Assembly of a Highly Stable Luminescent Zn5 Cluster and Application to Bio-Imaging.

The assembly sequence of the coordination cluster [Zn5(H2L n)6](NO3)4]⋅8 H2O⋅2 CH3OH ( Zn5, H3L n=(1,2-bis(benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-ethenol) involves in situ dehydration of 1,2-bis(benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)-1,2-ethanediol (H4L) through the formation of the [Zn(H3L)2]+ monomer, dimerization to [Zn2(H3L)2]+, dehydration of the ligand to [Zn2(H2L n)2]+, and the final formation of the pentanuclear cluster. The cluster has the following special characteristics: 1) high stability in both refluxing 37 % HCl and 27 % NH3, 2) low cytotoxicity, and 3) pH-sensitive fluorescence in the visible-to-near-infrared (Vis/NIR) region in the solid state and in solution. We have applied it as a fluorescent probe both in vivo and in vitro. Its H-bonding ability is the key to its affinity and selectivity for imaging lysosomes in HeLa cells and tumors in male BALB/C mice. It provides a new type of sensitive and biocompatible fluorescent probe for detecting small tumors (13.5 mm3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]