Scientists were able to isolate a natural fluorescent substance from Toddalia roots. Reported by the American Chemical Society.
Fluorescent materials absorb ultraviolet radiation and emit visible light, which is usually a single color. At the same time, some of these substances shine even more if pieces of material are placed close to each other – such paints are called aggregation-induced phosphors. They are essential components of some optical devices and are required to visualize processes inside living cells. At the same time, phosphorus from aggregation is synthesized in the laboratory during complex processes and, as a rule, is toxic.
Now Ben Zhong Tang and his colleagues have been able to extract a natural phosphorus from this grade. It is known that Toddalia’s roots can radiate light, but it is not clear which substance is responsible for this. The authors dried and powdered the roots of toddalia and investigated the properties of the compounds it contained. It turned out that 5-methoxycecelin (5-MOS) and 6-methoxycecelin (6-MOS) had the desired parameters. When dissolved in an organic solvent, 5-MOS showed a blue-green glow, while 6-MOS had a slightly fainter blue glow. Both substances have low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility.
During the experiments, the authors stained the cells with 5-MOS, and found that mitochondria were immediately visible under the microscope without additional effort. With these substances, imaging of cells in research can become easier, cheaper and safer.
Previously, biologists confirmed that moths have “tails.” work as bait for bats.