Host-Assisted Aggregation-Induced Emission of a Tetraphenylethylene Derivative and Its Responses toward External Stimuli

Acid-base equilibrium in non-aqueous medium: colorimetric visualization, estimation of acidity constants and construction of molecular logic gates

A reversible acid-base probe, (N1E, N4E)-N1, N4-bis((Z)-3-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)allylidene)benzene-1,4-diamine (MM1), is introduced for the colorimetric visualization of acid-base equilibria in non-aqueous media. MM1 displays reversible acidochromic behavior, showing exciting colorimetric change varying from weak to strong acid. Also, we have fabricated a colorimetric paper strip-based test kit to visualize acid-base equilibria. A dipstick experiment has been demonstrated to visualize the acid-base equilibria in the gaseous state. This acid-base probe has also been employed to estimate the pKa values of several acidic compounds in a non-aqueous medium using overlapping indicator methods. Based on reversible acidochromic UV-visible absorption spectral and colorimetric behavior, we have constructed a reconfigurable dual input and dual output combinational logic circuit and set-reset memorized device employing acid and base as chemically encoded inputs and corresponding optical outputs. The current report evokes a new protocol for developing various reversible acidochromic probes and its implication for constructing opto-chemical molecular logic gates and estimating the acid dissociation constants of various acidic compounds in non-aqueous media.

Prospects of charged cyclodextrins in biomedical applications

Cyclodextrins (CDs), recognized for their unique ability to form inclusion complexes, have seen broad utilization across various scientific fields. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the use of charged cyclodextrins for biomedical applications, owing to their enhanced properties, such as superior solubility and improved molecular recognition compared to neutral CDs. Despite the growing literature, a comprehensive review of the biomedical utilisations of multi-charged cyclodextrins is scarce. This review provides a comprehensive exploration of the emerging prospects of charged cyclodextrin-based assemblies in the field of biomedical applications. Focusing on drug delivery systems, the review details how charged CDs enhance drug solubility and stability, reduce toxicity, and enable targeted and controlled drug release. Furthermore, the review highlights the role of charged CDs in gene therapy, notably their potential for DNA/RNA binding, cellular uptake, degradation protection, and targeted gene delivery. The promising potential of charged CDs in antibacterial and antiviral therapies, including photodynamic therapies, biofilm control, and viral replication inhibition, is discussed. Concluding with a future outlook, this review highlights the potential challenges and advancements that could propel charged CDs to the forefront of biomedicine.

Stimuli-responsive aggregation-induced emission of molecular probes by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions: Effect of organic solvent content and application for probing of alkaline phosphatase activity

We suggest that aggregation-induced emission (AIE) molecular probes with single charged/reactive group can exist in the formation of nanostructures but not monomers at extremely low organic solvent content. The nanoaggregates show good dispersivity and emit week emission. Stimuli-responsive assembly of nanoaggregates by electrostatic interactions can turn on the fluorescence, facilitating the design of biosensors with single-charged molecular probes as the AIE fluorogens. To prove the concept, tetraphenylethene-substituted pyridinium salt (TPE-Py) was used as the AIE fluorogen for probing of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity with pyrophosphate ion (PPi) as the enzyme substrate. The dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscope experiments demonstrated that TPE-Py probes existed in aqueous solution at nanometer size and morphology. Stimuli such as the negatively charged PPi, citrate, ATP, ADP, NADP and DNA could trigger the aggregation of the positively charged TPE-Py nanoparticles, thus enhancing the fluorescence via AIE effect. ALP-enzymatic hydrolysis of PPi into two phosphate ions (Pi) limited the aggregation of TPE-Py nanoparticles. The strategy was used for the assay of ALP with a low detection limit (1 U/L) and wide linear range (1-200 U/L). We also investigated the effect of organic solvent content on the AIE process and found that high concentration of organic solvent can prevent the hydrophobic interaction between AIE molecules but show no essential influence on the electrostatic interaction-mediated assembly. The work should be evaluable for understanding AIE phenomenon and developing novel, simple and sensitive biosensors using a molecular probe with single charged/reactive group as the signal reporter.

A cationic AIEgen and hexametaphosphate based simple and convenient fluorometric assay for alkaline phosphatase and its inhibitor

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an important biomarker to diagnose a number of diseases, such as anaemia, hepatobiliary diseases, chronic nephritis, and hypothyroidism. Therefore, the development of simple and convenient assays to monitor levels of ALP is highly desirable. In the present study, an aggregation-induced emission based simple, real-time, and direct fluorescence detection platform has been developed, by using a tetracationic pyridinium derivative of tetraphenylethylene (TPy-TPE) and anionic sodium hexametaphosphate (HMP) as component units. The sensing system, based on the TPy-TPE-HMP assembly, is highly responsive to the ALP dependent disintegration of the TPy-TPE-HMP aggregation complex, owing to HMP digestion by ALP. The sensing platform has an ALP detection limit of 16 mU mL^-1 and linear range of 0-742 mU mL^-1, respectively. The enzyme kinetic parameters, K_m and V_max, have been evaluated. In addition, the potential applicability of the TPy-TPE-HMP sensing system has also been shown with diluted human serum samples. Moreover, the TPy-TPE-HMP probe system is also useful for screening inhibitors of ALP.

Multicharged cyclodextrin supramolecular assemblies

Multicharged cyclodextrin (CD) supramolecular assemblies, including those based on positively/negatively charged modified mono-6-deoxy-CDs, per-6-deoxy-CDs, and random 2,3,6-deoxy-CDs, as well as parent CDs binding positively/negatively charged guests, have been extensively applied in chemistry, materials science, medicine, biological science, catalysis, and other fields. In this review, we primarily focus on summarizing the recent advances in positively/negatively charged CDs and parent CDs encapsulating positively/negatively charged guests, especially the construction process of supramolecular assemblies and their applications. Compared with uncharged CDs, multicharged CDs display remarkably high antiviral and antibacterial activity as well as efficient protein fibrosis inhibition. Meanwhile, charged CDs can interact with oppositely charged dyes, drugs, polymers, and biomacromolecules to achieve effective encapsulation and aggregation. Consequently, multicharged CD supramolecular assemblies show great advantages in improving drug-delivery efficiency, the luminescence properties of materials, molecular recognition and imaging, and the toughness of supramolecular hydrogels, in addition to enabling the construction of multistimuli-responsive assemblies. These features are anticipated to not only promote the development of CD-based supramolecular chemistry but also contribute to the rapid exploitation of these assemblies in diverse interdisciplinary applications.

Polyanionic Cyclodextrin-Induced Supramolecular Assembly of a Cationic Tetraphenylethylene Derivative with Aggregation-Induced Emission

The combination of supramolecular chemistry and aggregation-induced emission-based luminogens (AIEgens) has recently attracted tremendous attention because of its ability to offer large emission enhancement even in substantially dilute solutions. In this work, a new aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-based supramolecular assembly has been reported, which consists of a polyanionic cyclodextrin derivative and a tetracationic tetraphenylethylene (TPE) derivative. Ionic cyclodextrins have attracted significant attention in host-guest supramolecular chemistry and pharmaceutical industry. However, ionic derivatives of β-cyclodextrins have not been explored to establish noncovalent interactions-based aggregation assembly of the most popular class of AIEgens, i.e., tetraphenylethylene derivatives. The current report demonstrates AIE of a tetracationic methyl pyridinium derivative of tetraphenylethylene (TPy-TPE) induced by a polyanionic sulfated β-cyclodextrin (S-βCD). The AIE-based supramolecular assembly has been thoroughly investigated using steady-state fluorescence, ground-state absorbance, and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. Further, the response of the supramolecular assembly towards external stimuli, such as, ionic strength, pH, and temperature, has been investigated. In addition, the complexation behavior of the TPE derivative has also been compared with the native neutral β-cyclodextrin derivative, which delineates the important role of the negatively charged portal of S-βCD in inducing aggregation of the TPy-TPE. The stoichiometry of the complex has been found to be 3:1 for TPy-TPE:S-βCD, using Job's plot analysis. Finally, to get insights into the underlying interactions between the supramolecular assembly components, molecular docking calculations have been performed.