Green and Red Fluorescent Dyes for Translational Applications in Imaging and Sensing Analytes: A Dual-Color Flag

Red and green are two of the most-preferred colors from the entire chromatic spectrum, and red and green dyes are widely used in biochemistry, immunohistochemistry, immune-staining, and nanochemistry applications. Selective dyes with green and red excitable chromophores can be used in biological environments, such as tissues and cells, and can be irradiated with visible light without cell damage. This critical review, covering a period of five years, provides an overview of the most-relevant results on the use of red and green fluorescent dyes in the fields of bio-, chemo- and nanoscience. The review focuses on fluorescent dyes containing chromophores such as fluorescein, rhodamine, cyanine, boron–dipyrromethene (BODIPY), 7-nitobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole-4-yl, naphthalimide, acridine orange, perylene diimides, coumarins, rosamine, Nile red, naphthalene diimide, distyrylpyridinium, benzophosphole P-oxide, benzoresorufins, and tetrapyrrolic macrocycles. Metal complexes and nanomaterials with these dyes are also discussed.

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IF/00007/2015 SFRH/BPD/108660/2015 SFRH/BPD/93982/2013 SFRH/BD/52528/2014 PTDC/QEQ-MED/2118/2014 The authors thank PROTEOMASS Scientific Society (Portugal) for funding. All authors also thank LAQV/REQUIMTE (UID/QUI/50006/2013) and UCIBIO/REQUIMTE (UID/Multi/04378/2013) for funding. H.M.S. is funded by the FCT 2015 Investigator Program (IF/00007/2015). E.O. and J.F.L. are grateful for the postdoctoral grants SFRH/BPD/108660/2015 and SFRH/BPD/93982/2013, respectively. A.F.L. is thankful for the doctoral grant SFRH/BD/52528/2014 from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT-MEC) (Portugal). J.D thanks the Proteomass Scientific Society and a BI grant from FCT Project PTDC/QEQMED/2118/2014. C.N. was funded by the Miguel Servet Program (CP16/00139), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad (Spain). E.O. thanks the Foundation L'Oreal (UNESCO and FCT) for the Prize For Women in Science 2015, "Medalhas de Honra L'Oreal Portugal para as Mulheres na Ciencia", healthy Sciences area. All authors thank FCT-MECT for grant PTDC/QEQ-MED/2118/2014. E.O. (green dyes) and C.N. (red dyes) have been involved equally in the redaction of the paper.