Electron-Transfer Kinetics in Sulfonated Aluminum Phthalocyanines/Cytochrome c Complexes

Evaluation of electrostatic binding of PAMAM dendrimers and charged phthalocyanines by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

We have assessed host-guest interactions between PAMAM dendrimers and charged phthalocyanine probes by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS). Our results show strong binding in water at low ionic strength with an affinity that decreases from KB ∼ 10(9) to 10(8) M(-1) upon decreasing the phthalocyanine charge of z = -4, -2 and -1. The binding affinity also decreases significantly upon salt addition leading to KB values of ca. 10(5)-10(6) M(-1). The changes of binding affinity probed by varying the phthalocyanine charge, and by changing the ionic strength or pH conditions, allowed us to evaluate the electrostatic contribution (Kel) in dendrimer-phthalocyanine interactions. In particular, this approach afforded values of electrostatic potential for PAMAM dendrimers in water at low ionic strength and at dendrimer concentrations in the nanomolar range. The electrostatic potential of PAMAM generations 4 and 7 are around 50 mV in close agreement with theoretical estimates using the Poisson-Boltzmann cell model. Interestingly, the nonelectrostatic binding is significant and contributes even more than electrostatic binding to dendrimer-phthalocyanine interactions. The nonelectrostatic binding contributes to an affinity of KB above 10(5) M(-1), as measured under conditions of low dendrimer charge and high ionic strength, which makes these dendrimers promising hosts as drug carriers.

Optical spectroscopy and photochemistry of porphyrins and phthalocyanines

Studies of excited singlet and triplet states of porphyrins and phthalocyanines in organized media of reverse micelles, vesicles, monolayers, and Langmuir-Blodgett films along with more complex supramolecular organizates with proteins and dendrimers, are reported. Self-assembly in these systems was followed by imaging and temporal fluorescence techniques.

Evaluation of photodynamic treatment using aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate chloride as a photosensitizer: new approach

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been the subject of several clinical studies. Evidence to date suggests that direct cell death may involve apoptosis. T(24) cells (bladder cancer cells, ATCC-Nr. HTB-4) were subjected to PDT with aluminum phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate chloride (AlS(4)Pc-Cl) and red laser light at 670 nm. Morphological changes after PDT were visualized under confocal microscopy. Raman microspectroscopy is considered as one of the newly established methods used for the detection of cytochrome c as an apoptotic marker. Results showed that PDT treated T(24) cells seem to undergo apoptosis after irradiation with 3 J cm(-2). Cytochrome c could not be detected from cells incubated with AlS(4)Pc-Cl using Raman spectroscopy whereas AlS(4)Pc-Cl seems to interfere with the Raman spectrum of cytochrome c.

Near-infrared two-photon absorption in phthalocyanines: enhancement of lowest gerade-gerade transition by symmetrical electron-accepting substitution

This paper presents, to the best of our knowledge, the first study of two-photon absorption (2PA) spectra of a number of symmetrically substituted phthalocyanines in the excitation wavelength region from lambda(ex)=800 to 1600 nm. The selected molecules vary by position of substitution (alpha or beta), number of substituent groups (4, 8, or 16), and presence or absence of metal (Zn or Al) in the center. For all phthalocyanines we find a moderately strong (sigma(2) approximately 100-200 GM), pure electronic, gerade-gerade (g-g) 2PA transition, which shows up as a well-resolved relatively narrow peak in the energy region between Q and B bands (lambda(ex)=870-1100 nm). In metallophthalocyanines (MPcs) this lowest g-g transition is followed by the onset of other higher-frequency 2PA transitions. In some metal-free phthalocyanines (H(2)Pcs) we also reveal a second, broader 2PA transition at slightly higher frequency. In both MPcs and H(2)Pcs, we find a strong monotonic increase of integrated strength of the lowest g-g transition as a function of electron-accepting ability of peripheral substituents, expressed as their aggregated Hammett constant. By using few essential states models (three states for MPcs and four states for H(2)Pcs) we demonstrate the primary role of excited-state transition dipole moment in this effect.

Electron-transfer mechanism of the triplet state quenching of aluminium tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine by cytochrome c

The mechanism of electron-transfer from aluminium tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine triplet state to cytochrome c was investigated in this work. This reaction successfully quenches the dye triplet state due to the formation of complexes between the solute and the protein at the active site. The electron-transfer rate constant is around 3x10(7) s(-1), and is in accordance with previous results for the singlet excited state quenching [C.A.T. Laia, S.M.B. Costa, D. Phillips, A. Beeby. Electron-transfer kinetics in sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanines/cytochrome c complexes, J. Phys. Chem. B 108 (2004) 7506-7514.] in the framework of the Marcus theory, with a reorganization energy equal to 0.94 eV. The complex formation is diffusion controlled, but heterogeneities of the protein surface charge distribution lead to quenching rate constants smaller than predicted on a hard-spheres model with electrostatic interactions. Also the binding equilibrium constant is strongly affected by this phenomenon. Ionic strength plays an important role on the complex formation, but its effect on the unimolecular electron-transfer rate constant is negligible within experimental error.