Luminol-Pendant Chemiluminescent Polymethacrylamide-Based Polymers for Peroxide Sensing in Live Cell Imaging.

The present study aims at the development of luminol pendant functionalized chemiluminescent polymethacrylamides, for sensing and imaging applications. Luminol functionalized poly(methacrylamide) homopolymer was synthesized by the post-polymerization modification of poly(methacryloyl chloride), (PMC) with luminol. Luminol based methacrylamide monomer (LUME) was synthesized using a simple Schotten-Baumann type reaction between methacryloyl chloride and luminol. LUME was copolymerized with hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using SET-LRP (Single Electron Transfer- Living Radical Polymerization), a controlled radical polymerization technique. Luminol functionalized homo (PML) and copolymer (PHL) were having excellent solubility in basic medium as well as polar solvents like as dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethyl formamide. Basic solutions of both PML and PHL copolymers were tested for their chemiluminescent sensing of hydrogen peroxide using graphene oxide (GO) as a catalyst. Chemiluminescence intensity was found to be varying linearly with an increase in the concentration of hydrogen peroxide for both these polymers. Upto 1 mu M of peroxide can be sensed even with a very dilute solution of PML (1.8x10(-11)M) and PHL (2x10(-8)M).These chemiluminescent polymethacrylamides were also studied for peroxide sensing in live cells.