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Photoactive Organic Molecules in the Biological Field

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Published Papers

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Organic Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 21956

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anna Barattucci

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Guest Editor

ChiBioFarAm Department, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: organic synthesis; luminescent probes; carbohydrates; bioactive compounds; oligo phenylene ethynylene
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Paola Bonaccorsi

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Guest Editor

ChiBioFarAm Department, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: organic synthesis; luminescent probes; carbohydrates; BODIPY; curcumin; sulfenic acids
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Luminescent molecules used in clinical diagnostics or in the biomedical field have gained, in the last few decades, high interest from the scientific community. Their observations are corroborated by the growing number of publications about their syntheses and exploitation as dyes for in vitro and in vivo bio-imaging, photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy (PDT), bacterial biocides, etc.

The main features to be possessed by these luminescent probes are: a) water solubility and stability at the used conditions, b) no (or even very low) cytotoxicity at the needed concentration, c) long fluorescence lifetimes, high molar extinction coefficients and high quantum yields, hopefully in the NIR region, and e) efficient production of singlet oxygen for their uses as photo-sensitizers or bactericides.

For this purpose, a wide branch of the recent scientific interdisciplinary research is now strongly aimed to exploit new kinds of biocompatible and cell selective luminescent dyes in the biomedical field, also trying to find the best conditions for their synthesis.

This Special Issue “Photoactive organic molecules in the biological field” welcomes the submission of original research articles featuring recent and cutting–edge developments in uses of new luminescent dyes in bio-imaging, PDT, and other biomedical fields. Their original new efficient syntheses are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Anna Barattucci
Prof. Dr. Paola Bonaccorsi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Organic compounds
Luminescence
Bio-imaging
Photosensitizers
Biocompatible probes

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 3515 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Phenylazo-Based Fluorescent Probe for Sensitive Detection of Hypochlorous Acid in Aqueous Solution

by Qiuchen Liu, Chang Liu, Song He, Liancheng Zhao, Xianshun Zeng, Jin Zhou and Jin Gong

Molecules 2022, 27(9), 2978; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27092978 - 06 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1399

Abstract

In this paper, we designed and synthesized a novel phenylazo-based fluorescent probe (RHN) for the sensing and imaging of hypochlorous acid (HClO) in mitochondria in living cells. In this process, HClO promoted the oxidation of the phenylazo group to generate a free Rhodol fluorophore moiety, which in turn restored strong fluorescence and realized the detection of HClO. As expected, RHN exhibited high selectivity, high sensitivity and rapid response, with detection limits as low as 22 nM (1.155 ng/mL). Importantly, the results of the cell imaging experiments indicated that RHN has the ability to image and sense HClO in mitochondria, which is of great significance for exploration of the specific role of HClO in both the immune system and diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photoactive Organic Molecules in the Biological Field)

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14 pages, 3107 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Evaluation of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Porphyrin Derivatives on Photodynamic Therapy

by Paolo Siano, Alexis Johnston, Paula Loman-Cortes, Zaneta Zhin and Juan L. Vivero-Escoto

Molecules 2020, 25(21), 4965; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25214965 - 27 Oct 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3275

Abstract

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is a promising scaffold to be used as delivery system. POSS can modify the properties of photosensitizers to enhance their efficacy toward photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this work, we designed, synthesized and characterized five different POSS porphyrin (POSSPs 1–5) derivatives containing hydrophobic (1–3) and hydrophilic (4 and 5) functional groups. In general, all the POSSPs showed a better singlet oxygen quantum yield than the parent porphyrins due to the steric hindrance from the POSS unique structure. POSSPs 1 and 3 containing isobutyl groups showed better PDT performance in cancer cells at lower concentrations than POSSPs 4 and 5. However; at higher concentrations, the POSSP4 containing hydrophilic groups has an enhanced PDT efficiency as compared with the parent porphyrin. We envision that the chemical tunability of POSSs can be used as a promising option to improve the delivery and performance of photosensitizers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photoactive Organic Molecules in the Biological Field)

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Review

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33 pages, 13714 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

A Portrait of the OPE as a Biological Agent

by Chiara Maria Antonietta Gangemi, Anna Barattucci and Paola Maria Bonaccorsi

Molecules 2021, 26(11), 3088; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26113088 - 21 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3050

Abstract

Oligophenylene ethynylenes, known as OPEs, are a sequence of aromatic rings linked by triple bonds, the properties of which can be modulated by varying the length of the rigid main chain or/and the nature and position of the substituents on the aromatic units. They are luminescent molecules with high quantum yields and can be designed to enter a cell and act as antimicrobial and antiviral compounds, as biocompatible fluorescent probes directed towards target organelles in living cells, as labelling agents, as selective sensors for the detection of fibrillar and prefibrillar amyloid in the proteic field and in a fluorescence turn-on system for the detection of saccharides, as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy (due to their capacity to highly induce toxicity after light activation), and as drug delivery systems. The antibacterial properties of OPEs have been the most studied against very popular and resistant pathogens, and in this paper the achievements of these studies are reviewed, together with almost all the other roles held by such oligomers. In the recent decade, their antifungal and antiviral effects have attracted the attention of researchers who believe OPEs to be possible biocides of the future. The review describes, for instance, the preliminary results obtained with OPEs against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photoactive Organic Molecules in the Biological Field)

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Graphical abstract

22 pages, 12965 KiB

Open AccessReview

Aggregation-Induced Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species: Mechanism and Photosensitizer Construction

by Juechen Ni, Yijia Wang, Haoke Zhang, Jing Zhi Sun and Ben Zhong Tang

Molecules 2021, 26(2), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26020268 - 07 Jan 2021

Cited by 48 | Viewed by 5977

Abstract

Luminogens with aggregation-induced emission (AIEgens) have been widely applied in the field of photodynamic therapy. Among them, aggregation-induced emission photosensitizers (AIE–PSs) are demonstrated with high capability in fluorescence and photoacoustic bimodal imaging, as well as in fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy. They not only improve diagnosis accuracy but also provide an efficient theranostic platform to accelerate preclinical translation as well. In this short review, we divide AIE–PSs into three categories. Through the analysis of such classification and construction methods, it will be helpful for scientists to further develop various types of AIE–PSs with superior performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photoactive Organic Molecules in the Biological Field)

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Graphical abstract

30 pages, 5366 KiB

Open AccessReview

Design of Photosensitizing Agents for Targeted Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy

by Maxime Klausen, Muhammed Ucuncu and Mark Bradley

Molecules 2020, 25(22), 5239; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25225239 - 10 Nov 2020

Cited by 87 | Viewed by 7349

Abstract

Photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms has gained substantial attention due to its unique mode of action, in which pathogens are unable to generate resistance, and due to the fact that it can be applied in a minimally invasive manner. In photodynamic therapy (PDT), a non-toxic photosensitizer (PS) is activated by a specific wavelength of light and generates highly cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide (O²⁻, type-I mechanism) or singlet oxygen (¹O₂*, type-II mechanism). Although it offers many advantages over conventional treatment methods, ROS-mediated microbial killing is often faced with the issues of accessibility, poor selectivity and off-target damage. Thus, several strategies have been employed to develop target-specific antimicrobial PDT (aPDT). This includes conjugation of known PS building-blocks to either non-specific cationic moieties or target-specific antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides, or combining them with targeting nanomaterials. In this review, we summarise these general strategies and related challenges, and highlight recent developments in targeted aPDT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photoactive Organic Molecules in the Biological Field)

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