A Novel Fluorescent Probe for Zinc Ion Based on Boron Dipyrromethene (BODIPY) Chromophore

Abstract

ZnAB has the combined structure of N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine as a specific chelater for Zn²⁺ and 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-phenyl-boron dipyrromethene as a fluorophore. Complexation of ZnAB with Zn²⁺ produces a remarkable enhancement of fluorescence intensity. ZnAB has the advantages of less sensitivity to solvent polarity and pH than fluorescein-based Zn²⁺ probes. Furthermore, it is not influenced by other cations, such as Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺, which exist at high concentrations under physiological conditions, even at 2.5 mM. The results show that ZnAB is a Zn²⁺ probe suitable for biological applications.