Metal complexes as optical probes for DNA sensing and imaging

Transition and lanthanide metal complexes have rich photophysical properties that can be used for cellular imaging, biosensing and phototherapy. One of the applications of such luminescent compounds is the detection and visualisation of nucleic acids. In this brief review, we survey the recent literature on the use of luminescent metal complexes (including ReI, RuII, OsII, IrIII, PtII, EuIII and TbIII) as DNA optical probes, including examples of compounds that bind selectively to nonduplex DNA topologies such as quadruplex, i-motif and DNA mismatches. We discuss the applications of metal-based luminescent complexes in cellular imaging, including timeresolved microscopy and super-resolution techniques. Their applications in biosensing and phototherapy are briefly mentioned in the relevant sections.

Automated summary

Transition and lanthanide metal complexes have rich photophysical properties that can be utilized for cellular imaging, biosensing, and phototherapy purposes. These luminescent compounds are particularly useful for the detection and visualization of nucleic acids. Additionally, the applications of these metal complexes extend to cellular imaging, biosensing, and phototherapy.