Controlled light-mediated delivery of biological analytes
enables the investigation of highly reactivity molecules within cellular systems.
As many biological effects are concentration dependent, it is critical to
determine the location, time, and quantity of analyte donation. In this work,
we have developed the first photoactivatable donor for formaldehyde (FA). Our
optimized photoactivatable donor, photoFAD-3, is equipped with a fluorescence readout
that enables monitoring of FA release with a concomitant 139-fold fluorescence
enhancement. Tuning of photostability and cellular retention enabled
quantification of intracellular FA release through cell lysate calibration. Application
of photoFAD-3 uncovered the concentration range necessary for arresting wound
healing in live cells. This marks the first report where a photoactivatable
donor for any analyte has been used to quantify intracellular release.