. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

SEROTONIN; IRIDIUM compounds; RUTHENIUM compounds; METAL complexes; MOLECULAR probes; PHENANTHROLINE; BINDING sites

Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry (JBIC), 2013, Vol 18, Issue 6, p679

0949-8257

Academic Journal

10.1007/s00775-013-1013-5