Synthesis and evaluation of new BODIPY-benzofuroquinoline conjugates for sensitive and selective DNA detection

• New BODIPY-benzofuroquinoline conjugates were synthesized.
• The conjugates can be used as fluorescence probes to determinate DNA.
• The probes have high sensitivity and selectivity for double-strand DNA.

The sensitive and selective detection of nucleic acids is important for basic research and many applied fields. Herein, a series of new BODIPY-benzofuroquinoline conjugates were designed, synthesized and evaluated as DNA intercalating dyes. All compounds were characterized by using 1H, 13C NMR, IR, UV–Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, and DNA binding properties of these conjugates to calf thymus DNA were studied by using fluorescence titration, UV titration, isothermal titration calorimetry and CD analysis. Significant enhancement of the fluorescent quantum yield was observed for all the conjugates in the presence of calf thymus DNA, and one compound showed excellent sensitivity and selectivity offering its potential application as a DNA specific fluorescent probe. Our results showed that these conjugates could intercalate into calf thymus DNA with high binding affinities. The properties of these dyes as fluorescent probes for living cells imaging were also investigated.

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