Organometallic Nitric Oxide Fluorescent Sensor – IP 1205

Nitric oxide (NO) is an endogenously produced molecule thatplays critical roles in numerous physiological processes. Dysregulation ofNO-dependent signaling has been associated with numerous pathologicalconditions, and medical interventions already exist that target the NO pathway.Our understanding of the roles of NO in the human body is hindered by thedifficulty of assessing NO levels in biological tissues. Currently available fluorescent probes assess NO indirectly(by detecting NO oxidation products) or involve very elaborate syntheticpathways, resulting in high costs for NO detection. Researchers at FIU havedeveloped a novel way of assessing the levels of nitric oxide in solution andin live or fixed biological tissues by using metal photoluminescent complexescontaining certain metals and other chemicals that are transformed usingthermal or photochemical techniques to reactive precursors which fluoresce uponreacting with NO. The Nitric Oxide Fluorescent Sensing is a direct result ofspectroscopic changes that occur upon reaction of NO with an organometalliccomplex, demonstrating a new paradigm of NO detection mechanism. This can beexpanded to a broader family of complexes that can be commercialized at asubstantially lower cost than current NO dyes. This technology will provide a low cost, ratiometricfluorescent probe that will directly detect and quantify NO in biologicaltissues and replace commercially available fluorescent indicators. Anne Laure Schmitt Olivier aschmitt@fiu.edu 305-348-5948