Fluorescent Ensemble Based on Bispyrene Fluorophore and Surfactant Assemblies: Sensing and Discriminating Proteins in Aqueous Solution

A particular bispyrene fluorophore (1) with two pyrene moieties covalently linked via a hydrophilic spacer was synthesized. Fluorescence measurements reveal that the fluorescence emission of 1 could be well modulated by a cationic surfactant, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB). Protein sensing studies illustrate that the selected ensemble based on 1/DTAB assemblies exhibits ratiometric responses to nonmetalloproteins and turn-off responses to metalloproteins, which can be used to differentiate the two types of proteins. Moreover, negatively charged nonmetalloproteins can be discriminated from the positively charged ones according to the difference in ratiometric responses. Fluorescence sensing studies with control bispyrenes indicate that the polarity of the spacer connecting two pyrene moieties plays an important role in locating bispyrene fluorophore in DTAB assemblies, which further influences its sensing behaviors to noncovalent interacting proteins. This study sheds light on the influence of the probe structure on the sensing performance of a fluorescent ensemble based on probe and surfactant assemblies.