Graphene quantum dots-porphyrins/phthalocyanines multifunctional hybrid systems: from interfacial dialogue to applications

Engineered well-ordered hybrid nanomaterials are at a symbolically pivotal point, just ahead of a long-anticipated human race transformation. Incorporating newer carbon nanomaterials like graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with tetrapyrrolic porphyrins...

Helical Self-Assembly of Optically Active Glycoconjugated Phthalocyanine J-Aggregates

Four galactoconjugated zinc(II) phthalocyanines (Pcs) have been prepared and fully characterized. The carbohydrate-containing phthalonitrile precursors of the Pcs were synthesized through a copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The Pcs show a remarkable aggregation behaviour in solution, depending on the nature of the solvent, the temperature and the substitution position on the phthalocyanine. Solvent-dependent CD-spectroscopy experiments show that these Pcs aggregate as chiral helices in solution. Crystal structure data of a phthalocyanine bearing two carbohydrate units substantiate the properties shown by CD spectroscopy. Furthermore, the 1,2,3-triazole moieties of the Pcs play a decisive role in the formation of supramolecular aggregates. The glycoconjugated zinc(II) phthalocyanines described here show molar extinction coefficients ϵ_max >10⁵  M^-1  cm^-1 and absorption maxima λ_max >680 nm, which make them attractive photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy (PDT).

Dually directional glycosylated phthalocyanines as extracellular red-emitting fluorescent probes

The development of new non-aggregated phthalocyanines bearing multivalent saccharide moieties on their macrocyclic rims is of great interest. Many characteristics, including water-solubility, non-toxicity and others, can be feasibly obtained by these amphiphiles which can be considered as a key solution for demonstrating highly efficient photoactive materials in water. Herein, a family of five newly prepared dually directional Zn(ii) containing phthalocyanines (PcG1-4) and azaphthalocyanine (AzaPcG1) glycoconjugates is described. The unique spatial arrangement of the glucoside units based on peripherally hexadeca-(PcG1) and nonperipherally octa-(PcG4) macrocycles provides a fully monomeric behaviour along with a high fluorescence (Φ_F∼ 0.21) in aqueous solution. These amphiphiles were characterized by low toxicity, and an extremely low cellular uptake was obtained due to the highly polar nature of the glucoside substituents. Accordingly, their potential as suitable photoactive chromophores for red-emitting extracellular fluorescent probes has been confirmed upon the evaluation of paracellular transport using a layer of MDCKII cells with the permeability coefficient fully comparable with an established evaluator of the integrity of the monolayer.

Synthesis of Water-Soluble Thioglycosylated trans-A2B2 Type Porphyrins: Cellular Uptake Studies and Photodynamic Efficiency

The synthesis of water-soluble thioglycosylated A₂B₂ type porphyrins and their zinc(II) complexes is reported. The water-soluble trans-A₂B₂ porphyrins were synthesized in two steps, via [2+2] condensation between thioglycosylated dipyrromethanes and aromatic aldehydes in 15-21% yields. The thioglycosylated trans-A₂B₂ porphyrins showed decent in vitro singlet oxygen generation, which was supported by the intracellular DCFDA study. The in vitro cellular investigations of thioglycosylated A₂B₂ porphyrins were carried out in lung cancer cells (A549) to test their photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) activity. The PDT study revealed significant cytotoxicities of porphyrins with IC₅₀ values between 23.3 and 44.2 μM in the dark, whereas, after visible light exposure, the photosensitizers exhibited IC₅₀ values around 11.1-23.8 μM. The water-soluble thioglycosylated zinc(II) porphyrins having two meso-N-butylcarbazole groups exhibited an excellent degree of photocytotoxicity (IC₅₀ = 4.6-8.8 μM). The flow cytometry analysis revealed that cellular uptake and ROS (reactive oxygen species) generation efficiency of water-soluble thioglycosylated zinc(II) porphyrins were considerably higher than nonmetalated porphyrins. Confocal microscopy images displayed substantial distribution in the endoplasmic reticulum with partial colocalization in mitochondria and lysosomes of water-soluble thioglycosylated zinc(II) porphyrins in A549 cells.

Immobilization of alkynyl functionalized manganese phthalocyanine via click electrochemistry for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

Modified electrodes (ITO/PANI-N₃-MnPc and GCE/PANI-N₃-MnPc) were constructed by click electrochemistry (CEC). The GCE/PANI-N₃-MnPc electrode was tested as a potential electrocatalyst for water splitting reaction.

Synthesis and electrochemistry of cobalt tetrabutanotriarylcorroles. Highly selective electrocatalysts for two-electron reduction of dioxygen in acidic and basic media

Three [Formula: see text],[Formula: see text]-tetrabutano-substituted cobalt(III) triarylcorroles were synthesized and characterized by UV-vis, 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry as well as electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry. The examined compounds are represented as butano-(YPh)3CorCo(PPh[Formula: see text], where Cor represents the core of the corrole and Y is a CH3, H or Cl group on the para-position of each meso-phenyl ring of the macrocycle. Each corrole undergoes two stepwise cobalt-centered reductions leading to formation of Co(II) and Co(I) derivatives in CH2Cl2 containing 0.1 M TBAP. Three reversible one-electron oxidations were observed within potential, ranging from 0.16 to 1.40 V in CH2Cl2. The first oxidation generates a mixture of Co(III) [Formula: see text]-cation radical and Co(IV), while the second oxidation is metal-centered to give the Co(IV) corrole. Each cobalt corrole was examined as a catalyst for electroreduction of O2 when coated on an edge-plane pyrrolytic graphite electrode in acidic and basic solutions. The results indicate that the cobalt tetrabutanotriarylcorroles can act as selective catalysts for the 2e reduction of molecular oxygen to give H2O2 as the final product under the given solution conditions.

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Evaluation of Two Novel Glycosylated Zinc(II)-Phthalocyanines

In continuation of our work on glycoconjugated phthalocyanines, two new water soluble, non-ionic zinc(II) phthalocyanines have been prepared and fully characterized by means of ¹H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MALDI-TOF, ESI-TOF, UV-Vis spectroscopy, emission spectroscopy and fluorescence lifetime measurements. The carbohydrate-containing phthalonitrile precursors were synthesized through a copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The 2-methoxyethoxymethyl protecting group (MEM) was used to protect the carbohydrate moieties. It resisted the harsh basic cyclotetramerization conditions and could be easily cleaved under mild acidic conditions. The glycoconjugated zinc(II) phthalocyanines described here have molar extinction coefficents εmax>10⁵ m(-1) cm(-1) and absorption maxima λ>680 nm, which make them attractive photosensitizers for photo-dynamic therapy.

The synthesis and characterization of nonperipherally tetra terminal alkynyl substituted phthalocyanines and glycoconjugation via the click reaction

In order to obtain nonperipherally tetra terminal alkynyl substituted phthalocyanines (Pcs), new 3-pent-4-ynyloxy phthalonitrile (3) was prepared by the nucleophilic displacement reaction of 3-nitrophthalonitrile (1) and 4-pentyn-1-ol (2) and then cyclotetramerization was attained in the presence of zinc acetate, cobalt acetate, and/or DBU in n-pentanol without protection/deprotection. For the first time, the glycoconjugation of the nonperipherally tetra terminal alkynyl substituted zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) (6) can be easily achieved via the click reaction in a high yield. The electronic absorption spectrum of the glucopyranosyl substituted ZnPc (10) derivative showed a red-shifted Q band at 751 nm in dichloromethane due to the protonation of the meso nitrogens of the Pc macrocycle. Deacylation yielded ZnPc (11) bearing glucose substituents at nonperipheral positions with an improved water-solubility and non-aggregation in DMSO. The chemical structures of the new compounds were characterized by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, FT-IR, UV-Vis, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. Moreover, the phthalonitrile compound was characterized using X-ray.

Phthalocyanine–titanate nanotubes: a promising nanocarrier detectable by optical imaging in the so-called imaging window

TiONts–phthalocyanine nanohybrids (150 nm long, 450 Pc per TiONts) combine an efficient optical probe and a promising nanovector. The organic coating was covalently attached onto TiONts in a step-by-step approach with a thorough characterization at each step.

Electrochemistry of nonplanar copper(ii) tetrabutano- and tetrabenzotetraarylporphyrins in nonaqueous media

Copper tetrabutano and tetrabenzoporphyrins were synthesized and electrochemically characterized and the substituent effect on spectra, potentials and the HOMO–LUMO gap is discussed.

Saccharide substituted zinc phthalocyanines: optical properties, interaction with bovine serum albumin and near infrared fluorescence imaging for sentinel lymph nodes

Saccharide-substituted zinc phthalocyanines, [2,9(10),16(17),23(24)-tetrakis((1-(β-d-glucose-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)phthalocyaninato]zinc(II) and [2,9(10),16(17),23(24)-tetrakis((1-(β-d-lactose-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)phthalocyaninato]zinc(II), were evaluated as novel near infrared fluorescence agents. Their interaction with bovine serum albumin was investigated by fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry. Near infrared imaging for sentinel lymph nodes in vivo was performed using nude mice as models. Results show that saccharide- substituted zinc phthalocyanines have favourable water solubility, good optical stability and high emission ability in the near infrared region. The interaction of lactose-substituted phthalocyanine with bovine serum albumin displays obvious differences to that of glucose- substituted phthalocyanine. Moreover, lactose-substituted phthalocyanine possesses obvious imaging effects for sentinel lymph nodes in vivo.

Zinc phthalocyanine labelled polyethylene glycol: preparation, characterization, interaction with bovine serum albumin and near infrared fluorescence imaging in vivo

Zinc phthalocyanine labelled polyethylene glycol was prepared to track and monitor the in vivo fate of polyethylene glycol. The chemical structures were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy. Their light stability and fluorescence quantum yield were evaluated by UV-Visible and fluorescence spectroscopy methods. The interaction of zinc phthalocyanine labelled polyethylene glycol with bovine serum albumin was evaluated by fluorescence titration and isothermal titration calorimetry methods. Optical imaging in vivo, organ aggregation as well as distribution of fluorescence experiments for tracking polyethylene glycol were performed with zinc phthalocyanine labelled polyethylene glycol as fluorescent agent. Results show that zinc phthalocyanine labelled polyethylene glycol has good optical stability and high emission ability in the near infrared region. Imaging results demonstrate that zinc phthalocyanine labelled polyethylene glycol can track and monitor the in vivo process by near infrared fluorescence imaging, which implies its potential in biomaterials evaluation in vivo by a real-time noninvasive method.