1
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Liu S, Lee Y, Chen L, Deng J, Ma T, Barbatti M, Bai S. Unexpected longer T 1 lifetime of 6-sulfur guanine than 6-selenium guanine: the solvent effect of hydrogen bonds to brake the triplet decay. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:13965-13972. [PMID: 38669188 PMCID: PMC11078201 DOI: 10.1039/d4cp00875h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The decay of the T1 state to the ground state is an essential property of photosensitizers because it decides the lifetime of excited states and, thus, the time window for sensitization. The sulfur/selenium substitution of carbonyl groups can red-shift absorption spectra and enhance the triplet yield because of the large spin-orbit coupling, modifying nucleobases to potential photosensitizers for various applications. However, replacing sulfur with selenium will also cause a much shorter T1 lifetime. Experimental studies found that the triplet decay rate of 6-seleno guanine (6SeGua) is 835 times faster than that of 6-thio guanine (6tGua) in aqueous solution. In this work, we reveal the mechanism of the T1 decay difference between 6SeGua and 6tGua by computing the activation energy and spin-orbit coupling for rate calculation. The solvent effect of water is treated with explicit microsolvation and implicit solvent models. We find that the hydrogen bond between the sulfur atom of 6tGua and the water molecule can brake the triplet decay, which is weaker in 6SeGua. This difference is crucial to explain the relatively long T1 lifetime of 6tGua in an aqueous solution. This insight emphasizes the role of solvents in modulating the excited state dynamics and the efficiency of photosensitizers, particularly in aqueous environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoting Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China.
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| | - Yuhsuan Lee
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lingfang Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jingheng Deng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| | - Tongmei Ma
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China.
| | - Mario Barbatti
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, ICR, 13397 Marseille, France.
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris 75231, France
| | - Shuming Bai
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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2
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Navarrete-Miguel M, Giussani A, Rubio M, Boggio-Pasqua M, Borin AC, Roca-Sanjuán D. Quantum-Chemistry Study of the Photophysical Properties of 4-Thiouracil and Comparisons with 2-Thiouracil. J Phys Chem A 2024; 128:2273-2285. [PMID: 38504122 PMCID: PMC10982997 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c06310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
DNA in living beings is constantly damaged by exogenous and endogenous agents. However, in some cases, DNA photodamage can have interesting applications, as it happens in photodynamic therapy. In this work, the current knowledge on the photophysics of 4-thiouracil has been extended by further quantum-chemistry studies to improve the agreement between theory and experiments, to better understand the differences with 2-thiouracil, and, last but not least, to verify its usefulness as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. This study has been carried out by determining the most favorable deactivation paths of UV-vis photoexcited 4-thiouracil by means of the photochemical reaction path approach and an efficient combination of the complete-active-space second-order perturbation theory//complete-active-space self-consistent field (CASPT2//CASSCF), (CASPT2//CASPT2), time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), and spin-flip TDDFT (SF-TDDFT) methodologies. By comparing the data computed herein for both 4-thiouracil and 2-thiouracil, a rationale is provided on the relatively higher yields of intersystem crossing, triplet lifetime and singlet oxygen production of 4-thiouracil, and the relatively higher yield of phosphorescence of 2-thiouracil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Navarrete-Miguel
- Instituto
de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, P.O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Angelo Giussani
- Instituto
de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, P.O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Mercedes Rubio
- Departament
de Química Física, Universitat
de València, 46100 Burjassot, Spain
| | - Martial Boggio-Pasqua
- Laboratoire
de Chimie et Physique Quantiques, IRSAMC,
CNRS et Université Toulouse 3, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Antonio Carlos Borin
- Department
of Fundamental Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry,
University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 748, São Paulo CEP 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Daniel Roca-Sanjuán
- Instituto
de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, P.O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain
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3
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Mayer D, Lever F, Gühr M. Time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy of nucleobases and their thionated analogs. Photochem Photobiol 2024; 100:275-290. [PMID: 38174615 DOI: 10.1111/php.13903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The photoinduced relaxation dynamics of nucleobases and their thionated analogs have been investigated extensively over the past decades motivated by their crucial role in organisms and their application in medical and biochemical research and treatment. Most of these studies focused on the spectroscopy of valence electrons and fragmentation. The advent of ultrashort x-ray laser sources such as free-electron lasers, however, opens new opportunities for studying the ultrafast molecular relaxation dynamics utilizing the site- and element-selectivity of x-rays. In this review, we want to summarize ultrafast experiments on thymine and 2-thiouracil performed at free-electron lasers. We performed time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the oxygen K-edge after UV excitation of thymine. In addition, we investigated the excited state dynamics of 2-tUra via x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at sulfur. For these methods, we show a strong sensitivity to the electronic state or charge distribution, respectively. We also performed time-resolved Auger-Meitner spectroscopy, which shows spectral shifts associated with internuclear distances close to the probed site. We discuss the complementary aspects of time-resolved x-ray spectroscopy techniques compared to optical and UV spectroscopy for the investigation of ultrafast relaxation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Mayer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fabiano Lever
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Gühr
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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4
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Xie M, Ren SX, Hu D, Zhong JM, Luo J, Tan Y, Li YP, Si LP, Cao J. The impact of the chalcogen-substitution element and initial spectroscopic state on excited-state relaxation pathways in nucleobase photosensitizers: a combination of static and dynamic studies. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:27756-27765. [PMID: 37814579 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03730d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
The substitution of oxygen with chalcogen in carbonyl group(s) of canonical nucleobases gives an impressive triplet generation, enabling their promising applications in medicine and other emerging techniques. The excited-state relaxation S2(ππ*) → S1(nπ*) → T1(ππ*) has been considered the preferred path for triplet generation in these nucleobase derivatives. Here, we demonstrate enhanced quantum efficiency of direct intersystem crossing from S2 to triplet manifold upon substitution with heavier chalcogen elements. The excited-state relaxation dynamics of sulfur/selenium substituted guanines in a vacuum is investigated using a combination of static quantum chemical calculations and on-the-fly excited-state molecular dynamics simulations. We find that in sulfur-substitution the S2 state predominantly decays to the S1 state, while upon selenium-substitution the S2 state deactivation leads to simultaneous population of the S1 and T2,3 states in the same time scale and multi-state quasi-degeneracy region S2/S1/T2,3. Interestingly, the ultrafast deactivation of the spectroscopic S3 state of both studied molecules to the S1 state occurs through a successive S3 → S2 → S1 path involving a multi-state quasi-degeneracy S3/S2/S1. The populated S1 and T2 states will cross the lowest triplet state, and the S1 → T intersystem crossing happens in a multi-state quasi-degeneracy region S1/T2,3/T1 and is accelerated by selenium-substitution. The present study reveals the influence of both the chalcogen substitution element and initial spectroscopic state on the excited-state relaxation mechanism of nucleobase photosensitizers and also highlights the important role of multi-state quasi-degeneracy in mediating the complex relaxation process. These theoretical results provide additional insights into the intrinsic photophysics of nucleobase-based photosensitizers and are helpful for designing novel photo-sensitizers for real applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Xie
- School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy & Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
| | - Shuang-Xiao Ren
- School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy & Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
| | - Die Hu
- School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy & Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
| | - Ji-Meng Zhong
- School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy & Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
| | - Jie Luo
- School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy & Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
| | - Yin Tan
- School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy & Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
| | - Yan-Ping Li
- School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
| | - Li-Ping Si
- School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy & Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
| | - Jun Cao
- School of Materials Science and Hydrogen Energy & Guangdong Key Laboratory for Hydrogen Energy Technologies, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, P. R. China
- Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Computational Nano-Material Science, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang, Guizhou, 550018, P. R. China.
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5
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Ullrich S, Qu Y, Mohamadzade A, Shrestha S. The Effect of Methylation on the Triplet-State Dynamics of 2-Thiouracil: Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy of 2-Thiothymine. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:8211-8217. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c06051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Ullrich
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Yingqi Qu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Abed Mohamadzade
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Sarita Shrestha
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
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6
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Manae MA, Hazra A. Quantum effects in photosensitization: the case of singlet oxygen generation by thiothymines. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:13266-13274. [PMID: 35604080 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01337a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Photosensitization is the indirect electronic excitation of a molecule with the aid of a photosensitizer and is a bimolecular nonradiative energy transfer. In this study, we have attempted to elucidate its mechanism, and we do this by calculating rate constants of photosensitization of oxygen by thiothymines (2-thiothymine, 4-thiothymine and 2,4 dithiothymine). The rate constants have been calculated using two approaches: (a) a classical limit of Fermi's Golden Rule (FGR), and (b) a time-dependent variant of FGR, where the treatment is purely quantum mechanical. The former approach has previously been developed for bimolecular systems and has been applied to the photosensitization reactions studied here. The latter approach, however, has so far only been used for unimolecular reactions, and in this work, we describe how it can be adapted for bimolecular reactions. Experimentally, all three thiothymines are known to have significant singlet oxygen yields, which are indicative of similar rates. Rate constants calculated using the time-dependent variant of FGR are similar across all three thiothymines. While the classical approximation gives reasonable rate constants for 2-thiothymine, it severely underestimates them for 4-thiothymine and 2,4 dithiothymine, by several orders of magnitude. This work indicates the importance of quantum effects in driving photosensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghna A Manae
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Anirban Hazra
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune, Dr Homi Bhabha Road, Pune 411008, Maharashtra, India.
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7
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Mayer D, Picconi D, Robinson MS, Gühr M. Experimental and theoretical gas-phase absorption spectra of thionated uracils. Chem Phys 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2022.111500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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8
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Teles-Ferreira DC, Manzoni C, Martínez-Fernández L, Cerullo G, de Paula AM, Borrego-Varillas R. Ultrafast Excited-State Decay Mechanisms of 6-Thioguanine Followed by Sub-20 fs UV Transient Absorption Spectroscopy. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27041200. [PMID: 35208987 PMCID: PMC8878119 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27041200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the primary steps following UV photoexcitation in sulphur-substituted DNA bases (thiobases) is fundamental for developing new phototherapeutic drugs. However, the investigation of the excited-state dynamics in sub-100 fs time scales has been elusive until now due to technical challenges. Here, we track the ultrafast decay mechanisms that lead to the electron trapping in the triplet manifold for 6-thioguanine in an aqueous solution, using broadband transient absorption spectroscopy with a sub-20 fs temporal resolution. We obtain experimental evidence of the fast internal conversion from the S2(ππ*) to the S1(nπ*) states, which takes place in about 80 fs and demonstrates that the S1(nπ*) state acts as a doorway to the triplet population in 522 fs. Our results are supported by MS-CASPT2 calculations, predicting a planar S2(ππ*) pseudo-minimum in agreement with the stimulated emission signal observed in the experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cristian Manzoni
- Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IFN-CNR), Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy; (C.M.); (G.C.)
| | - Lara Martínez-Fernández
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias and Institute for Advanced Research in Chemistry (IADCHEM), Campus de Excelencia UAM-CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Giulio Cerullo
- Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IFN-CNR), Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy; (C.M.); (G.C.)
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Ana Maria de Paula
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil;
| | - Rocío Borrego-Varillas
- Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IFN-CNR), Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy; (C.M.); (G.C.)
- Correspondence:
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9
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Jin P, Wang X, Pan H, Chen J. One order of magnitude increase of triplet state lifetime observed in deprotonated form selenium substituted uracil. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:875-882. [PMID: 34908064 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp04811b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Selenium nucleic acids possess unique properties and have been demonstrated to have a wide range of applications such as in DNA X-ray crystallography and novel medical therapies. However, as a heavy atom, selenium substitution may easily alter the photophysical properties of a nucleic acid by red-shifting the absorption spectra and introducing effective intersystem crossing to triplet excited states. In present work, the excited state dynamics of a naturally occurring selenium substituted uracil (2-selenuracil, 2SeU) is studied by using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy as well as quantum chemistry calculations. Ultrafast intersystem crossing to the lowest triplet state (T1) and effective non-radiative decay of this state to the ground state (S0) are demonstrated in the neutral form 2SeU. However, the triplet lifetime of the deprotonated form 2SeU is found to be almost one order of magnitude longer than that in the neutral one. Quantum chemistry calculations indicate that the short triplet lifetime in 2SeU is due to excited state population decay through a crossing point between T1 and S0. In the deprotonated form, shortening the N1-C2 bond length makes the structural distortion more difficult and brings a larger energy barrier on the pathway to the T1/S0 crossing point, resulting in one order of magnitude increase of the triplet state lifetime. Our study reveals one key factor to regulate the triplet lifetime of 2SeU and sets the stage to further investigate the photophysical and photochemical properties of 2SeU-containing DNA/RNA duplexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peipei Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
| | - Xueli Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
| | - Haifeng Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
| | - Jinquan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China. .,Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China
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10
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Xie BB, Tang XF, Liu XY, Chang XP, Cui G. Mechanistic photophysics and photochemistry of unnatural bases and sunscreen molecules: insights from electronic structure calculations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:27124-27149. [PMID: 34849517 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp03994f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Photophysics and photochemistry are basic subjects in the study of light-matter interactions and are ubiquitous in diverse fields such as biology, energy, materials, and environment. A full understanding of mechanistic photophysics and photochemistry underpins many recent advances and applications. This contribution first provides a short discussion on the theoretical calculation methods we have used in relevant studies, then we introduce our latest progress on the mechanistic photophysics and photochemistry of two classes of molecular systems, namely unnatural bases and sunscreens. For unnatural bases, we disclose the intrinsic driving forces for the ultrafast population to reactive triplet states, impacts of the position and degree of chalcogen substitutions, and the effects of complex environments. For sunscreen molecules, we reveal the photoprotection mechanisms that dissipate excess photon energy to the surroundings by ultrafast internal conversion to the ground state. Finally, relevant theoretical challenges and outlooks are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin-Bin Xie
- Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Road, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Xiu-Fang Tang
- Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Road, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Xiang-Yang Liu
- College of Chemistry and Material Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610068, China
| | - Xue-Ping Chang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, P. R. China
| | - Ganglong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China.
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11
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Zhu YH, Tang XF, Chang XP, Zhang TS, Xie BB, Cui G. Mechanistic Photophysics of Tellurium-Substituted Uracils: Insights from Multistate Complete-Active-Space Second-Order Perturbation Calculations. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:8816-8826. [PMID: 34606278 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c06169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The photophysical mechanisms of tellurium-substituted uracils were studied at the multistate complete-active-space second-order perturbation level with a particular focus on how the position and number of tellurium substitutions affect their nonadiabatic relaxation processes. Electronic structure analysis reveals that the lowest several excited states are closely concerned with the n and π orbitals at the Te7-C2 [Te8-C4] moiety of 2-tellurouracil (2TeU) [4TeU and 24TeU]. Both planar and twisted minima were optimized for 2TeU, whereas only planar ones were obtained for 4TeU and 24TeU, except for a twisted T1 minimum of 4TeU. Based on intersection structures and linearly interpolated internal coordinate paths, we proposed several feasible excited-state deactivation paths. It is found that the relaxation channels for 2TeU are more complicated than those of 4TeU and 24TeU. The electronic population transfer to the T1 state for 2TeU is easier than that for 4TeU and 24TeU in consideration of the barrier heights from the S2 Franck-Condon point to the S2/S1 or S2/T2 intersections. In addition, the recovery of the ground state from the T1 state for 2TeU will be more efficient than that for the other two systems as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Hua Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
| | - Xiu-Fang Tang
- Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Road, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Xue-Ping Chang
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, P. R. China
| | - Teng-Shuo Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, P R. China
| | - Bin-Bin Xie
- Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Road, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Ganglong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China
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12
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Ortiz-Rodríguez LA, Ortiz-Zayas G, Pollum M, Hoehn SJ, Jockusch S, Crespo-Hernández CE. Intramolecular Charge Transfer in the Azathioprine Prodrug Quenches Intersystem Crossing to the Reactive Triplet State in 6-Mercaptopurine †. Photochem Photobiol 2021; 98:617-632. [PMID: 34480764 DOI: 10.1111/php.13513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The thiopurine prodrugs 6-mercaptopurine and azathioprine are among the world's essential medications for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, immunosuppression and several autoimmune conditions. Thiopurine prodrugs are efficient UVA absorbers and singlet oxygen generators and the long-term treatment with these prodrugs correlates with a high incidence of sunlight-induced skin cancer in patients. In this contribution, we show that the electronic relaxation mechanisms and photochemical properties of azathioprine are remarkably different from those of 6-mercaptopurine upon absorption of UVA radiation. UVA excitation of 6-mercaptopurine results in nearly 100% triplet yield and up to 30% singlet oxygen generation, whereas excitation of azathioprine with UVA leads to triplet yields of 15-3% depending on pH of the aqueous solution and <1% singlet oxygen generation. While photoexcitation of 6-mercaptopurine and other thiopurine prodrugs can facilitate oxidatively generated cell damage, azathioprine's poor photosensitization ability reveals the use of interchromophoric charge-transfer interactions for the molecular design of photostable prodrugs exhibiting a remarkable reduction in photocytotoxic side effects before drug metabolization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marvin Pollum
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Sean J Hoehn
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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13
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Zhu YH, Zhang TS, Tang XF, Xie BB, Cui G. MS-CASPT2 studies on the mechanistic photophysics of tellurium-substituted guanine and cytosine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:12421-12430. [PMID: 34028476 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp01142a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Sulfur-substituted nucleobases are highly promising photosensitizers that are widely used in photodynamic therapy, and there are numerous studies exploring their unique photophysical behaviors. However, relevant photophysical investigations on selenium and tellurium substitutions are still rare. Herein, the high-level multistate complete-active-space second-order perturbation (MS-CASPT2) method was performed for the first time to explore the excited-state relaxation processes of tellurium-substituted guanine (TeG) and cytosine (TeC). Based on the electronic state properties in the Franck-Condon (FC) region, we found that the lowest five (S0, S1, S2, T1, and T2) and six (S0, S1, S2, T1, T2 and T3) states will participate in the nonadiabatic transition processes of TeG and TeC systems, respectively. In these electronic states, two kinds of minimum and intersection structures (i.e., planar and twisted structures) were obtained for both TeG and TeC systems. The linearly interpolated internal coordinate (LIIC) paths and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) constants revealed several possible planar and twisted excited-state decay channels, which could lead the systems to the lowest reactive triplet state of T1. Small energy barriers in the T1 state will trap the TeG and TeC systems for a while before they finally populate to the ground state. Although tellurium substitution would further redshift the absorption wavelength and enhance the intersystem crossing (ISC) rate to the T1 state compared with sulfur and selenium substitutions, the rapid ISC process of T1 → S0 may make it a less effective photosensitizer to sensitize the molecular oxygen. We believe our present work will provide important mechanistic insights into the photophysics of tellurium-substituted nucleobases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Hua Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China.
| | - Teng-Shuo Zhang
- College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, P. R. China
| | - Xiu-Fang Tang
- Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Road, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Bin-Bin Xie
- Hangzhou Institute of Advanced Studies, Zhejiang Normal University, 1108 Gengwen Road, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, P. R. China.
| | - Ganglong Cui
- Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Photochemistry, Ministry of Education College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P. R. China.
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14
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Uleanya KO, Dessent CEH. Investigating the mapping of chromophore excitations onto the electron detachment spectrum: photodissociation spectroscopy of iodide ion-thiouracil clusters. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:1021-1030. [PMID: 33428696 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp05920j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Laser photodissociation spectroscopy (3.1-5.7 eV) has been applied to iodide complexes of the non-native nucleobases, 2-thiouracil (2-TU), 4-thiouracil (4-TU) and 2,4-thiouracil (2,4-TU), to probe the excited states and intracluster electron transfer as a function of sulphur atom substitution. Photodepletion is strong for all clusters (I-·2-TU, I-·4-TU and I-·2,4-TU) and is dominated by electron detachment processes. For I-·4-TU and I-·2,4-TU, photodecay is accompanied by formation of the respective molecular anions, 4-TU- and 2,4-TU-, behaviour that is not found for other nucleobases. Notably, the I-·2TU complex does not fragment with formation of its molecular anion. We attribute the novel formation of 4-TU- and 2,4-TU- to the fact that these valence anions are significantly more stable than 2-TU-. We observe further similar behaviour for I-·4-TU and I-·2,4-TU relating to the general profile of their photodepletion spectra, since both strongly resemble the intrinsic absorption spectra of the respective uncomplexed thiouracil molecule. This indicates that the nucleobase chromophore excitations are determining the clusters' spectral profile. In contrast, the I-·2-TU photodepletion spectrum is dominated by the electron detachment profile, with the near-threshold dipole-bound excited state being the only distinct spectral feature. We discuss these observations in the context of differences in the dipole moments of the thionucleobases, and their impact on the coupling of nucleobase-centred transitions onto the electron detachment spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelechi O Uleanya
- Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK.
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15
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Mohamadzade A, Ullrich S. Internal conversion and intersystem crossing dynamics of uracil upon double thionation: a time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy study in the gas phase. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:15608-15615. [PMID: 32613978 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp02145h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The photophysical properties of 2,4-dithiouracil (2,4-DTU) in the gas phase are studied by time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) with three different excitation wavelengths in direct extension of previous work on uracil (U), 2-thiouracil (2-TU) and 4-thiouracil (4-TU). Non-radiative deactivation in the canonical nucleobases like uracil mainly occurs via internal conversion (IC) along singlet excited states, although intersystem crossing (ISC) to a long-lived triplet state was confirmed to play a minor role. In thionated uracils, ISC to the triplet state becomes ultrafast and highly efficient with a quantum yield near unity; however, the lifetime of the triplet state is strongly dependent on the position of the sulfur atom. In 2-TU, ISC back to the ground state occurs within a few hundred picoseconds, whereas the population remains trapped in the lowest triplet state in the case of 4-TU. Upon doubling the degree of thionation, ISC remains highly efficient and dominates the photophysics of 2,4-DTU. However, several low-lying excited states contribute to competing IC and ISC pathways and a complex deactivation mechanism, which is evaluated here based on TRPES measurements and discussed in the context of the singly thionated uracils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abed Mohamadzade
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
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16
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Observation of Enhanced Dissociative Photochemistry in the Non-Native Nucleobase 2-Thiouracil. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25143157. [PMID: 32664261 PMCID: PMC7397253 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25143157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the first study to measure the dissociative photochemistry of 2-thiouracil (2-TU), an important nucleobase analogue with applications in molecular biology and pharmacology. Laser photodissociation spectroscopy is applied to the deprotonated and protonated forms of 2-TU, which are produced in the gas-phase using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Our results show that the deprotonated form of 2-thiouracil ([2-TU-H]−) decays predominantly by electron ejection and hence concomitant production of the [2-TU-H]· free-radical species, following photoexcitation across the UVA-UVC region. Thiocyanate (SCN−) and a m/z 93 fragment ion are also observed as photodecay products of [2-TU-H]− but at very low intensities. Photoexcitation of protonated 2-thiouracil ([2-TU·H]+) across the same UVA-UVC spectral region produces the m/z 96 cationic fragment as the major photofragment. This ion corresponds to ejection of an HS· radical from the precursor ion and is determined to be a product of direct excited state decay. Fragment ions associated with decay of the hot ground state (i.e., the ions we would expect to observe if 2-thiouracil was behaving like UV-dissipating uracil) are observed as much more minor products. This behaviour is consistent with enhanced intersystem crossing to triplet excited states compared to internal conversion back to the ground state. These are the first experiments to probe the effect of protonation/deprotonation on thionucleobase photochemistry, and hence explore the effect of pH at a molecular level on their photophysical properties.
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17
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Excited State Lifetimes of Sulfur-Substituted DNA and RNA Monomers Probed Using the Femtosecond Fluorescence Up-Conversion Technique. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25030584. [PMID: 32013184 PMCID: PMC7037914 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25030584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sulfur-substituted DNA and RNA nucleobase derivatives (a.k.a., thiobases) are an important family of biomolecules. They are used as prodrugs and as chemotherapeutic agents in medical settings, and as photocrosslinker molecules in structural-biology applications. Remarkably, excitation of thiobases with ultraviolet to near-visible light results in the population of long-lived and reactive triplet states on a time scale of hundreds of femtoseconds and with near-unity yields. This efficient nonradiative decay pathway explains the vanishingly small fluorescence yields reported for the thiobases and the scarcity of fluorescence lifetimes in the literature. In this study, we report fluorescence lifetimes for twelve thiobase derivatives, both in aqueous solution at physiological pH and in acetonitrile. Excitation is performed at 267 and 362 nm, while fluorescence emission is detected at 380, 425, 450, 525, or 532 nm. All the investigated thiobases reveal fluorescence lifetimes that decay in a few hundreds of femtoseconds and with magnitudes that depend and are sensitive to the position and degree of sulfur-atom substitution and on the solvent environment. Interestingly, however, three thiopyrimidine derivatives (i.e., 2-thiocytidine, 2-thiouridine, and 4-thiothymidine) also exhibit a small amplitude fluorescence component of a few picoseconds in aqueous solution. Furthermore, the N-glycosylation of thiobases to form DNA or RNA nucleoside analogues is demonstrated as affecting their fluorescence lifetimes. In aqueous solution, the fluorescence decay signals exciting at 267 nm are equal or slower than those collected exciting at 362 nm. In acetonitrile, however, the fluorescence decay signals recorded upon 267 nm excitation are, in all cases, faster than those measured exciting at 362 nm. A comparison to the literature values show that, while both the DNA and RNA nucleobase and thiobase derivatives exhibit sub-picosecond fluorescence lifetimes, the 1ππ* excited-state population in the nucleobase monomers primarily decay back to the ground state, whereas it predominantly populates long-lived and reactive triplet states in thiobase monomers.
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18
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Manae MA, Hazra A. Triplet Decay Dynamics in Sulfur-Substituted Thymine: How Position of Substitution Matters. J Phys Chem A 2019; 123:10862-10867. [PMID: 31790228 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.9b08214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Sulfur-substituted analogues of thymine are of three types depending on the position of sulfur substitution: 2-thiothymine (2tThy), 4-thothymine (4tThy), and 2,4-dithiothymine (dtThy). These molecules, on photoexcitation, are known to form in their triplet state with near unity yield. Consequently, they are able to photosensitize ground state molecular oxygen to singlet oxygen, a property which makes them potential drugs for photodynamic therapy (PDT). The singlet oxygen yield is directly correlated with the triplet lifetime of the thiothymine, which in turn is governed by its triplet decay dynamics. In this work, the dependence of the triplet decay dynamics on the position of sulfur substitution is investigated by comparatively studying all three thiothymines. The topology of the triplet potential energy surface and decay mechanism of 2tThy is found to be distinctly different from 4tThy and dtThy. The fundamental reason for this is the different electronic natures of the two C═X (X = O, S) moieties in each molecule, one of which is conjugated with a C═C bond, while the other is not. Further, it is shown that the triplet lifetime of 2tThy can be increased by manipulating the energetic ordering of its molecular orbitals with unobtrusive substitutions, thus making it a better candidate for a PDT drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghna A Manae
- Department of Chemistry , Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune , Dr. Homi Bhabha Road , Pune 411008 , Maharashtra , India
| | - Anirban Hazra
- Department of Chemistry , Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune , Dr. Homi Bhabha Road , Pune 411008 , Maharashtra , India
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19
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Teles‐Ferreira DC, Conti I, Borrego‐Varillas R, Nenov A, Van Stokkum IHM, Ganzer L, Manzoni C, Paula AM, Cerullo G, Garavelli M. A Unified Experimental/Theoretical Description of the Ultrafast Photophysics of Single and Double Thionated Uracils. Chemistry 2019; 26:336-343. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201904541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Cristina Teles‐Ferreira
- Departamento de Física Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 31270-901 Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
- Electrical Engineering Department Federal Institute of Minas Gerais Formiga MG Brazil
| | - Irene Conti
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale Università degli Studi di Bologna Viale del Risorgimento 4 40136 Bologna Italy
| | - Rocío Borrego‐Varillas
- IFN-CNR Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano P.za L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Artur Nenov
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale Università degli Studi di Bologna Viale del Risorgimento 4 40136 Bologna Italy
| | - Ivo H. M. Van Stokkum
- Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty of Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1081 1081HV Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Lucia Ganzer
- IFN-CNR Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano P.za L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Cristian Manzoni
- IFN-CNR Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano P.za L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Ana Maria Paula
- Departamento de Física Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 31270-901 Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
| | - Giulio Cerullo
- IFN-CNR Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano P.za L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale Università degli Studi di Bologna Viale del Risorgimento 4 40136 Bologna Italy
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20
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Plasser F, Gómez S, Menger MFSJ, Mai S, González L. Highly efficient surface hopping dynamics using a linear vibronic coupling model. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 21:57-69. [PMID: 30306987 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp05662e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We report an implementation of the linear vibronic coupling (LVC) model within the surface hopping dynamics approach and present utilities for parameterizing this model in a blackbox fashion. This results in an extremely efficient method to obtain qualitative and even semi-quantitative information about the photodynamical behavior of a molecule, and provides a new route toward benchmarking the results of surface hopping computations. The merits and applicability of the method are demonstrated in a number of applications. First, the method is applied to the SO2 molecule showing that it is possible to compute its absorption spectrum beyond the Condon approximation, and that all the main features and timescales of previous on-the-fly dynamics simulations of intersystem crossing are reproduced while reducing the computational effort by three orders of magnitude. The dynamics results are benchmarked against exact wavepacket propagations on the same LVC potentials and against a variation of the electronic structure level. Four additional test cases are presented to exemplify the broader applicability of the model. The photodynamics of the isomeric adenine and 2-aminopurine molecules are studied and it is shown that the LVC model correctly predicts ultrafast decay in the former and an extended excited-state lifetime in the latter. Futhermore, the method correctly predicts ultrafast intersystem crossing in the modified nucleobase 2-thiocytosine and its absence in 5-azacytosine while it fails to describe the ultrafast internal conversion to the ground state in the latter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Plasser
- Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
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21
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Mai S, Mohamadzade A, Marquetand P, González L, Ullrich S. Simulated and Experimental Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectra of the Intersystem Crossing Dynamics in 2-Thiouracil. Molecules 2018; 23:E2836. [PMID: 30388739 PMCID: PMC6278540 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23112836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We report time-dependent photoelectron spectra recorded with a single-photon ionization setup and extensive simulations of the same spectra for the excited-state dynamics of 2-thiouracil (2TU) in the gas phase. We find that single-photon ionization produces very similar results as two-photon ionization, showing that the probe process does not have a strong influence on the measured dynamics. The good agreement between the single-photon ionization experiments and the simulations shows that the norms of Dyson orbitals allow for qualitatively describing the ionization probabilities of 2TU. This reasonable performance of Dyson norms is attributed to the particular electronic structure of 2TU, where all important neutral and ionic states involve similar orbital transitions and thus the shape of the Dyson orbitals do not strongly depend on the initial neutral and final ionic state. We argue that similar situations should also occur in other biologically relevant thio-nucleobases, and that the time-resolved photoelectron spectra of these bases could therefore be adequately modeled with the techniques employed here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Mai
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Abed Mohamadzade
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
| | - Philipp Marquetand
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Leticia González
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Susanne Ullrich
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
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22
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Mai S, Marquetand P, González L. Nonadiabatic dynamics: The SHARC approach. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COMPUTATIONAL MOLECULAR SCIENCE 2018; 8:e1370. [PMID: 30450129 PMCID: PMC6220962 DOI: 10.1002/wcms.1370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We review the Surface Hopping including ARbitrary Couplings (SHARC) approach for excited-state nonadiabatic dynamics simulations. As a generalization of the popular surface hopping method, SHARC allows simulating the full-dimensional dynamics of molecules including any type of coupling terms beyond nonadiabatic couplings. Examples of these arbitrary couplings include spin-orbit couplings or dipole moment-laser field couplings, such that SHARC can describe ultrafast internal conversion, intersystem crossing, and radiative processes. The key step of the SHARC approach consists of a diagonalization of the Hamiltonian including these couplings, such that the nuclear dynamics is carried out on potential energy surfaces including the effects of the couplings-this is critical in any applications considering, for example, transition metal complexes or strong laser fields. We also give an overview over the new SHARC2.0 dynamics software package, released under the GNU General Public License, which implements the SHARC approach and several analysis tools. The review closes with a brief survey of applications where SHARC was employed to study the nonadiabatic dynamics of a wide range of molecular systems. This article is categorized under: Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Reaction Dynamics and KineticsSoftware > Simulation MethodsSoftware > Quantum Chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Mai
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Philipp Marquetand
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Leticia González
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry University of Vienna Vienna Austria
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23
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Nenov A, Conti I, Borrego-Varillas R, Cerullo G, Garavelli M. Linear absorption spectra of solvated thiouracils resolved at the hybrid RASPT2/MM level. Chem Phys 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2018.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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24
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Borrego-Varillas R, Teles-Ferreira DC, Nenov A, Conti I, Ganzer L, Manzoni C, Garavelli M, Maria de Paula A, Cerullo G. Observation of the Sub-100 Femtosecond Population of a Dark State in a Thiobase Mediating Intersystem Crossing. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:16087-16093. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b07057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Borrego-Varillas
- IFN-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy
| | | | - Artur Nenov
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Irene Conti
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Lucia Ganzer
- IFN-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Cristian Manzoni
- IFN-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Ana Maria de Paula
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte-MG, Brazil
| | - Giulio Cerullo
- IFN-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy
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25
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Ashwood B, Pollum M, Crespo-Hernández CE. Photochemical and Photodynamical Properties of Sulfur-Substituted Nucleic Acid Bases. Photochem Photobiol 2018; 95:33-58. [PMID: 29978490 DOI: 10.1111/php.12975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Sulfur-substituted nucleobases (a.k.a., thiobases) are among the world's leading prescriptions for chemotherapy and immunosuppression. Long-term treatment with azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine and 6-thioguanine has been correlated with the photoinduced formation of carcinomas. Establishing an in-depth understanding of the photochemical properties of these prodrugs may provide a route to overcoming these carcinogenic side effects, or, alternatively, a basis for developing effective compounds for targeted phototherapy. In this review, a broad examination is undertaken, surveying the basic photochemical properties and excited-state dynamics of sulfur-substituted analogs of the canonical DNA and RNA nucleobases. A molecular-level understanding of how sulfur substitution so remarkably perturbs the photochemical properties of the nucleobases is presented by combining experimental results with quantum-chemical calculations. Structure-property relationships demonstrate the impact of site-specific sulfur substitution on the photochemical properties, particularly on the population of the reactive triplet state. The value of fundamental photochemical investigations for driving the development of ultraviolet-A chemotherapeutics is showcased. The most promising photodynamic agents identified thus far have been investigated in various carcinoma cell lines and shown to decrease cell proliferation upon exposure to ultraviolet-A radiation. Overarching principles have been elucidated for the impact that sulfur substitution of the carbonyl oxygen has on the photochemical properties of the nucleobases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brennan Ashwood
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Marvin Pollum
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
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