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The chemical reaction of 2-(methylsulfinyl)naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione (3) using different amines, including benzylamine (4a), morpholine (4b), thiomorpholine (4c), piperidine (4d), and 4-methylpiperazine (4e), produced corresponding new tricyclic naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole–4,9–dione compounds (5a–e) in moderate-to-good yields. The photophysical properties and antimicrobial activities of these compounds (5a–e) were then characterized. Owing to the extended π-conjugated system of naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole–4,9–dione skeleton and substituent effect, 5a–e showed fluorescence both in solution and in the solid state. The introduction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles at position 2 of the thiazole ring on naphtho[2,3-d]thiazole-4,9-dione led to large bathochromic shifts in solution, and 5b–e exhibited orange-red fluorescence with emission maxima of over 600 nm in highly polar solvents. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a highly pathogenic bacterium, and infection with its antimicrobial-resistant pathogen methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) results in serious clinical problems. In this study, we also investigated the antimicrobial activities of 5a–e against S. aureus, MRSA, and S. epidermidis. Compounds 5c with thiomorpholine group and 5e with 4-methylpiperazine group showed potent antimicrobial activity against these bacteria. These results will lead to the development of new fluorescent dyes with antimicrobial activity in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A very simple and facile one-pot method for the synthesis of pyrimidine derivatives is presented. In this method, 2-aryl-pyrimidine derivatives were prepared by the reaction of ketene N,S-acetal 1 with commercially available aryl aldehydes by heating under solvent and catalyst-free conditions. The synthesized pyrimidine derivatives showed blue-green fluorescence in solid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc is an essential trace element involved in many biological activities; however, its functions are not fully understood. To elucidate the role of endogenous labile Zn2+, we developed a novel ratiometric fluorescence probe, 5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-(methylsulfanyl)-[2,2′-bipyridin]-6-amine (6 (rBpyZ)) based on the 6-amino-2,2′-bipyridine scaffold, which acts as both the chelating agent for Zn2+ and the fluorescent moiety. The methoxy group acted as an electron donor, enabling the intramolecular charge transfer state of 6 (rBpyZ), and a ratiometric fluorescence response consisting of a decrease at the emission wavelength of 438 nm and a corresponding increase at the emission wavelength of 465 nm was observed. The ratiometric probe 6 (rBpyZ) exhibited a nanomolar-level dissociation constant (Kd = 0.77 nM), a large Stokes shift (139 nm), and an excellent detection limit (0.10 nM) under physiological conditions. Moreover, fluorescence imaging using A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells revealed that 6 (rBpyZ) had good cell membrane permeability and could clearly visualize endogenous labile Zn2+. These results suggest that the ratiometric fluorescence probe 6 (rBpyZ) has considerable potential as a valuable tool for understanding the role of Zn2+ in living systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The development of a water-soluble and small molecular weight fluorescent probe, 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-(methylsulfanyl)-6-(pyridin-2-yl)pyridin-2(1H)-one (3), for detecting Zn2+ based on pyridine–pyridone skeleton is reported. We observed a clear chelation enhanced fluorescence effect of 3 in the presence of Zn2+. Other fluorescent properties of 3 are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel series of heterocycles were obtained through the condensation reaction of 4-methylthiomaleimides with pyrroles and indoles. The newly synthesized compounds exhibit their major electronic absorption peaks ranging 435-504nm in solution at room temperature. Time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) calculations were systematically performed in order to elucidate their structure-color relationships, using a set of exchange-correlation (XC) functionals. The TDDFT computational scheme employing PCM-TDDFT/6-31+G(d,p)//DFT/6-311G(d,p) level of theory gave qualitatively satisfactory results in their λmax predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small extent of endogenous labile zinc is involved in many vital physiological roles in living systems. However, its detailed functions have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we developed a novel biheteroaryl-based low molecular weight fluorescent sensor, 3-(phenylsulfonyl)-pyrazine–pyridone (5b), and applied it for the detection of endogenous labile zinc ions from lung cancer cells during apoptosis. The electron-withdrawing property of the sulfonyl group between the phenyl ring as an electron donor and the pyridone ring as a fluorophore inhibited the intramolecular charge transfer state, and the background fluorescence of the sensor was decreased in aqueous media. From the structure–fluorescence relationship analysis of the substituent effects with/without Zn2+, compound 5b acting as a sensor possessed favorable properties, including a longer emission wavelength, a large Stokes shift (over 100 nm), a large fluorescence enhancement in response to Zn2+ under physical conditions, and good cell membrane permeability in living cells. Fluorescence imaging studies of human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549) undergoing apoptosis revealed that compound 5b could detect endogenous labile zinc ions. These experiments suggested that the low molecular weight compound 5b is a potential fluorescence sensor for Zn2+ toward understanding its functions in living systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-affinity and low-molecular-weight fluorescent Zn 2+ sensor 1 based on a 2,2′-bipyridine scaffold, which functions as both the chelating moiety for Zn 2+ and the fluorophore, was developed and evaluated in biological applications. Controlling the occurrence of tautomerism of the chelating moiety for Zn 2+ by introducing an amino group at the 6-position of the pyridine ring dramatically increased the binding affinity toward Zn 2+ . Fluorescent sensor 1 exhibited a nanomolar-range dissociation constant ( K d = 2.2 nM), a large Stokes shift (140 nm), and an 8.6-fold turn-on response to Zn 2+ under physiological conditions. Fluorescence images revealed that fluorescent sensor 1 exhibits good properties with respect to aqueous solubility and cell permeability and can quantitatively detect the Zn 2+ levels in living cells. Furthermore, a 65 Zn 2+ radioactive zinc isotope uptake study revealed the real concentration of accumulated Zn 2+ at the detection limit. The novel fluorescent sensor 1 is a promising sensor for use in biological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report a novel series of fluorescent Zn2+ sensors based on a pyridine–pyridone core structure, which functions as both the chelating part for Zn2+ and as the fluorophore. Pyridine–pyridone derivatives obtained by replacement of an electron-donating group with an electronic-withdrawing group at the 3-position of the pyridone ring showed almost no background fluorescence because electron transfer to the fluorophore was inhibited. However, these derivatives showed strong fluorescence with Zn2+. Coordination with Zn2+ greatly influenced the electron transfer of the fluorophore, and, as a result, enabled fluorescence ON/OFF switching. In these sensors, 4-[4-(methylsulfanyl)-2-oxo-6-(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2-dihydropyridin-3-yl]benzoic acid (5) displayed excellent properties: small molecular weight (MW=338), good water solubility, large Stokes shift (132nm), and fluorescence ON/OFF switching with Zn2+. In addition, fluorescence images of Zn2+ with 5 in living cells show that the new fluorescent sensor is useful for biological applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The major electronic absorption features in visible region were computationally investigated for a series of novel N-methylmaleimide derivatives. The newly synthesized compounds through the reaction of indolizines with N-methylmaleimides exhibited their maxima ranging 587–634nm in solution at room temperature. Time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were performed in order to elucidate their structure–color relationship, as well as to assess its performance using a variety of exchange-correlation (XC) functionals and basis sets. 4-(Indolizin-3-yl)-1-methyl-2,5-dioxo-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile (referred to 3a hereafter), a representative of the new compounds, was analyzed in detail on its intramolecular push–pull electronic structure. As a consequence of systematic evaluation of computational strategies for 3a, we found that the theoretical λ max obtained by PCM-TD-DFT/6-31+G(d,p)//DFT/6-311G(2d,2p) level of theory, which was consistently employed throughout this study, has converged within 2nm deviation from λ max of the most elaborated level considered. Among some of the molecules with near-planarity structure, unusual discrepancies between the theoretical and the experimental λ max were observed, which should be attributed to the well-known TD-DFT limitation to describe multi-configurational or charge transfer (CT) excitations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]