Development of ratiometric molecular probes for monitoring oxygen levels in living cells

设计并合成了用于测量脂膜和活细胞中氧含量的比率型分子探针。所合成的分子与香豆素343一起表现出氧不敏感的荧光，与铱配合物一起表现出氧敏感的磷光。在脂质膜存在下，磷光强度与荧光强度的比值随溶液中氧浓度的降低而增大。将这些探针添加到细胞培养基中并孵育细胞。利用显微技术获得活细胞的荧光和磷光图像。这些结果表明，比例型分子探针在活细胞氧含量的测量和成像方面具有很高的优势。

Ratiometric molecular probes for the measurement of oxygen levels in lipid membranes and living cells were designed and synthesized. The synthesized molecules showed an oxygen-insensitive fluorescence with coumarin 343 and an oxygen-sensitive phosphorescence with iridium complexes. The ratio of the phosphorescence intensity for the fluorescence intensity increased with the decrease of oxygen concentration in the solution under the presence of lipid membranes. These probes were added to the cell medium and cells were incubated. The fluorescence and phosphorescence images of living cells were obtained by using microscopic techniques. These results exhibited that the ratiometric molecular probe has a high advantage for the measurements and the images of oxygen levels in living cells.