Synthetic strategies for the development of fluorescent amino acids as optical probe

The photo physical characterization of synthetic amino acids with side chain chromophoric systems has particular importance as fluorescent probes for extending our understanding of protein folding, stabilization and various fields of biological research. Chemists are now designing bio mimetic chromophore based amino acids that have characteristic spectral properties, which change significantly after formation of secondary and tertiary structures or a host-guest complex. An overview of the design and synthesis of non-protein amino acids containing chromophoric systems that have recently been used as fluorescent probe is discussed.