Carboxylato-pillar[6]arene-based fluorescent indicator displacement assays for the recognition of monoamine neurotransmitters

The complexation of three cationic fluorescent dye guests with the anionic host carboxylato-pillar[6]arene (WP6) was investigated by optical and NMR spectroscopy. Among the selected indicators – a stilbazolium dye (i1) and two naphthalimide derivatives with positively charged ‘anchor’ groups (i2 and i3) – i1 gave a large turn-on, i2 and i3 a large turn-off fluorescence response to the complexation. The size selectivity of the complex formation of pillararenes was demonstrated by comparing the binding constants of the complexes of the three indicators with WP6 and its smaller homologue, WP5. The systems WP6·i1 and WP6·i2 were tested as indicator displacement assays for the sensing of monoamine neurotransmitters. The WP6·i1 system functioned as a turn-off, the WP6·i2 system as a turn-on sensor for neurotransmitters, and both assays showed a good selectivity to histamine over the other neurotransmitter analytes.