Design, synthesis, and evaluation of 5,15-diaryltetranaphtho [2,3]porphyrins as photosensitizers in real-time photodynamic therapy and photodiagnosis

In the pursuit of new potent photosensitizers (PSs) for photodynamic therapy (PDT) with better efficacy, a series of 5,15-diaryltetranaphtho [2,3]porphyrins (Ar2TNPs) with two or four carboxyalkoxy groups were designed, synthesized, and evaluated. These new compounds exhibited strong, broad and red-shifted UV-vis absorptions at 729 nm and other strong absorptions at 446, 475, 650, 659, 714 nm for tumors and other diseases of varying sizes and depths. They possess high molar extinction coefficients (0.95 × 105-1.48 × 105 M-1 cm-1), good singlet oxygen quantum yields and photodynamic antitumor effects towards Eca-109 cells in vitro. It is suggested that the extension of porphyrin with naphthalene into Ar2TNP results into remarkable improvement of photophysical characteristics, while the introduction of carboxyalkoxy groups on meso-phenyl can significantly improve the solubility and photodynamic effects in vitro and in vivo. Notably, compound II3 can localize primarily in lysosomes of Eca-109 cells and induce substantial cell apoptosis after PDT. It can also selectively accumulate in tumor tissues and be traced real-timely through in vivo fluorescence imaging with distinctive inhibition of tumor growth. Therefore, compound II3 deserves to be considered as a promising PDT drug candidate for individualized tumor real-time tracing and treatment.

High-Performance Organic Field-effect Transistors from Functionalized Zinc Meso-Porphyrins

A series of new zinc porphyrins were synthesized, and their charge transport property was tuned by introducing various groups. Triarylamine was introduced to the porphyrin moiety at the meso-position as an electron donor, enhancing the charge carrier mobility. All the synthesized zinc porphyrins are thermally stable with a decomposition temperature over 178 °C. High frontier molecular orbitals levels of these compounds make them stable donor materials. SEM analysis of zinc porphyrins fabricated by spin-coating resulted in diversely self-assembled films. Field-effect transistors were fabricated using bottom-gate/top-contact architecture (BGTC) by solution-processable technique. The higher charge carrier mobility of 5.17 cm² /Vs with on/off of 10⁶ was obtained for trifluoromethyl substituted compound due to better molecular packing. In addition, GIXRD analysis revealed zinc porphyrins films crystalline nature, which supports its better charge carrier mobility. The present investigation has validated that zinc porphyrin building blocks are an attractive candidate for p-channel OFET devices.

meso-Tetraphenylporphyrin with a pi-system extended by fusion with anthraquinone

Fusion of a porphyrin with anthraquinone through the synthesis of a suitably substituted pyrrole that can be cyclotetramerized and the optical properties of the resulting molecular system are described.

Tetraaryltetraanthra[2,3]porphyrins: synthesis, structure, and optical properties

A synthetic route to symmetrical tetraaryltetraanthra[2,3]porphyrins (Ar(4)TAPs) was developed. Ar(4)TAPs bearing various substituents in meso-phenyls and anthracene residues were prepared from the corresponding pyrrolic precursors. The synthesized porphyrins possess high solubility and exhibit remarkably strong absorption bands in the near-infrared region (790-950 nm). The scope of the method, selection of the peripheral substituents, choice of the metal, and their influence on the optical properties are discussed together with the first X-ray crystallographic data for anthraporphyrin.