Bisindolylmaleimides with large Stokes shift and long-lasting chemiluminescence properties.

Various bisindolylmaleimides have fluorescence emission maxima wavelengths longer than 500 nm, large Stokes shifts longer than 200 nm, different fluorescence emission wavelengths at an excitation wavelength of 365 nm, and a long-lasting chemiluminescence. The expansion of the pi-conjugation, the pi-bond electronic structure, and oxidation of the C=C bond at the 2,3-position of the maleimide moiety are crucial for producing these fluorescence and chemiluminescence properties.

The chemiluminescence mechanism of 3,4-bis(3-indolyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione, and the characteristics of chemiluminescence developed in the reaction with CH(3)CNH(2)O(2)NaOH.

The chemiluminescence (CL) mechanism of 3,4-bis(3-indolyl)-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione (IPD) was investigated using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) of the products formed after the IPD CL reaction. We found that IPD produced strong CL via the decomposition of dioxetane formed after oxidation of the maleimide and indole moieties in the presence of CH(3)CN, H(2)O(2) and NaOH. The IPD CL was used for evaluating the antioxidant effect on curcumin and epigallocatechin gallate.