Tetrapyrrolic Macrocycles Research Articles

FORMATION FEATURES AND ELECTROCHROMIC PROPERTIES OF POLYPORPHYRIN FILMS BASED ON Zn-TETRAKIS(3-(HYDROXYPHENYL)PORPHYRIN

This paper presents the results of electrochemical deposition and the redox behavior of polyporphyrin films based on Zn(II) tetrakis(3–(hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin (ZnT(3–OHPh)P). It has been shown that electrochemical deposition initiated by superoxide anion–radical can be used to form films based on ZnT(3–OHPh)P. The potential ranges at which the electrochemical deposition of poly–ZnT(3–OHPh)P occurs on ITO electrodes were determined. The thickness of the obtained films based on ZnT(3–OHPh)P was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and is about 90 nm. The presented results of studying the electronic absorption spectra of films based on ZnT(3–OHPh)P showed that the tetrapyrrole macrocycle is not destroyed during electrochemical deposition. The paper presents the results of Raman spectroscopy, which confirm that the main reason for the binding of hydroxyphenylporphyrin molecules in a polyporphyrin film is the formation of C–O–C bridges between side substituents. The redox processes in poly–ZnT(3–OHPh)P were studied by the spectroelectrochemical method. Electrochromic responses of films based on ZnT(3–OHPh)P have been determined in a wide range of potentials. Process of electroreduction leads to a decrease and a shift to the short–wavelength region of the Soret band. Electrooxidation of films based on ZnT(3–OHPh)P leads to a decrease in the intensity of the Soret band and the disappearance of the Q bands. It is shown that the observed spectral changes are in good agreement with the known literature data and indicate the localization of excess negative or positive charges on the macrocycle. Due to the change in their optical properties depending on the applied voltage, films based on ZnT(3–OHPh)P can be recommended as a promising electrochromic coating.

Conjugates of Tetrapyrrolic Macrocycles as Potential Anticancer Target-Oriented Photosensitizers

Photodynamic therapy is a minimally invasive treatment of tumors using photosensitizers, light, and reactive oxygen species, which can destroy cellular structures. With the development of photodynamic therapy, significant efforts have been made to create new efficient photosensitizers with improved delivery to cells, stability, and selectivity against cancer tissues. Naturally occurring tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, such as porphyrins and chlorins, are very attractive as photosensitizers, and their structural modification and conjugation with other biologically active molecules are promising approaches for creating new photosensitizers specifically targeting cancer cells. The present review aims to highlight recent developments in the design, preparation, and investigation of complex conjugates of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, which can potentially be used as sensitizers for target-oriented photodynamic therapy of cancer. In this review, we discuss the structure, photodynamic effect, and anticancer activity of the following conjugates of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles: (1) conjugates obtained by modifying peripheral substituents in porphyrins and chlorins; (2) conjugates of porphyrins and chlorins with lipids, carbohydrates, steroids, and peptides; (3) conjugates of porphyrins and chlorins with anticancer drugs and some other biologically active molecules; (4) metal-containing conjugates. The question of how the conjugate structure affects its specificity, internalization, localization, and photoinduced toxicity within cancer cells is the focus of this review.

Synthesis and Design of Hybrid Metalloporphyrin Polymers Based on Palladium (II) and Copper (II) Cations and Axial Complexes of Pyridyl-Substituted Sn(IV)Porphyrins with Octopamine.

Supramolecular metalloporphyrin polymers formed by binding tetrapyrrolic macrocycle peripheral nitrogen atoms to Pd(II) cations and Sn(IV)porphyrins extra-ligands reaction centers to Cu(II) cations were obtained and identified. The structure and the formation mechanism of obtained hydrophobic Sn(IV)-porphyrin oligomers and polymers in solution were established, and their resistance to UV radiation and changes in solution temperature was studied. It was shown that the investigated polyporphyrin nanostructures are porous materials with predominance cylindrical mesopores. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to geometrically optimize the experimentally obtained supramolecular porphyrin polymers. The sizes of unit cells in porphyrin tubular structures were determined and coincided with the experimental data. The results obtained can be used to create highly porous materials for separation, storage, transportation, and controlled release of substrates of different nature, including highly volatile, explosive, and toxic gases.

Theoretical study of C6F5-corrole molecules functionalized with aromatic groups for Photodynamic Therapy

The singlet oxygen generation by electronically excited molecules in photodynamic therapy (PDT) requires light absorption within a specific wavelength window, and a subsequent intersystem crossing transition to a triplet excited state that is, at least, 0.98 eV higher in energy than the singlet ground state. Tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, such as porphyrin and corrole, have been widely used in oxygen singlet generation for PDT. Suitable functionalization can potentialize these macrocycles as photosensitizers. In this contribution, we use Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to determine the structural, electronic and spectroscopic properties of corrole macrocycles bound to different polycyclic aromatic groups in the gas phase, dichloromethane, and water. We also calculate the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) matrix elements of the intersystem crossing channels involving the first excited singlet states and excited triplet states. The results for optical absorption show that the threshold wavelength for optical absorption increases with the polarity of the environment and the number of aromatic rings of the ligands, whereas the oscillator strengths increase with the polarity of the environment but decrease with the number of aromatic rings. It is verified that the triplet excited states involved in the intersystem crossing transitions satisfy the energy requirement for the oxygen singlet generation. The magnitude of spin–orbit coupling (SOC) matrix elements associated with the intersystem crossing are also seen to be dependent on the environment involving the corrole molecules, and on the number of aromatic rings of the ligands connected to the corrole. Further, the binding of the functionalized corrole molecules with biomolecules as the calf thymus DNA and human serum albumin is studied and characterized through molecular docking. These results show that the corrole macrocycles, suitably functionalized with polycyclic aromatic groups, fulfill several criteria to be considered as good PDT photosensitizers.

Inhibition of heat-induced protein aggregation by zirconium phthalocyanines.

Specific proteins found in food sources tend to aggregate into fibrils under heat treatment; studying these aggregation processes and developing tools to control protein heat-induced aggregation is an active area of research. Phthalocyanine complexes are known to exhibit antiprionic and anti-fibrillogenic activity. Thus, the anti-fibrillogenic effect of a series of Zr phthalocyanines with different out-of-plane coordinated ligands, namely positively charged (PcZrLys2 ), negatively charged (PcZrCitr2 ), and group able to form disulfide bridges (PcZrS2 ), on the heat-induced aggregation of such proteins as BLG, insulin, and lysozyme was studied. The inhibition of reaction activity up to about 90% was observed in the presence of these compounds for all proteins. The effective concentration of the inhibitor was calculated for the compound with the highest activity (PcZrS2 ) to be 10.6 ± 3.6 and 7.3 ± 1.2μM/L, respectively. Fluorescence spectroscopy studies demonstrated similar binding constants of three phthalocyanines binding with BLG globule. This is consistent with the results of molecular dynamics simulation, which imply the interaction of the globule with the tetrapyrrole macrocycle of phthalocyanine, leading to the globule stabilization. At the same time, TEM shows that in the presence of phthalocyanine PcZrS2 , thinner and longer fibrils were formed compared to control in all three proteins (BLG, insulin, and lysozyme). Thus, we can conclude that phthalocyanine PcZrS2 affects the amyloid aggregation's general mechanism, which is typical for proteins of different structures. Therefore, the phthalocyanine PcZrS2 is proposed as an anti-amyloidogenic agent suppressing heat-induced aggregation of proteins of different structures, making it potentially suitable for application in the food industry.

Synthesis and Self-Assembly of β-Octa[(4-Diethoxyphosphoryl)phenyl]porphyrins.

The β-substituted porphyrinoids commonly used to form functional assembled systems in nature yet are still scarcely used in material chemistry probably due to the laborious synthesis of these compounds. In this work, β-octa[(4-diethoxyphosphoryl)phenyl]porphyrin (2HOPPP) and its metal (Zn(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II)) complexes were prepared in good yields. These highly soluble chromophores were characterized in solution using spectroscopic (NMR, UV-vis, fluorescence), electrochemical, and spectroelectrochemical methods. Attachment of the electron-deficient residue (ArP(O)(OEt)2) to the porphyrin macrocycle leads to easier reductions and harder oxidations of the macrocycle for all complexes studied as compared to corresponding meso-tetra[4-(diethoxyphosphoryl)phenyl]porphyrin derivatives reported previously. We demonstrated that the strong electron-deficient character of the MOPPP porphyrins results principally from the increase in the number of electron-withdrawing groups at the periphery of the tetrapyrrolic macrocycle. Electron-deficient porphyrins are highly required in supramolecular and material chemistry in part due to their ability to form supramolecular assemblies via the coordination of axial ligands to the central metal atom. According to single-crystal X-ray data, ZnOPPP forms in the crystalline phase dimers in which each of the two tetrapyrrolic macrocycles is connected through an unusual combination of hydrogen bonding of two phosphoryl groups and the water molecules axially coordinated to the zinc atom of the partner molecule. The involvement of water molecules in porphyrin binding allows for an increase of distance between two porphyrin mean N4 planes, up to 4.478 Å. The offset of phosphoryl groups attached to the macrocycle through a 1,4-phenylene spacer withdraws the whole porphyrin macrocycle of one molecule from spatial overlap with the macrocycle of a partner molecule and increases the Zn-Zn distance up to 10.372 Å. This still unknown type of porphyrin dimers allows one to get deeper insights into the organization of naturally occurring tetrapyrrolic macrocycles. ZnOPPP also forms a labile dimeric complex in 5.3 × 10-7-5.8 × 10-5 M chloroform solutions. In contrast, other complexes prepared in this work exist as monomeric species under these experimental conditions. The self-association constant of ZnOPPP has been determined by electronic absorption spectroscopy.

Tuning the Molecular Structure of Corroles to Enhance the Antibacterial Photosensitizing Activity.

The increase in the antibiotic resistance of bacteria is a serious threat to public health. Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of micro-organisms is a reliable antimicrobial therapy to treat a broad spectrum of complex infections. The development of new photosensitizers with suitable properties is a key factor to consider in the optimization of this therapy. In this sense, four corroles were designed to study how the number of cationic centers can influence the efficacy of antibacterial photodynamic treatments. First, 5,10,15-Tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (Co) and 5,15-bis(pentafluorophenyl)-10-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)corrole (Co-CF3) were synthesized, and then derivatized by nucleophilic aromatic substitution with 2-dimethylaminoethanol and 2-(dimethylamino)ethylamine, obtaining corroles Co-3NMe2 and Co-CF3-2NMe2, respectively. The straightforward synthetic strategy gave rise to macrocycles with different numbers of tertiary amines that can acquire positive charges in an aqueous medium by protonation at physiological pH. Spectroscopic and photodynamic studies demonstrated that their properties as chromophores and photosensitizers were unaffected, regardless of the substituent groups on the periphery. All tetrapyrrolic macrocycles were able to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) by both photodynamic mechanisms. Uptake experiments, the level of ROS produced in vitro, and PDI treatments mediated by these compounds were assessed against clinical strains: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. In vitro experiments indicated that the peripheral substitution significantly affected the uptake of the photosensitizers by microbes and, consequently, the photoinactivation performance. Co-3NMe2 was the most effective in killing both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (inactivation > 99.99%). This work lays the foundations for the development of new corrole derivatives having pH-activable cationic groups and with plausible applications as effective broad-spectrum antimicrobial photosensitizers.

Regulating the Single-Molecule Conductance of Corroles by the Substituents on the B-Site

Although the tetrapyrrolic macrocycle system provides a promising platform for building molecular devices, investigating the relationship between the conductance and the substituents is still a challenge. Here, three A2B type corroles with the substituents exhibiting electron-withdrawing and electron-donating effects on B-site are prepared. The single-molecule conductance results via the scanning tunneling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) technique demonstrate that the single-molecule conductance of corroles is suppressed by the electron-withdrawing substituent while it is enhanced by the electron-donating substituent, which is attributed to the change of the energy gap between the HOMO and LUMO.

Porphyrin Polymers Bearing N,N'-Ethylene Crosslinkers as Photosensitizers against Bacteria.

The appearance of microbes resistant to antibiotics requires the development of alternative therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases. In this work two polymers, PTPPF16-EDA and PZnTPPF16-EDA, were synthesized by the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin and its Zn(II) complex with ethylenediamine, respectively. In these structures, the tetrapyrrolic macrocycles were N,N'-ethylene crosslinked, which gives them greater mobility. The absorption spectra of the polymers showed a bathochromic shift of the Soret band of ~10 nm with respect to the monomers. This effect was also found in the red fluorescence emission peaks. Furthermore, both polymeric materials produced singlet molecular oxygen with high quantum yields. In addition, they were capable of generating superoxide anion radicals. Photodynamic inactivation sensitized by these polymers was tested in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria. A decrease in cell viability greater than 7 log (99.9999%) was observed in S. aureus incubated with 0.5 μM photosensitizer upon 30 min of irradiation. Under these conditions, a low inactivation of E. coli (0.5 log) was found. However, when the cells were treated with KI, the elimination of the Gram-negative bacteria was achieved. Therefore, these polymeric structures are interesting antimicrobial photosensitizing materials for the inactivation of pathogens.

Synthesis of Photosensitizers Based on Tetrapyrrolic Macrocycles for Combination with Antibiotics: Dual Inactivation of Bacteria.

The combination of photodynamic therapy with antibiotics or antimicrobial peptides for inactivation of bacteria is an area of growing interest due to the synergistic effect already observed by many authors. It has been shown that the efficiency of this dual antimicrobial therapy is highly dependent on the structure of the photosensitizer, being tetrapyrrolic macrocycles the ones with most promising results. There are a few review articles in the recent literature describing the main microbiological results concerning this dual inactivation of bacteria, but none of them focus on the synthetic processes of these photosensitizers and their remarkable chemical versatility. Therefore, herein we present an overview on synthetic methodologies for preparation of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles and their conjugates with antibiotics or antimicrobial peptides, for use in dual inactivation of bacteria. This review will be divided in two sections concerning the physical or covalent combinations of PS with antibiotic/cationic peptides, followed by brief critical analysis on their corresponding antimicrobial outcomes.

Spectroelectrochemistry as a powerful technique for porphyrins/corroles derivatives electro-characterization: Fundamentals and some examples

Porphyrins and corroles are at the same time very similar and distinct species. Porphyrins are present in nature and are well known by scientists for almost two centuries (1840). Corroles were noticed only in 1965 and satisfactory synthesis processes were only described in 1999. Similar to the porphyrins, corroles are aromatic tetrapyrrole macrocycles, with the difference of one direct pyrrole-pyrrole connection. The absence of this meso-carbon alters the central cavity and the symmetry of the molecule. This small detail produces a significant difference in structural terms, which results in differentiated spectroscopic and photophysical characteristics. In this review, the spectroelectrochemistry of porphyrins and especially of corroles is addressed. The advantages of taking simultaneous spectral and electrochemical information makes spectroelectrochemistry a powerful technique for the electro-characterization of these compounds.

Porphycenes as broad-spectrum antimicrobial photosensitizers. Potentiation with potassium iodide

Two novel meso-tetrasubstituted porphycenes (Pc-Cbz and Pc-NEt2) have been synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Suzuki cross-coupling reactions over 9,10,19,20-tetrakis(4-iodophenyl)porphycene. Pc-Cbz contains four carbazole groups on the periphery of the tetrapyrrolic macrocycle. Instead, Pc-NEt2 presents four basic tertiary amine substituents, which can be protonated at physiological pH, acquiring four positive charges. Both photosensitizers (PSs) were designed to evaluate the effect of different substitution patterns on the photodynamic inactivation of microorganisms. Their absorption and fluorescence properties were almost unmodified regardless of the substituent groups on the periphery. The characteristic red emission makes them promising fluorescent probes for cell imaging. Moreover, both macrocycles were able to generate reactive oxygen species by both photodynamic mechanisms under aerobic light irradiation. The photokilling action of these PSs was assessed in vitro against Candida albicans (yeast), Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacterium), and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacterium). Our results demonstrate that the peripheral substitution significantly affected the photoinactivation performance. Thus, Pc-NEt2 was more effective than Pc-Cbz in killing microorganisms using lower concentrations and shorter irradiation periods, evidencing that external substitution is a main structural feature. Also, the photoinactivation efficiency mediated by these porphycenes was potentiated by adding KI. Under these conditions, a complete eradication of all pathogenic microorganisms was obtained by combining Pc-NEt2 and KI. Therefore, Pc-NEt2 can be used as an effective broad-spectrum antimicrobial PS. Accordingly, this work stands out as a promising starting point for the design of new porphycene-based PSs for photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of microorganisms. Our outcomes also disclose that the combination of these PSs with KI is an important factor in order to improve the PDI treatments and the current antimicrobial therapies.

Unraveling the Pivotal Role of Atropisomerism for Cellular Internalization.

The intrinsic challenge of large molecules to cross the cell membrane and reach intracellular targets is a major obstacle for the development of new medicines. We report how rotation along a single C–C bond, between atropisomers of a drug in clinical trials, improves cell uptake and therapeutic efficacy. The atropisomers of redaporfin (a fluorinated sulfonamide bacteriochlorin photosensitizer of 1135 Da) are separable and display orders of magnitude differences in photodynamic efficacy that are directly related to their differential cellular uptake. We show that redaporfin atropisomer uptake is passive and only marginally affected by ATP depletion, plasma proteins, or formulation in micelles. The α4 atropisomer, where meso-phenyl sulfonamide substituents are on the same side of the tetrapyrrole macrocycle, exhibits the highest cellular uptake and phototoxicity. This is the most amphipathic atropisomer with a conformation that optimizes hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) with polar head groups of membrane phospholipids. Consequently, α4 binds to the phospholipids on the surface of the membrane, flips into the membrane to adopt the orientation of a surfactant, and eventually diffuses to the interior of the cell (bind-flip mechanism). We observed increased α4 internalization by cells of the tumor microenvironment in vivo and correlated this to the response of photodynamic therapy when tumor illumination was performed 24 h after α4 administration. These results show that properly orientated aryl sulfonamide groups can be incorporated into drug design as efficient cell-penetrating motifs in vivo and reveal the unexpected biological consequences of atropisomerism.

Syntheses and Properties of Metalated Tetradehydrocorrins.

The monoanionic tetrapyrrolic macrocycle B,C-tetradehydrocorrin (TDC) resides chemically between corroles and corrins. This chemical space remains largely unexplored due to a lack of reliable synthetic strategies. We now report the preparation and characterization of Co(II)- and Ni(II)-metalated TDC derivatives ([Co-TDC]+ and [Ni-TDC]+, respectively) with a combination of crystallographic, electrochemical, computational, and spectroscopic techniques. [Ni-TDC]+ was found to undergo primarily ligand-centered electrochemical reduction, leading to hydrogenation of the macrocycle under cathodic electrolysis in the presence of acid. Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy reveals that [Ni-TDC]+ and the two-electron-reduced [Ni-TDC]- possess long-lived excited states, whereas the excited state of singly reduced [Ni-TDC] exhibits picosecond dynamics. The Co(I) compound [Co-TDC] is air stable, highlighting the notable property of the TDC ligand to stabilize low-valent metal centers in contradistinction to other tetrapyrroles such as corroles, which typically stabilize metals in higher oxidation states.

Tuning the molecular electronic structure and macroscopic aggregates of [2 + 2]-type H2- and Zn(II)porphyrins through meso-substituents

Herein, three [2 + 2]-type porphyrins and their Zn(II)-complexes with various meso-substitutions have been synthesized and characterized. Analysis of the electronic structures was carried out by comparing the spectroscopic investigations and electrochemical characterizations. These porphyrins have tunable aggregated morphologies modulated by meso-substituents and metal-cation in the coordination center of the tetrapyrrolic macrocycle.

Chromophore Nanohybrids for Sensing and Singlet Oxygen Generation

Nanohybrid materials can exhibit the physical properties of their components and be used in various applications. Also, novel chromophores involving synthetically flexible molecules such as pyrazinacenes1 and porphyrins2 can be incorporated into these structures by different means in particular as MOFs or COFs, while other components include simple transition metal salts or oligonuclear metal-oxo clusters. In this work, we discuss nanohybrids materials containing oxoporphyrinogen (OxP), tetrapyrroles or fullerene as the organic component, with hybridization using respectively Ag(I) salt or oxo-Zr(IV) cluster. This yields nanohybrid materials having structures and properties due to their individual components. Highly-colored OxP is a tetrapyrrole macrocycle which can be stimulated to generate reactive singlet oxygen (1O2) under appropriate conditions (1O2 can be used for applications such as photodynamic therapy and environmental remediation). 1O2 generation by OxP undergoes significant enhancement over its unhybridized state when incorporated in nanohybrid structures, either MOFs or COFs, containing respectively oxo-Zr(IV) nodes or electron deficient linkers in porous coordination polymer nanoarchitectures. OxP-oxoZr(IV) nanohybrid can then be applied for oxidation of small molecule substrates to selected products.3 Also, C60 fullerene can be co-crystallized with silver(I) nitrate at the molecular level4 leading to a material that exhibits unique properties during its decomposition so that silver nitrate is released with concurrent deposition of highly nanostructured C60-only crystalline networks. The resulting nanohybrid material has been studied for application as slow-release antibacterial material.4 Other work includes porous materials for sensing applications. The utility of the nanohybrid approaches is demonstrated by using these examples.

Proton-coupled electron transfer of macrocyclic ring hydrogenation: The chlorinphlorin

SignificanceThe chemical reduction of unsaturated bonds occurs by hydrogenation with H2 as the reductant. Conversely, in biology, the unavailability of H2 engenders the typical reduction of unsaturated bonds with electrons and protons from different cofactors, requiring olefin hydrogenation to occur by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). Moreover, the redox noninnocence of tetrapyrrole macrocycles furnishes unusual PCET intermediates, including the phlorin, which is an intermediate in tetrapyrrole ring reductions. Whereas the phlorin of a porphyrin is well established, the phlorin of a chlorin is enigmatic. By controlling the PCET reactivity of a chlorin, including the use of a hangman functionality to manage the proton transfer, the formation of a chlorinphlorin by PCET is realized, and the mechanism for its formation is defined.

A Comparative Study of Photobiological and Photophysical Characteristic of Meso-Tetraphenylporphyrin and Meso-Tetraphenylchlorin as Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy

Photosensitizer modifications are needed to improve the performance of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for the treatment of cancer. This work appraised the photophysical and photobiological characteristics of tetrapyrrolic macrocycles. Meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (m-TPP) and meso-tetraphenylchlorin (m-TPC) represent non-reduced and reduced pyrrole rings tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, respectively. The absorption spectra of m-TPP and m-TPC were performed. The relative quantum yield of singlet oxygen (ΦΔ) was measured at two different pH (6.3 and 7.4) relative to chlorine e6. Dark toxicity was monitored using the MTT assay on breast cancer T47D and NIH 3T3 cell lines. In addition, the stability of the compounds under indirect sunlight was also observed. The absorption maxima of the Q1 band of both compounds are at a longer wavelength. The Q1 peak of a reduced pyrrole ring is more intense than the non-reduced pyrrole ring with the lowest energy transition undergoing a redshift. The singlet oxygen generations are higher at pH 7.4 for both compounds with them-TPC showed a higher relative singlet oxygen quantum yield. In addition, the photosensitizers are stable under indirect sunlight radiation. m-TPC has higher cellular uptake than m-TPP in both cell lines. The dark toxicity of m-TPC is higher than m-TPP in T47D cells. However, the opposite occurred in observing dark toxicity in the NIH 3T3 cell line. Our study concludes that the cellular uptake and ΦΔ can be enhanced by reducing the pyrrole ring of the tetrapyrrole macrocycle. Therefore, m-TPC proved to be a better photosensitizer than m-TPP.

The Antimicrobial Photoinactivation Effect on Escherichia coli through the Action of Inverted Cationic Porphyrin-Cyclodextrin Conjugates.

Photodynamic action has been used for diverse biomedical applications, such as treating a broad range of bacterial infections. Based on the combination of light, dioxygen, and photosensitizer (PS), the photodynamic inactivation (PDI) approach led to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and represented a non-invasive, non-toxic, repeatable procedure for pathogen photoinactivation. To this end, different tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, such as porphyrin (Por) dyes, have been used as PSs for PDI against microorganisms, mainly bacteria. Still, there is significant room for improvement, especially new PS molecules. Herein, unsymmetrical new pyridinone (3–5) and thiopyridyl Pors (7) were prepared with α-, β-, or γ-cyclodextrin (CD) units, following their quaternization to perform the corresponding free-base Pors (3a–5a and 7a), and were compared with the already-known Pors 6a and 8a, both bearing thiopyridinium and CD units. These water-soluble porphyrins were evaluated as PSs, and their photophysical and photochemical properties and photodynamic effects on E. coli were assessed. The presence of one CD unit and three positive charges on the Por structure (3a–5a and 7a) enhanced their aqueous solubility. The photoactivity of the cationic Pors 3a–5a and 6a–8a ensured their potential against the Gram-negative bacterium E. coli. Within each series of methoxypyridinium vs thiopyridinium dyes, the best PDI efficiency was achieved for 5a with a bacterial viability reduction of 3.5 log10 (50 mW cm−2, 60 min of light irradiation) and for 8a with a total bacterial viability reduction (>8 log10, 25 mW cm−2, 30 min of light irradiation). Here, the presence of the methoxypyridinium units is less effective against E. coli when compared with the thiopyridinium moieties. This study allows for the conclusion that the peripheral charge position, quaternized substituent type/CD unit, and affinity to the outer bacterial structures play an important role in the photoinactivation efficiency of E. coli, evidencing that these features should be further addressed in the pursuit for optimised PS for the antimicrobial PDI of pathogenic microorganisms.

Catalytic Properties of Free-Base Porphyrin Modified Graphite Electrodes for Electrochemical Water Splitting in Alkaline Medium

Hydrogen generation via electrochemical water splitting is considered an eco-friendly pathway for obtaining this desired alternative energy source, and it has triggered an intensive search for low cost and efficient catalysts. Within this context, four free-base porphyrins were studied as heterogeneous catalysts for the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions (OER and HER) in alkaline aqueous solutions. TEM and STEM analyses of samples obtained by drop-casting the porphyrins from different organic solvents on TEM grids revealed a rich variety of aggregates due to the self-assembling property of the porphyrin molecules. Modified electrodes were manufactured by applying the four tetrapyrrolic macrocycles from various solvents on the surface of graphite supports, in one or more layers. Experiments performed in 0.1 M and 1 M KOH electrolyte solutions allowed the identification of the most electrocatalytically active electrodes for the OER and HER, respectively. In the first case, the electrode was manufactured by applying three layers of 5-(4-pyridyl)-10,15,20-tris(4-phenoxyphenyl)porphyrin on the graphite substrate from N,N-dimethylformamide solution was identified as overall catalytically superior. In the second case, the electrode obtained by applying one layer of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-allyloxyphenyl)-porphyrin from benzonitrile solution displayed an HER overpotential value of 500 mV at i = −10 mA/cm2 and a Tafel slope of 190 mV/dec.