Boron Schiff bases derived from α-amino acids as nucleoli/cytoplasm cell-staining fluorescent probes in vitro

A visible-light activated ROS generator multilayer film for antibacterial coatings

The current scenario of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and pandemics caused by viruses makes research in the area of antibacterial and antiviral materials and surfaces more urgent than ever. In this regard, salicylideneimine based tetracoordinate boron-containing organic compounds are emerging as a new class of photosensitizers for singlet oxygen generation. However, the inherent inability of small organic molecules to be processed limits their potential use in functional coatings. Here we show the synthesis of a novel polymer functionalized with diiodosalicylideneimine-boron difluoride (PEI-BF2) and its utility for surface coating inside glass vials via layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. The multilayer thin films are characterized using AFM and UV-Vis spectroscopy and the resultant coatings display excellent stability. The multilayer coating could be activated using visible light, and owing to the photocatalytic activity of the incorporated PEI-BF2, the surface coating is able to generate singlet oxygen efficiently upon light irradiation. Further, the multilayer coated surfaces exhibit remarkable antimicrobial activity towards both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria under a variety of conditions. Thus, owing to the simple synthesis and the convenient methodology adopted for the preparation of multilayer coatings, the material reported here could pave the way for the development of sunlight activated large area self-sterile surfaces.

Preferential intermolecular interactions in a racemic mixture of amino acid Schiff base, conformational structures in solid state, and DFT studies

In this work, we report the green synthesis of a Shiff base [N-(2-hydroxy-1-naphthylidene)-l-phenylalanine (1)] derived from an α-amino acid through an ultrasound-assisted synthesis method with excellent chemical yield in a short period of time.

RNA-targeting low-molecular-weight fluorophores for nucleoli staining: synthesis, in silico modelling and cellular imaging

Herein we present our work on the synthesis, investigation of the photophysical properties, interactions with nucleic acids, molecular docking, and imaging application of three carbocyanine dyes.