Synthesis, photophysical and antimicrobial activity of new water soluble ammonium quaternary benzanthrone in solution and in polylactide film

Enhanced optical imaging and fluorescent labeling for visualizing drug molecules within living organisms

The visualization of drugs in living systems has become key techniques in modern therapeutics. Recent advancements in optical imaging technologies and molecular design strategies have revolutionized drug visualization. At the subcellular level, super-resolution microscopy has allowed exploration of the molecular landscape within individual cells and the cellular response to drugs. Moving beyond subcellular imaging, researchers have integrated multiple modes, like optical near-infrared II imaging, to study the complex spatiotemporal interactions between drugs and their surroundings. By combining these visualization approaches, researchers gain supplementary information on physiological parameters, metabolic activity, and tissue composition, leading to a comprehensive understanding of drug behavior. This review focuses on cutting-edge technologies in drug visualization, particularly fluorescence imaging, and the main types of fluorescent molecules used. Additionally, we discuss current challenges and prospects in targeted drug research, emphasizing the importance of multidisciplinary cooperation in advancing drug visualization. With the integration of advanced imaging technology and molecular design, drug visualization has the potential to redefine our understanding of pharmacology, enabling the analysis of drug micro-dynamics in subcellular environments from new perspectives and deepening pharmacological research to the levels of the cell and organelles.

Synthesis and Properties of New 3-Heterylamino-Substituted 9-Nitrobenzanthrone Derivatives

In the present study, new fluorophores based on disubstituted benzanthrone derivatives were designed starting from 9-nitro-3-bromobenzanthrone with nucleophilic substitution of the bromine atom with some secondary cyclic amines. It has been found that this reaction is positively affected by the presence of a nitro group in comparison with 3-bromobenzanthrone. The new compounds exhibit intense absorption and pronounced luminescent properties in various organic solvents. In this regard, their photophysical properties were evaluated with an experimental study of the solvatochromic behavior of the obtained compounds in various solvents. It has recently been found that the addition of an electron-withdrawing nitro group to the benzanthrone core increases its first- and second-order hyperpolarizability. Such dyes can be used in the fabrication of optical limiter devices. Therefore, the developed fluorescent molecules have a potential prospect for extensive application in optoelectronics.

Finding New Precursors for Light Harvesting Materials: A Computational Study of the Fluorescence Potential of Benzanthrone Dyes

Benzanthrone dyes are organic luminophores with excellent optoelectronic properties. This computational investigation is based on density functional theory and aims to explore the photophysical behavior of some of the reported aminobenzanthrones in addition to many unreported dyes containing different electron-donating substituents. Significant changes in the dipole moment and the overall structure of the dyes upon solvation in ethanol have been observed. We find that intramolecular charge transfer is more pronounced in the solvent medium, which facilitates the emission to shift bathochromically. Intersystem crossing is predicted to be absent, which makes relaxation of the molecule to ground state more efficient by emitting in the visible region.

Palladium-catalyzed C8–H arylation and annulation of 1-naphthalene carboxylic acid derivatives with aryl iodides

Disclosed herein is palladium-catalyzed C8–H arylation and annulation of 1-naphthoic acid derivatives with aryl iodides in a low reactant molar ratio via an electrophilic aromatic substitution (S_EAr) process.

Palladium-Catalyzed Site-Selective Benzocyclization of Naphthoic Acids with Diaryliodonium Salts: Efficient Access to Benzanthrones

Dual activation of both C-I and vicinal C-H bonds of diaryliodonium salts allowing for diarylation is a subject of rapid construction of π-extended frameworks. Here, we report palladium-catalyzed cascade of C₈-arylation/intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation of α-naphthoic acids in the synthesis of benzanthrone derivatives. The step-economical protocol tolerates various substrates, which resulted in a potential molecular library for developing functional polycyclic scaffolds. The approach relies on the synergistic action of strong acid with palladium catalysts to form two bonds in a one-pot procedure.

Study of the Mechanism of the Antimicrobial Activity of Novel Water Soluble Ammonium Quaternary Benzanthrone on Model Membranes

The increasing resistance of many pathogens to most of the common antimicrobials requires the development of new substances with more effective antimicrobial properties. In the present work, we investigated the mechanism of the antimicrobial activity of novel water soluble ammonium quaternary benzanthrone (Compound B) on model membranes, composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine, dipalmitoylphosphatidylglycerol, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylglycerol, and dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE). The lipids were chosen to represent a model of a bacterial membrane. The changes in surface pressure of the model membranes, before and after the addition of Compound B, were studied by the Langmuir's monolayer method, and the compressional modulus for each monolayer was determined. In addition, the surface morphology of the lipid monolayers before and after injection of Compound B was monitored by Brewster Angle Microscopy. The results showed that Compound B penetrated all the monolayers studied. The most noticeable effects were found with the negatively charged phosphatidylglycerols and with DPPE leading to the conclusion that the electrostatic interactions between the compound and the lipid head groups and the possible formation of hydrogen bonds between the amino group of the ethanolamine and the keto groups in the structure of Compound B are of great importance. In addition, the penetration ability of the benzoquinone with all phospholipids studied was stable even at higher values of the surface pressure, i.e. thicker monolayers, due to the hydrophobic interaction, which plays also an important role for the antimicrobial activity of Compound B.

Photophysical and antibacterial activity of light-activated quaternary eosin Y

The functional characteristics of a new eosin dye with biocidal quaternary ammonium group (E) were studied in aqueous solution and in organic solvents of different polarity. The spectral properties depend on the nature and polarity of the respective solvents. The antimicrobial activity of compound E has been tested in vitro against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter johnsoni and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), Gram-positive bacteria (Sarcina lutea and Bacillus cereus) and the antifungal activity was tested against the yeasts Candida lipolytica in solution and after treated on cotton fabric. Broth dilution test has been used for quantitative evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of compound E against the model strains. The ability of compound E to inhibit the growth of model Gram-negative P. aeruginosa strain was assessed after 16 h of incubation in presence and absence of light. These experiments were conducted in planktonic format in solution and on cotton fabric. The results suggest that the new compound is effective in treating the relevant pathogens with better results being obtained by irradiation with light. In this case the quaternary ammonium group promotes the binding of eosin Y moiety to the bacterial cell wall thus accelerating bacterial photo inactivation.

Palladium-Catalyzed C8-Arylation of Naphthalenes through C-H Activation: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study

Herein, a direct C8-arylation reaction of 1-amidonaphthalenes is described. By using diaryliodonium salts as arylating agents, the palladium-catalyzed C-H activation reaction showed perfect C8 regioselectivity and a wide functional group tolerance. In most cases, the desired polyaromatic compounds were isolated in good to excellent yields. To explain the observed regioselectivity, DFT calculations were performed and highlighted the crucial role of the amide directing group. Finally, the utility of this method is showcased by the synthesis of benzanthrone derivatives.

A New Bioactive Complex between Zn(II) and a Fluorescent Symmetrical Benzanthrone Tripod for an Antibacterial Textile

A new fluorescent Zn(II) complex of symmetrical tripod form based on a 3-substituted benzanthrone (BT) has been synthesized and characterised. The basic photophysical properties of the new metal complex have been determined. It has been found by fluorescence spectroscopy that, one zinc ion forms a complex with the tripod ligand. The surface morphology of the ligand and its Zn(II) complex has been investigated by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used for the characterisation of the chemical composition of the complex surfaces. The antibacterial activity of the Zn(II) complex has been investigated in solution and upon its deposition onto a cotton fabric. A reduction of biofilm formation on the surface of the cotton fabric has been observed compared to the non-treated cotton material. The results obtained demonstrate that the studied Zn(II) complex possesses good antimicrobial activity being most effective against the used Gram-positive bacteria.

Photophysical properties of benzanthrone derivatives: effect of substituent, solvent polarity and hydrogen bonding

Benzanthrone derivatives are potential fluorescent probes for various chemical and biological environments. A mechanistic understanding of their photophysical properties is pivotal for designing an efficient fluorescence sensor based on the benzanthrone framework. In this study, we report on the effect of chemical substitution on the photophysical properties of two benzanthrone derivatives, namely, 3-(N'-methyl)-piperazino-7H-benzo[de]anthracen-7-one [Me-PBA] and 3-(N'-phenyl)-piperazino-7H-benzo[de]anthracen-7-one [Ph-PBA] in different solvents and solvent mixtures of varying polarities and proticities. Both benzanthrone derivatives show interesting solvent-dependent photophysical properties. Although both derivatives exhibit strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) characteristics in the excited state, the extent of the charge transfer is significantly influenced by the nature of the chemical substitution. Modulation of photophysical parameters as a function of solvent properties led us to propose that ICT is affected by solvent polarity and hydrogen bonding. From the viscosity effect, it is revealed that the weaker emission of Ph-PBA compared to Me-PBA in polar solvents is primarily due to the non-radiative torsional motion of the phenyl group in the former derivative. In protic solvents, intermolecular hydrogen bonding imparts strong non-radiative deactivation to both derivatives, thus rendering a weak fluorescence yield.

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: An Antimicrobial Mainstay and Platform for Innovation to Address Bacterial Resistance

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) have represented one of the most visible and effective classes of disinfectants for nearly a century. With simple preparation, wide structural variety, and versatile incorporation into consumer products, there have been manifold developments and applications of these structures. Generally operating via disruption of one of the most fundamental structures in bacteria-the cell membrane-leading to cell lysis and bacterial death, the QACs were once thought to be impervious to resistance. Developments over the past decades, however, have shown this to be far from the truth. It is now known that a large family of bacterial genes (generally termed qac genes) encode efflux pumps capable of expelling many QAC structures from bacterial cells, leading to a decrease in susceptibility to QACs; methods of regulation of qac transcription are also understood. Importantly, qac genes can be horizontally transferred via plasmids to other bacteria and are often transmitted alongside other antibiotic-resistant genes; this dual threat represents a significant danger to human health. In this review, both QAC development and QAC resistance are documented, and possible strategies for addressing and overcoming QAC-resistant bacteria are discussed.