We present an efficient method to synthesize three new asymmetric trimethine cyanine dyes containing only one carboxylic acid group for bioconjugation. Two of them have better protein labeling performance than other conventional cyanine dyes due to their particular structure design.

Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has emerged as an attractive non-invasive approach for direct visualization of diseases which depends on the development of stable, highly specific and sensitive optical probes. The NIR region of the electronic spectrum offers a reduction in the background autofluorescence and an increase in the tissue penetration depth. Cyanine dyes have often been cons...

Heptamethine cyanine dyes are categorized as a class of near infrared fluorescent (NIRF) dyes which have been discovered to have tumor targeting and accumulation capability. This unique feature of NIRF dye makes it a promising candidate for imaging, targeted therapy and also as a drug delivery vehicle for various types of cancers. The favored uptake of dyes only in cancer cells is facilitated b...

Heptamethine cyanine dyes are attractive compounds for imaging purposes in biomedical applications because of their chemical and photophysical properties exhibited in the nearinfrared region. A series of meso amino-substituted heptamethine cyanine dyes with indolenine, benz[e]indolenine and benz[c,d]indolenine heterocyclic moieties were synthesized and their spectral properties including fluore...

There is a high demand for quadruplex-specific compounds that not only bind preferentially to quadruplex DNA over duplex DNA, but also bind to one quadruplex motif over other motifs. Quadruplex structures are recognized as common occurrences in cancer cells, and if a compound could stabilize this structure, it may serve as an effective anti-cancer treatment with minimal side effects. In this st...

The effect of varying short-chain alkyl substitution of the indole nitrogens on the spectroscopic properties of cyanine dyes was examined. Molar absorptivities and fluorescence quantum yields were determined for a set of pentamethine dyes and a set of heptamethine dyes for which the substitution of the indole nitrogen was varied. For both sets of dyes, increasing alkyl chain length resulted in ...

Cyanine dyes possessing carboxylic acid groups have been used in many different fields of study. The acid groups can act as handles for bioconjugation or as metal chelators. Several pentamethine cyanine dyes with propionic acid handles were synthesized and their optical properties were studied to determine their usefulness as fluorescent probes. The optical properties studies performed include ...

Two new crescent-shaped unsymmetrical cyanine dyes have been synthesised and their interactions with DNA have been investigated by different spectroscopic methods. These dyes are analogues to a minor groove binding unsymmetrical cyanine dye, BEBO, recently reported by us. In this dye, the structure of the known intercalating cyanine dye BO was extended with a benzothiazole substituent. To inves...

Series of novel dichromophoric cyanine dyes based on 2-aminobenzothiazoles and 3-amino-1,2,4 -triazole have been synthesized in high yields. All the dyes have been classified as disperse dyes. Besides their electronic spectroscopic properties, high dye-uptakes on polyester, excellent fastness properties, highly extinction coefficients, and broad solvatochromic effects have been observed in thes...