Development of 3-alkyl-6-methoxy-7-hydroxy-chromones (AMHCs) from natural isoflavones, a new class of fluorescent scaffolds for biological imaging

Starting from 7-hydroxyisoflavones, we developed a new class of fluorescent scaffolds, 3-alkyl-6-methoxy-7-hydroxy-chromones (AMHCs, M-W similar to 205.19, lambda(ab) similar to 350 nm, lambda(em) similar to 450 nm) via a trial and error process. AMHCs have the advantages of being a small molecular moiety, having strong fluorescence in basic buffers, reasonable solubility and stability, non-toxicity, and are conveniently linked to pharmacophores. AMHCs were successfully used in fluorescence microscopy imaging of cells and tissues.