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The content discusses a new fluorescent probe designed by a Chinese team to study the action mechanism of serotonin in depression. The probe is highly sensitive and selective towards serotonin, allowing for better imaging processes in cell and animal models. This research is crucial for understanding the role of serotonin in depression and could potentially lead to improved diagnosis, treatment, and drug development in the future.
The correlation between serotonin and depression is highly debated and is relevant for diagnosis, treatment, and drug development. To better study this area, a Chinese team has now developed a fluorescent probe for imaging processes that is highly sensitive and selective toward serotonin. In their paper published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, they offer preliminary results obtained from cell and animal models.
Depression represents a significant public health problem around the world. Current treatments are insufficient, primarily because it is difficult to determine the mechanism of depression. New studies indicate that depression is not exclusively caused by decreased serotonin levels.
To examine the role of serotonin in depression, a team led by Weiying Lin at Guangxi University (China) wanted to develop a highly selective molecular fluorescent probe. The problem with this is that serotonin’s structure and chemistry closely resemble other biomolecules, such as melatonin and tryptophan. However, precise analyses have revealed subtle differences in reactivity.
The team designed a special reactive group (3-mercaptopropionate) that can react very selectively with serotonin via a cascade reaction. They attached this reactive building block to a fluorescent dye (dicyanomethylene-benzopyran derivative).
Attachment of the “appendage” initially switches the probe “off.” If it encounters serotonin, one section reacts first (SH group of the reactive building block binds to a double bond in serotonin, thiol-ene click reaction).
Afterward, facilitated by proximity, a second