Spectroscopic Study of the Interactions of Metal Ions and Proteins with Benzanthrone Derivatives
Abstract
The present work describes the characterization of complexes between various metals and three benzanthrone derivatives bearing structurally similar substituents. Within this investigation, the obtained complexes were meticulously examined using spectroscopic techniques. The absorption spectra of solutions of the obtained complexes in the UV-visible region showed a small bathochromic or hypsochromic shift in the visible region compared to the initial compounds. In the emission spectra of these complexes, significant changes in the positions and intensities of the fluorescence bands were observed as a function of the dyes' chemical structures. Interaction with metal ions in the presence of β-lactoglobulin amyloid fibrils showed metal-specific effects, including fluorescence enhancement with Zn²⁺ and pronounced quenching with Cu²⁺, suggesting a combined contribution of dye–metal and fibril–metal interactions. These findings highlight the potential of benzanthrone derivatives, both free and fibril-bound, as sensitive and selective fluorescent probes for heavy metal detection, providing a foundation for the development of hybrid biomaterial-based sensing platforms.
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