Preventing photobleaching in Cy5-alkyne systems

• In Event: Poster Presentation and Judging for: Biomedical; Cell & Molecular Biology; Chemistry & Biochemistry; Marine Science; Systematics & Evolutionary Biology.
  In Poster Session: Chemistry & Biochemistry Poster Session

Abstract

Fluorescent dyes are an integral part of many biological techniques, such as cell membrane probes and receptor-targeted tracers. However, fluorescent dyes are susceptible to the permanent loss of fluorescence, when excited electrons enter the triplet state and undergo reactions. This photobleaching effect has important consequences for long-exposure fluorescent imaging as these effects can lead to the loss of fluorescence intensity. To combat this effect, photoprotection systems can be used. One such system is the reducing and oxidizing system (ROXS), which provides a separate pathway for electrons to exit the excited triplet state quickly, reducing the chance of these electrons being scavenged. Previous research indicates ROXS significantly improve the fluorescent lifetime of the Cy5-Alkyne dye on a single molecule level. This research aims to push these results further and create a technique to select promising photoprotection pathways on a macro scale to create a screening process for other photoprotection systems. This work varies the concentration of Cy5-Alkyne dye and ROXS solution to detect a significant increase in photoprotection across concentrations. The results show that increasing the concentration of ROXS to dye significantly increases the photoprotection effect.

Authors

• Ian Orantes-Orellana, Southwestern University

• Dr. David Cooper, Southwestern University

• Mauro A. Garcia, Southwestern University

• Lauren Gillespie, Southwestern University