Quinoline derivatives as fluorescent probes for zinc determination in living cells
Abstract
Fluorescence sensors are one of rapid technics for metal cation determination in cells, tissues and biological fluids. 8-Hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) derivatives have possess favorable photophysical and coordination properties for developing fluorescent metal sensors. 8HQ derivatives 2-(4-methoxystyryl)quinolin-8-ol (STQ-Me), 2-(4-ethoxyphenylethenyl)quinolin-8-ol (STQ-Et) and 2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)styryl) quinolin-8-ol (STQ-CF 3 ) were investigated. Absorbance and fluorescence spectra of 50 µM 8HQ derivatives in saline were evaluated in the presence of Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , and Zn 2+ . The investigations were carried out on epidermal carcinoma of the mouth KB cell line. Among the studied compounds, STQ-Me demonstrates sufficient stability in saline and appears to be able to bind Zn 2+ with presumably some selectivity in the presence of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ . The fluorescence intensity of STQ-Me solution increased with rising Zn 2+ concentration in the presence of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ . Compounds STQ-Et and STQ-CF 3 demonstrated either weak divalent cation selectivity, poor stability and a pronounced tendency to aggregate in saline. In live KB cells incubated with ZnO NPs, STQ-Me produced a zinc-dependent fluorescence pattern similar to the reference probe TSQ. However, STQ-Me was likely unable to chelate protein-bound zinc, as evidenced by the dynamic fluorescence parameters of KB cells. Overall, STQ-Me demonstrates potential as a fluorescent probe for monitoring labile zinc in living cells, but further molecular optimization is required to enhance fluorescence output and improve binding to protein-associated zinc pools.
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BibTeX
@article{virych2026quinoline,
title = {{Quinoline derivatives as fluorescent probes for zinc determination in living cells}},
author = {Pavlo Virych and Sergey Studzinsky and Petro Virych and Nataliya Kutsevol and Oksana Krupka and Vitalii Smokal},
journal = {Discover Applied Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1007/s42452-026-08817-5},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05796949v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Quinoline derivatives as fluorescent probes for zinc determination in living cells
AU - Pavlo Virych
AU - Sergey Studzinsky
AU - Petro Virych
AU - Nataliya Kutsevol
AU - Oksana Krupka
AU - Vitalii Smokal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/14
JO - Discover Applied Sciences
DO - 10.1007/s42452-026-08817-5
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05796949v1
AB - Fluorescence sensors are one of rapid technics for metal cation determination in cells, tissues and biological fluids. 8-Hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) derivatives have possess favorable photophysical and coordination properties for developing fluorescent metal sensors. 8HQ derivatives 2-(4-methoxystyryl)quinolin-8-ol (STQ-Me), 2-(4-ethoxyphenylethenyl)quinolin-8-ol (STQ-Et) and 2-(4-(trifluoromethyl)styryl) quinolin-8-ol (STQ-CF 3 ) were investigated. Absorbance and fluorescence spectra of 50 µM 8HQ derivatives in saline were evaluated in the presence of Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , and Zn 2+ . The investigations were carried out on epidermal carcinoma of the mouth KB cell line. Among the studied compounds, STQ-Me demonstrates sufficient stability in saline and appears to be able to bind Zn 2+ with presumably some selectivity in the presence of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ . The fluorescence intensity of STQ-Me solution increased with rising Zn 2+ concentration in the presence of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ . Compounds STQ-Et and STQ-CF 3 demonstrated either weak divalent cation selectivity, poor stability and a pronounced tendency to aggregate in saline. In live KB cells incubated with ZnO NPs, STQ-Me produced a zinc-dependent fluorescence pattern similar to the reference probe TSQ. However, STQ-Me was likely unable to chelate protein-bound zinc, as evidenced by the dynamic fluorescence parameters of KB cells. Overall, STQ-Me demonstrates potential as a fluorescent probe for monitoring labile zinc in living cells, but further molecular optimization is required to enhance fluorescence output and improve binding to protein-associated zinc pools.
SN - 3004-9261
ER -