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Dinuclear Ruthenium(II) Complexes as Two‐Photon, Time‐Resolved Emission Microscopy Probes for Cellular DNA
Author(s) -
Baggaley Elizabeth,
Gill Martin R.,
Green Nicola H.,
Turton David,
Sazanovich Igor V.,
Botchway Stanley W.,
Smythe Carl,
Haycock John W.,
Weinstein Julia A.,
Thomas Jim A.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201309427
Subject(s) - autofluorescence , microscopy , phosphorescence , ruthenium , luminescence , fluorescence , fluorescence microscope , dna , fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy , live cell imaging , materials science , biophysics , chemistry , photochemistry , optics , optoelectronics , cell , physics , biology , catalysis , biochemistry
The first transition‐metal complex‐based two‐photon absorbing luminescence lifetime probes for cellular DNA are presented. This allows cell imaging of DNA free from endogenous fluorophores and potentially facilitates deep tissue imaging. In this initial study, ruthenium(II) luminophores are used as phosphorescent lifetime imaging microscopy (PLIM) probes for nuclear DNA in both live and fixed cells. The DNA‐bound probes display characteristic emission lifetimes of more than 160 ns, while shorter‐lived cytoplasmic emission is also observed. These timescales are orders of magnitude longer than conventional FLIM, leading to previously unattainable levels of sensitivity, and autofluorescence‐free imaging.