Design, synthesis and investigation of water-soluble hemi-indigo photoswitches for bioapplications

A series of hemi-indigo derivatives was synthesized and their photoswitching properties in aqueous medium were studied. The dimethoxy hemi-indigo derivative with the best photochromic performance in water was identified as a promising platform for the development of photoswitchable binders for biomolecules. The synthetic approach towards the introduction of the alkylamino pendant to the dimethoxy hemi-indigo core was developed that allowed to obtain an RNA-binding hemi-indigo derivative with photoswitchable fluorescent properties.