Luminescent rhenium(I) polypyridine fluorous complexes as novel trifunctional biological probes.

We present the synthesis, characterization, and photophysical properties of three luminescent rhenium(I) polypyridine fluorous complexes Re(Me(2)bpy)(CO)(3)(L) (Me(2)bpy = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine; L = 3-amino-5-(N-((3-perfluorooctyl)propyl)aminocarbonyl)pyridine (py-Rf-NH(2)) (1), 3-isothiocyanato-5-(N-((3-perfluorooctyl)propyl)aminocarbonyl)pyridine (py-Rf-NCS) (2), 3-ethylthioureidyl-5-(N-((3-perfluorooctyl)propyl)aminocarbonyl)pyridine (py-Rf-TU-C(2)H(5)) (3)). The isothiocyanate complex 2 has been used to label bovine serum albumin (BSA) and glutathione (GSH). The photophysical properties of the resultant bioconjugates have been studied. The isolation of the luminescent fluorous rhenium-GSH conjugate from a mixture of 20 amino acids has been demonstrated using fluorous solid-phase extraction (FSPE). Additionally, the cytotoxicity of complexes 1 and 3 toward HeLa cells has been examined by the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The cellular uptake properties of complex 3 have also been investigated by laser-scanning confocal microscopy.