Synthesis, and DNA-Binding and DNA-Photocleavage Properties of Multiply Charged Porphyrins

Interactions of porphyrins with DNA: A review focusing recent advances in chemical modifications on porphyrins as artificial nucleases

The advance of porphyrins as artificial nucleases along the years have developed a class of compounds having potential therapeutic applications. Being an extrovert of chemistry, a variety of chemical modifications have been done on porphyrin macrocycle in order to improve the spectroscopic properties and to adapt as artificial receptors that can recognize molecules. The last twenty years has witnessed broad research in the arena of porphyrin- DNA interactions and their evolution from simple to more complex entities. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the porphyrin-based structural modifications, with a specific emphasis on various effects of porphyrin on DNA cleavage potency. We particularly detailed the nuclease activity of cationic and anionic porphyrins, porphyrin dimers and conjugates as well as heme proteins till the third generation porphyrins as artificial nucleases.

Novel meso-substituted trans-A2B2 porphyrins: synthesis and structure of their metal-mediated supramolecular assemblies

Five novel trans-A₂B₂ porphyrins and their corresponding coordination polymers with transition metals have been synthesized. Absorption and emission studies and structural investigations define the coordination patterns of these compounds in the solid state.

The binding modes of cationic porphyrin-anthraquinone hybrids to DNA duplexes: in silico study

Cationic porphyrin-anthraquinone hybrids bearing peripheral substituents, either pyridine, imidazole, or pyrazole rings have been investigated for their binding mode to DNA duplexes. The four kinds of DNA duplexes were used, which represent intercalation and groove binding modes. AutoDock 4.2 was used to dock nine hybrid compounds to four DNA duplexes, while monitoring of conformational changes of four best hybrid-DNA complexes during 2 ns was performed by Amber9 molecular dynamics package. The binding energy calculation of best four complexes was then carried out using MMPBSA method. The hybrid compounds interacted to DNA duplexes through intercalation and groove binding modes. The minor groove binding of DNA was energetically preferred by cationic porphyrin hybrids due to favorable electrostatic and van der Waals interactions. Both electrostatic and van der Waals contributions were able to distinguish the binding mode of porphyrin hybrid to DNA duplexes.

Vicente MG, Luguya R, Norton J, Fronczek FR, Smith KM. Effect of overall charge and charge distribution on cellular uptake, distribution and phototoxicity of cationic porphyrins in HEp2 cells

Five cationic porphyrins bearing one to four -N(CH(3))(3)(+) groups linked to the p-phenyl positions of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) were synthesized in order to study the effect of overall charge and its distribution on the cellular uptake, phototoxicity and intracellular localization using human carcinoma HEp2 cells. The di-cationic porphyrins DADP-o and DADP-a accumulated the most within cells and preferentially localize within vesicular compartments and in mitochondria. Of these two only DADP-a was phototoxic to the cells (IC(50)=3 microM at 1 J/cm(2)). The mono-cationic porphyrin MAP was found to be the most phototoxic of the series, and it localized mainly in lipid membranes, including the plasma membrane, ER, mitochondria, and Golgi. Both the tri-cationic porphyrin TRAP and the tetra-cationic porphyrin TEAP localized subcellularly mainly in the mitochondria, but of the two only TEAP showed moderate phototoxicity (IC(50)=8 microM at 1 J/cm(2)). Our results suggest that MAP is the most promising PDT photosensitizer, and that both DADP-o and TRAP might find application as transport vehicles for therapeutics into cells.