Organoselenium molecular fluorescent probes show great promise in the detection of a variety of biological analytes in living biological systems. Various biological species play vital roles for normal physiological processes and the extent and range of their importance in health and disease continues to be explored in various fields of chemistry/biology. For example the overproduction of, or deficiencies of, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and related species such as biothiols (reductants) can be indicative of, or may play a decisive role in, cancer formation and neurodegenerative disease disorders such as Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD).1,2,3 Hence, the (i) selective and reversible determination of these species is required for a better understanding of their role in biological systems. (ii) Additionally, the possible therapeutic potential of such synthetic chalcogen-containing medicinal compounds, and how they can function best towards molecular detection of the disease and in the early diagnosis of disease are also important issues. Such goals require extensive small molecule (fluorophore) design which may also involve considerations for metal ion binding. The details of organoselenide compound analyte screening, their assays in relevant biological media and general applications will be discussed in this presentation.
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