A novel fluorescence probe 9-(4-(1,2-diamine)benzene-N1-phenyl)acridine for nitric oxide determination

A novel fluorescent probe 9-(4-(1,2-diamine)benzene-N1-phenyl)acridine (DABPA) was synthesized for the detection of nitric oxide (NO) and characterized by IR, 1H-NMR and EI-MS spectroscopy. Based on a photoelectron transfer mechanism, the fluorescence intensities of DABPA were investigated with the different concentrations of NO. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the fluorescence intensity of DABPA had a good linear relationship (R 2=0.9977) with NO concentration in the range from 1×10−7 to 1.5×10−6 mol/L with a detection limit of 1×10−8 mol/L. The cytotoxicity induced by DABPA was evaluated by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay for biological application. Furthermore, the probe DABPA had also been successfully applied to real-time image NO produced in PC12 cells in the presence of L-arginine.