Fluorescence Thiol Reagents : Syntheses and Properties of N-Acridinylmaleimides and Their Derivatives

Abstract

N-(3-Acridinyl) maleimide (3-AM) and N-(9-acridinyl) maleimide (9-AM) were prepared and their reactions with thiol compounds including egg albumin were examined. Both 3-AM (7) and 9-AM (9) react readily with thiol compounds to form strongly fluorescent addition products. Their absorption and fluorescence spectra were measured, and it was found that they are useful fluorescence thiol reagents. Comparative use of the both reagents will afford information on the states of thiols and they serve as a special kind of hydrophobic probe for microenvironment of thiols in macromolecules.