Diverse interactions of aggregated insulin with selected coumarin dyes: Time dependent fluorogenicity, simulation studies and comparison with thioflavin T

In this study, we have compared neutral coumarin based well-known commercially available probes C6, C7 and C545T for fluorogenic response from the aggregated insulin. The immediate fluorogenic responses were comparatively poor from all the three probes with respect to the previously reported response from thioflavin T (ThT) in the presence of aggregated insulin. Interestingly C6 among the three neutral coumarin derivative showed a significant steady increase of fluorescence intensity with time up to 6 h before reaching the saturation limit. Similar time dependent fluorogenic experiment with C7, C545T and ThT showed comparatively fast saturation within few minutes to 2 h. The molecular docking and simulation studies showed that these neutral probes could be stabilized in the aggregated form of the insulin predominantly by non-covalent weak interactions such as hydrogen bonding, π-π and cation-π interactions. The probability distributions of the dihedral angles between two heterocyclic parts in C6 showed maximum probability of occurrence at 0° and 180°. These probability distributions of the dihedral angles between two heterocyclic parts within all the four fluorophores provided the justification of selective time dependent fluorescence enhancement from C6 in presence of insulin aggregate. The overall fluorogenic enhancement from C6 was comparable to the fluorogenic response from ThT and theoretical study confirmed distinctly different origin of this associated slow time dependent fluorogenic response. •Coumarin-derivatives are used for the first time to detect aggregated insulin.•Fluorogenicity of selected coumarin derivatives are relatively less compared to the gold standard ThT.•The time dependent enhancement of fluorescence enhancement shows unique feature in one coumarin-derivative.•The electrostatic interactions including hydrogen bonding are predominant in the case of C6, C7 and C545T with insulin.•Dihedral angles between the heterocyclic parts in coumarin derivatives are the source of time dependent fluorogenicity.