Pyrene-Functionalised Copper Complexes as Potential Dual-Modality Imaging Agents

✍ Scribed by Jason P. Holland; Victoria Fisher; Jennie A. Hickin; Josephine M. Peach

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 420 KB
• Volume: 2010
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1434-1948
• DOI: 10.1002/ejic.200900823

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The syntheses of pyrene‐functionalised bis(thiosemicarbazonato)zinc and ‐copper complexes are reported. In contrast to previously reported bis(thiosemicarbazonato)Cu^2+^ complexes which are nonfluorescent, the pyrene group remains highly fluorescent. The compounds have been characterised by using a wide range of techniques including reverse‐phase HPLC, cyclic voltammetry, NMR, electronic absorption (UV/Vis), infrared and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. Spectroelectrochemistry experiments demonstrated that the Cu^2+^ complexes undergo quasi‐reversible one‐electron reduction at biologically accessible potentials. Density functional theory calculations were used to probe the electronic structure of the pyrene‐functionalised copper complexes and confirmed that the ligand‐based fluorescent emission occurs due to the absence of orbital interactions between the pyrene and bis(thiosemicarbazonato)copper groups. These preliminary studies demonstrate that the new copper complexes have potential to be used as dual‐modality agents for in vitro cellular fluorescence microscopy and in vivo positron emission tomography experiments.