Solvent-dependent tautomeric equilibrium between fluorescent colorimetric probes with dual mitochondrial/liposome targetability.

Solvents exhibit different color reactions via regulation of the structure, kinetics, and charge distribution of organic compound molecules. In recent years, solvatochromic probes have good application prospects in the fields of chemistry and biology. In this work, we synthesized three fluorescent probes (PBIC–C, PAIC-C, PPIC-C) sensitive to solvent polarity. We have studied the photophysical properties (spectra, quantum yield, and fluorescence lifetime under different solvents) of these probes. The isomerization nature was verified by nuclear magnetic titration. In order to further confirm our guess, we also performed theoretical calculations, and the results were roughly the same as the experimental results. In addition, cell imaging tests revealed that the designed probes could be used as dual intracellular mitochondria/lysosome-targeting fluorescent probes for biological applications. [Display omitted] • The probes exhibit sharp color changes in different polar solvents. • The probes show relatively high fluorescence quantum yields. • The probes achieve dual targeting of mitochondrials and lysosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]