Jaciel F. Ferrera, Luis E. Martinez.
Rollins College, Department of Chemistry, 1000 Holt Ave Winter Park, FL 32789
Metformin is an important anti-diabetic drug with a wide range of biological activity. The synthesis of a fluorescently labeled metformin derivative will be an extremely useful tool in tracking its action at the cellular and protein level. Through the use of fluorescence microscopy and a fluorescently labeled metformin analog, biologists will be able to better comprehend the mechanism of action of this drug. A fluorescent and photoaffinity labeled metformin derivatives have been synthesized utilizing a range of primary amine dyes reacting with dicyandiamide in the presence of microwave irradiation in moderate yield. The products were purified using chromatography and characterized using infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The synthesis of these new, useful chemical tools may generate significant interest in the biology community for its use in diabetes and cancer research.