Synthesis of a regioregular zwitterionic conjugated oligoelectrolyte, usable as an optical probe for detection of amyloid fibril formation at acidic pH.

Changes of the optical properties of conjugated polyelectrolytes have been utilized to monitor noncovalent interactions between biomolecules and the conjugated polyelectrolytes in sensor applications. A regioregular, zwitterionic conjugated oligoelectrolyte was synthesized in order to create a probe with a defined set of optical properties and hereby facilitate interpretation of biomolecule-oligoelectrolyte interactions. The synthesized oligoelectrolyte was used at acidic pH as a novel optical probe to detect amyloid fibril formation of bovine insulin and chicken lysozyme. Interaction of the probe with formed amyloid fibrils results in changes of the geometry and the electronic structure of the oligoelectrolyte chains, which were monitored with absorption and emission spectroscopy.