Dewey Holten

Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA

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Publications (135)342.2 Total impact

  • Article: Protein Influence on Charge-Asymmetry of the Primary Donor in Photosynthetic Bacterial Reaction Centers Containing a Heterodimer: Effects on Photophysical Properties and Electron Transfer.
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    ABSTRACT: The substantial electronic distinctions between bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) and its Mg-free analogue bacteriopheophytin (BPh) are exploited in two sets of Rhodobacter capsulatus reaction center (RC) mutants that contain a heterodimeric BChl-BPh primary electron donor (D). The BPh component of the M-heterodimer (Mhd) or L-heterodimer (Lhd) obtains from substituting a Leu for His M200 or for His L173, respectively. Lhd-β and Mhd-β RCs serve as the initial templates in the two mutant sets, where β denotes that the L-side BPh acceptor (HL) has been replaced by a BChl (due to substituting His for Leu M212). Three variants each of Lhd-β and Mhd-β mutants were constructed: (1) a swap (denoted YF) of the native Phe (L181) and Tyr (M208) residues, which flank D and the nearby M- and L-side monomeric BChl cofactors, respectively, giving Tyr (L181) and Phe (M208); (2) addition of a hydrogen bond (denoted L131LH) to the ring V keto group of the L-macrocycle of D, via replacing the native Leu at L131 with His; (3) the combination of 1 and 2. A low yield of electron transfer (ET) to the M-side BPh (HM) is observed in all four Lhd-containing RCs. Comparison with the yield of ET to β on the L-side shows that electron density on the L-macrocycle of D* favors ET to the M-side cofactors and vice versa. Increasing or decreasing the electronic asymmetry of D* via the YF, L131LH mutations or the combination results in consistent trends in the characteristics of the long-wavelength ground state absorption band of D, the rate constant of internal conversion of D* to the ground state, and the rate constants for ET to both the L- and M-side cofactors. A surprising correlation is that an increase in the charge asymmetry in D* not only increases the D* internal-conversion rate constant, but also the rate constants for ET to both the L- and M-side cofactors, spanning time scales of tens of picoseconds to several nanoseconds. The YF swap has a previously unrecognized effect on the electronic asymmetry of D*, resulting in increased charge asymmetry for the Mhd and decreased charge asymmetry for the Lhd. This result indicates that the native Tyr (M208) and Phe (L181) in the wild-type RC promote an electron distribution in P* that is the reverse of that favorable for ET to the photoactive L-branch. This conclusion reinforces the view that the native configuration of these residues promotes ET to the L branch primarily by poising the free energies of the charge-separated states. Overall, this work addresses the extent to which electronic couplings complement energetics in underpinning the directionality of ET in the bacterial RC.
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 04/2013; · 3.70 Impact Factor
  • Article: Photophysical Properties and Electronic Structure of Bacteriochlorin-Chalcones with Extended Near-Infrared Absorption.
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    ABSTRACT: Synthetic bacteriochlorins enable systematic tailoring of substituents about the bacteriochlorin chromophore and thereby provide insights concerning the native bacteriochlorophylls of bacterial photosynthesis. Nine free base bacteriochlorins (eight prepared previously and one prepared here) have been examined that bear diverse substituents at the 13- or 3,13-positions. The substituents include chalcone (3-phenylprop-2-en-1-onyl) derivatives with groups attached to the phenyl moiety, a "reverse chalcone" (3-phenyl-3-oxo-1-enyl), and extended chalcones (5-phenylpenta-2,4-dien-1-onyl, retinylidenonyl). The spectral and photophysical properties (τ(s) , Φ(f) , Φ(ic) , Φ(isc) , τ(T) , k(f) , k(ic) , k(isc) ) of the bacteriochlorins have been characterized. The bacteriochlorins absorb strongly in the 780-800 nm region and have fluorescence quantum yields (Φ(f) ) in the range 0.05-0.11 in toluene and dimethylsulfoxide. Light-induced electron promotions between orbitals with predominantly substituent or macrocycle character or both may give rise to some net macrocycle " substituent charge-transfer character in the lowest and higher singlet excited states as indicated by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations. Such calculations indicated significant participation of molecular orbitals beyond those (HOMO-1 to LUMO+1) in the Gouterman four-orbital model. Taken together, the studies provide insight into the fundamental properties of bacteriochlorins and illustrate designs for tuning the spectral and photophysical features of these NIR-absorbing tetrapyrrole chromophores. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Photochemistry and Photobiology © 2013 The American Society of Photobiology.
    Photochemistry and Photobiology 01/2013; · 2.41 Impact Factor
  • Article: Molecular Electronic Tuning of Photosensitizers to Enhance Photodynamic Therapy: Synthetic Dicyanobacteriochlorins as a Case Study.
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    ABSTRACT: Photophysical, photostability, electrochemical, and molecular-orbital characteristics are analyzed for a set of stable dicyanobacteriochlorins that are promising photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). The bacteriochlorins are the parent compound (BC), dicyano derivative (NC)(2) BC and corresponding zinc (NC)(2) BC-Zn and palladium chelate (NC)(2) BC-Pd. The order of PDT activity against HeLa human cancer cells in vitro is (NC)(2) BC-Pd > (NC)(2) BC > (NC)(2) BC-Zn ≈ BC. The near-infrared absorption feature of each dicyanobacteriochlorin is bathochromically shifted 35-50 nm (748-763 nm) from that for BC (713 nm). Intersystem crossing to the PDT-active triplet excited state is essentially quantitative for (NC)(2) BC-Pd. Phosphorescence from (NC)(2) BC-Pd occurs at 1122 nm (1.1 eV). This value and the measured ground-state redox potentials fix the triplet excited-state redox properties, which underpin PDT activity via Type-1 (electron-transfer) pathways. A perhaps counterintuitive (but readily explicable) result is that of the three dicyanobacteriochlorins, the photosensitizer with the shortest triplet lifetime (7 μs), (NC)(2) BC-Pd, has the highest activity. Photostabilities of the dicyanobacteriochlorins and other bacteriochlorins studied recently are investigated and discussed in terms of four phenomena: aggregation, reduction, oxidation, and chemical reaction. Collectively, the results and analysis provide fundamental insights concerning the molecular design of PDT agents. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Photochemistry and Photobiology © 2012 The American Society of Photobiology.
    Photochemistry and Photobiology 11/2012; · 2.41 Impact Factor
  • Article: Stable Synthetic Bacteriochlorins for Photodynamic Therapy: Role of Dicyano Peripheral Groups, Central Metal Substitution (2H, Zn, Pd), and Cremophor EL Delivery.
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    ABSTRACT: A series of four stable synthetic bacteriochlorins was tested in vitro in HeLa cells for their potential in photodynamic therapy (PDT). The parent bacteriochlorin (BC), dicyano derivative (NC)(2) BC and corresponding zinc chelate (NC)(2) BC-Zn and palladium chelate (NC)(2) BC-Pd were studied. Direct dilution of a solution of bacteriochlorin in an organic solvent (N,N-dimethylacetamide) into serum-containing medium was compared with the dilution of bacteriochlorin in Cremophor EL (CrEL; polyoxyethylene glycerol triricinoleate) micelles into the same medium. CrEL generally reduced aggregation (as indicated by absorption and fluorescence) and increased activity up to tenfold (depending on bacteriochlorin), although it decreased cellular uptake. The order of PDT activity against HeLa human cancer cells after 24 h incubation and illumination with 10 J cm(-2) of near-infrared (NIR) light is (NC)(2) BC-Pd (LD(50) =25 nM) > (NC)(2) BC > (NC)(2) BC-Zn ≈ BC. Subcellular localization was determined to be in the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and lysosomes, depending on the bacteriochlorin. (NC)(2) BC-Pd showed PDT-mediated damage to mitochondria and lysosomes, and the greatest production of hydroxyl radicals as determined using a hydroxyphenylfluorescein probe. The incorporation of cyano substituents provides an excellent motif for the enhancement of the photoactivity and photostability of bacteriochlorins as PDT photosensitizers.
    ChemMedChem 10/2012; · 3.15 Impact Factor
  • Article: Effects of linker torsional constraints on the rate of ground-state hole transfer in porphyrin dyads.
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    ABSTRACT: Understanding hole/electron-transfer processes among interacting constituents of multicomponent molecular architectures is central to the fields of artificial photosynthesis and molecular electronics. Herein, we utilize a recently demonstrated (203)Tl/(205)Tl hyperfine "clocking" strategy to probe the rate of hole/electron transfer in the monocations of a series of three thallium-chelated porphyrin dyads, designated Tl(2)-U, Tl(2)-M, and Tl(2)-B, that are linked via diarylethynes wherein the number of ortho-dimethyl substituents on the aryl group of the linker systematically increases (none, one, and two, respectively). Variable-temperature (160-340 K) EPR studies on the monocations of the three dyads were used to examine the thermal activation behavior of the hole/electron-transfer process and reveal the following: (1) Hole/electron transfer at room temperature (295 K) slows as torsional constraints are added to the diarylethyne linker [k(Tl(2)-U) > k(Tl(2)-M) > k(Tl(2)-B)], with rate constants that correspond to time constants in the 2-5 ns regime. (2) As the temperature decreases, the hole/electron-transfer rates for the monocations of the three types of dyads converge and then cross over. At the lowest temperatures examined (160-170 K), the trend in the hole/electron-transfer rates is essentially reversed [k(Tl(2)-B) > k(Tl(2)-M) ∼ k(Tl(2)-U)]. The trends in the temperature dependence of hole/electron-transfer among the three dyads are consistent with torsional motions of the aryl rings of the linker providing for thermal activation of the process at higher temperatures in the case of the less torsionally constrained dyads, Tl(2)-U and Tl(2)-M. In the case of the most torsionally constrained dyad, Tl(2)-B, the hole/electron-transfer process is activationless at all temperatures studied. The reversal in rates of hole/electron transfer among the three dyads at low temperature is qualitatively explained by the results of density functional theory calculations, which predict that static electronic factors could dominate the hole/electron-transfer process when torsional dynamics are thermally diminished.
    Inorganic Chemistry 10/2012; 51(20):11076-86. · 4.60 Impact Factor
  • Article: Synthesis and physicochemical properties of metallobacteriochlorins.
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    ABSTRACT: Access to metallobacteriochlorins is essential for investigation of a wide variety of fundamental photochemical processes, yet relatively few synthetic metallobacteriochlorins have been prepared. Members of a set of synthetic bacteriochlorins bearing 0-4 carbonyl groups (1, 2, or 4 carboethoxy substituents, or an annulated imide moiety) were examined under two conditions: (i) standard conditions for zincation of porphyrins [Zn(OAc)(2)·2H(2)O in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 60-80 °C], and (ii) treatment in tetrahydrofuran (THF) with a strong base [e.g., NaH or lithium diisopropylamide (LDA)] followed by a metal reagent MX(n). Zincation of bacteriochlorins that bear 2-4 carbonyl groups proceeded under the former method whereas those with 0-2 carbonyl groups proceeded with NaH or LDA/THF followed by Zn(OTf)(2). The scope of metalation (via NaH or LDA in THF) is as follows: (a) for bacteriochlorins that bear two electron-releasing aryl groups, M = Cu, Zn, Pd, and InCl (but not Mg, Al, Ni, Sn, or Au); (b) for bacteriochlorins that bear two carboethoxy groups, M = Ni, Cu, Zn, Pd, Cd, InCl, and Sn (but not Mg, Al, or Au); and (c) a bacteriochlorin with four carboethoxy groups was metalated with Mg (other metals were not examined). Altogether, 15 metallobacteriochlorins were isolated and characterized. Single-crystal X-ray analysis of 8,8,18,18-tetramethylbacteriochlorin reveals the core geometry provided by the four nitrogen atoms is rectangular; the difference in length of the two sides is ∼0.08 Å. Electronic characteristics of (metal-free) bacteriochlorins were probed through electrochemical measurements along with density functional theory calculation of the energies of the frontier molecular orbitals. The photophysical properties (fluorescence yields, triplet yields, singlet and triplet excited-state lifetimes) of the zinc bacteriochlorins are generally similar to those of the metal-free analogues, and to those of the native chromophores bacteriochlorophyll a and bacteriopheophytin a. The availability of diverse metallobacteriochlorins should prove useful in a variety of fundamental photochemical studies and applications.
    Inorganic Chemistry 08/2012; 51(17):9443-64. · 4.60 Impact Factor
  • Article: Photochemistry of a bacterial photosynthetic reaction center missing the initial bacteriochlorophyll electron acceptor.
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    ABSTRACT: A novel chromophore composition of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center (RC) has been discovered: RCs lacking the L-side monomeric bacteriochlorophyll chromophore result from mutation of the native isoleucine at M204 to glutamine in Rhodobacter capsulatus . This conclusion is obtained from 77 K UV-vis spectroscopy and pigment extractions of the I(M204)Q mutant and seven variants containing the I(M204)Q plus other mutations. The oxidation potential of the primary electron donor P (a dimer of bacteriochlorophylls) was measured for three of the mutants and found to be 50-65 mV lower than in wild-type RCs. Ultrafast transient absorption measurements reveal (minimally) two subpopulations of P* that have distinct lifetimes and photochemical outcomes for all mutants containing I(M204)Q. In one subpopulation P* decays solely by internal conversion to the ground state. In the other subpopulation P* decays by electron transfer to the normally inactive M-side bacteriopheophytin (H(M)) in competition with internal conversion to the ground state. When a Tyr residue is substituted for the native Phe at L181 near the M-side monomeric bacteriochlorophyll (B(M)), the rate of electron transfer to H(M) is increased about 4-fold.
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 08/2012; 116(33):9971-82. · 3.70 Impact Factor
  • Article: Spectroscopic studies of two spectral variants of light-harvesting complex 2 (LH2) from the photosynthetic purple sulfur bacterium Allochromatium vinosum.
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    ABSTRACT: Two spectral forms of the peripheral light-harvesting complex (LH2) from the purple sulfur photosynthetic bacterium Allochromatium vinosum were purified and their photophysical properties characterized. The complexes contain bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl a) and multiple species of carotenoids. The composition of carotenoids depends on the light conditions applied during growth of the cultures. In addition, LH2 grown under high light has a noticeable split of the B800 absorption band. The influence of the change of carotenoid distribution as well as the spectral change of the excitonic absorption of the bacteriochlorophylls on the light-harvesting ability was studied using steady-state absorption, fluorescence and femtosecond time-resolved absorption at 77K. The results demonstrate that the change of the distribution of the carotenoids when cells were grown at low light adapts the absorptive properties of the complex to the light conditions and maintains maximum photon-capture performance. In addition, an explanation for the origin of the enigmatic split of the B800 absorption band is provided. This spectral splitting is also observed in LH2 complexes from other photosynthetic sulfur purple bacterial species. According to results obtained from transient absorption spectroscopy, the B800 band split originates from two spectral forms of the associated BChl a monomeric molecules bound within the same complex.
    Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 05/2012; 1817(9):1576-87. · 4.66 Impact Factor
  • Article: Biohybrid photosynthetic antenna complexes for enhanced light-harvesting.
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    ABSTRACT: Biohybrid antenna systems have been constructed that contain synthetic chromophores attached to 31mer analogues of the bacterial photosynthetic core light-harvesting (LH1) β-polypeptide. The peptides are engineered with a Cys site for bioconjugation with maleimide-terminated chromophores, which include synthetic bacteriochlorins (BC1, BC2) with strong near-infrared absorption and commercial dyes Oregon green (OGR) and rhodamine red (RR) with strong absorption in the blue-green to yellow-orange regions. The peptides place the Cys 14 (or 6) residues before a native His site that binds bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl-a) and, like the native LH proteins, have high helical content as probed by single-reflection IR spectroscopy. The His residue associates with BChl-a as in the native LH1 β-polypeptide to form dimeric ββ-subunit complexes [31mer(-14Cys)X/BChl](2), where X is one of the synthetic chromophores. The native-like BChl-a dimer has Q(y) absorption at 820 nm and serves as the acceptor for energy from light absorbed by the appended synthetic chromophore. The energy-transfer characteristics of biohybrid complexes have been characterized by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence and absorption measurements. The quantum yields of energy transfer from a synthetic chromophore located 14 residues from the BChl-coordinating His site are as follows: OGR (0.30) < RR (0.60) < BC2 (0.90). Oligomeric assemblies of the subunit complexes [31mer(-14Cys)X/BChl](n) are accompanied by a bathochromic shift of the Q(y) absorption of the BChl-a oligomer as far as the 850-nm position found in cyclic native photosynthetic LH2 complexes. Room-temperature stabilized oligomeric biohybrids have energy-transfer quantum yields comparable to those of the dimeric subunit complexes as follows: OGR (0.20) < RR (0.80) < BC1 (0.90). Thus, the new biohybrid antennas retain the energy-transfer and self-assembly characteristics of the native antenna complexes, offer enhanced coverage of the solar spectrum, and illustrate a versatile paradigm for the construction of artificial LH systems.
    Journal of the American Chemical Society 02/2012; 134(10):4589-99. · 9.91 Impact Factor
  • Article: Effects of substituents on synthetic analogs of chlorophylls. Part 3: The distinctive impact of auxochromes at the 7- versus 3-positions.
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    ABSTRACT: Assessing the effects of substituents on the spectra of chlorophylls is essential for gaining a deep understanding of photosynthetic processes. Chlorophyll a and b differ solely in the nature of the 7-substituent (methyl versus formyl), whereas chlorophyll a and d differ solely in the 3-substituent (vinyl versus formyl), yet have distinct long-wavelength absorption maxima: 665 (a) 646 (b) and 692 nm (d). Herein, the spectra, singlet excited-state decay characteristics, and results from DFT calculations are examined for synthetic chlorins and 13(1)-oxophorbines that contain ethynyl, acetyl, formyl and other groups at the 3-, 7- and/or 13-positions. Substituent effects on the absorption spectra are well accounted for using Gouterman's four-orbital model. Key findings are that (1) the dramatic difference in auxochromic effects of a given substituent at the 7- versus 3- or 13-positions primarily derives from relative effects on the LUMO+1 and LUMO; (2) formyl at the 7- or 8-position effectively "porphyrinizes" the chlorin and (3) the substituent effect increases in the order of vinyl < ethynyl < acetyl < formyl. Thus, the spectral properties are governed by an intricate interplay of electronic effects of substituents at particular sites on the four frontier MOs of the chlorin macrocycle.
    Photochemistry and Photobiology 01/2012; 88(3):651-74. · 2.41 Impact Factor
  • Article: High throughput engineering to revitalize a vestigial electron transfer pathway in bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers.
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    ABSTRACT: Photosynthetic reaction centers convert light energy into chemical energy in a series of transmembrane electron transfer reactions, each with near 100% yield. The structures of reaction centers reveal two symmetry-related branches of cofactors (denoted A and B) that are functionally asymmetric; purple bacterial reaction centers use the A pathway exclusively. Previously, site-specific mutagenesis has yielded reaction centers capable of transmembrane charge separation solely via the B branch cofactors, but the best overall electron transfer yields are still low. In an attempt to better realize the architectural and energetic factors that underlie the directionality and yields of electron transfer, sites within the protein-cofactor complex were targeted in a directed molecular evolution strategy that implements streamlined mutagenesis and high throughput spectroscopic screening. The polycistronic approach enables efficient construction and expression of a large number of variants of a heteroligomeric complex that has two intimately regulated subunits with high sequence similarity, common features of many prokaryotic and eukaryotic transmembrane protein assemblies. The strategy has succeeded in the discovery of several mutant reaction centers with increased efficiency of the B pathway; they carry multiple substitutions that have not been explored or linked using traditional approaches. This work expands our understanding of the structure-function relationships that dictate the efficiency of biological energy-conversion reactions, concepts that will aid the design of bio-inspired assemblies capable of both efficient charge separation and charge stabilization.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 01/2012; 287(11):8507-14. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Photophysical properties and electronic structure of stable, tunable synthetic bacteriochlorins: extending the features of native photosynthetic pigments.
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    ABSTRACT: Bacteriochlorins, which are tetrapyrrole macrocycles with two reduced pyrrole rings, are Nature's near-infrared (NIR) absorbers (700-900 nm). The strong absorption in the NIR region renders bacteriochlorins excellent candidates for a variety of applications including solar light harvesting, flow cytometry, molecular imaging, and photodynamic therapy. Natural bacteriochlorins are inherently unstable due to oxidative conversion to the chlorin (one reduced pyrrole ring) or the porphyrin. The natural pigments are also only modestly amenable to synthetic manipulation, owing to a nearly full complement of substituents on the macrocycle. Recently, a new synthetic methodology has afforded access to stable synthetic bacteriochlorins wherein a wide variety of substituents can be appended to the macrocycle at preselected locations. Herein, the spectroscopic and photophysical properties of 33 synthetic bacteriochlorins are investigated. The NIR absorption bands of the chromophores range from ∼700 to ∼820 nm; the lifetimes of the lowest excited singlet state range from ∼2 to ∼6 ns; the fluorescence quantum yields range from ∼0.05 to ∼0.25; and the yield of the lowest triplet excited state is ∼0.5. The spectroscopic/photophysical studies of the bacteriochlorins are accompanied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations that probe the characteristics of the frontier molecular orbitals. The DFT calculations indicate that the impact of substituents on the spectral properties of the molecules derives primarily from effects on the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. Collectively, the studies show how the palette of synthetic bacteriochlorins extends the properties of the native photosynthetic pigments (bacteriochlorophylls). The studies have also elucidated design principles for tuning the spectral and photophysical characteristics as required for a wide variety of photochemical applications.
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 08/2011; 115(37):10801-16. · 3.70 Impact Factor
  • Article: Synthesis and photophysical characterization of stable indium bacteriochlorins.
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    ABSTRACT: Bacteriochlorins have wide potential in photochemistry because of their strong absorption of near-infrared light, yet metallobacteriochlorins traditionally have been accessed with difficulty. Established acid-catalysis conditions [BF(3)·OEt(2) in CH(3)CN or TMSOTf/2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine in CH(2)Cl(2)] for the self-condensation of dihydrodipyrrin-acetals (bearing a geminal dimethyl group in the pyrroline ring) afford stable free base bacteriochlorins. Here, InBr(3) in CH(3)CN at room temperature was found to give directly the corresponding indium bacteriochlorin. Application of the new acid catalysis conditions has afforded four indium bacteriochlorins bearing aryl, alkyl/ester, or no substituents at the β-pyrrolic positions. The indium bacteriochlorins exhibit (i) a long-wavelength absorption band in the 741-782 nm range, which is shifted bathochromically by 22-32 nm versus the analogous free base species, (ii) fluorescence quantum yields (0.011-0.026) and average singlet lifetime (270 ps) diminished by an order of magnitude versus that (0.13-0.25; 4.0 ns) for the free base analogues, and (iii) higher average yield (0.9 versus 0.5) yet shorter average lifetime (30 vs 105 μs) of the lowest triplet excited state compared to the free base compounds. The differences in the excited-state properties of the indium chelates versus free base bacteriochlorins derive primarily from a 30-fold greater rate constant for S(1) → T(1) intersystem crossing, which stems from the heavy-atom effect on spin-orbit coupling. The trends in optical properties of the indium bacteriochlorins versus free base analogues, and the effects of 5-OMe versus 5-H substituents, correlate well with frontier molecular-orbital energies and energy gaps derived from density functional theory calculations. Collectively the synthesis, photophysical properties, and electronic characteristics of the indium bacteriochlorins and free base analogues reported herein should aid in the further design of such chromophores for diverse applications.
    Inorganic Chemistry 05/2011; 50(10):4607-18. · 4.60 Impact Factor
  • Article: Kinetics and energetics of electron transfer in reaction centers of the photosynthetic bacterium Roseiflexus castenholzii.
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    ABSTRACT: The kinetics and thermodynamics of the photochemical reactions of the purified reaction center (RC)-cytochrome (Cyt) complex from the chlorosome-lacking, filamentous anoxygenic phototroph, Roseiflexus castenholzii are presented. The RC consists of L- and M-polypeptides containing three bacteriochlorophyll (BChl), three bacteriopheophytin (BPh) and two quinones (Q(A) and Q(B)), and the Cyt is a tetraheme subunit. Two of the BChls form a dimer P that is the primary electron donor. At 285K, the lifetimes of the excited singlet state, P*, and the charge-separated state P(+)H(A)(-) (where H(A) is the photoactive BPh) were found to be 3.2±0.3 ps and 200±20 ps, respectively. Overall charge separation P*→→ P(+)Q(A)(-) occurred with ≥90% yield at 285K. At 77K, the P* lifetime was somewhat shorter and the P(+)H(A)(-) lifetime was essentially unchanged. Poteniometric titrations gave a P(865)/P(865)(+) midpoint potential of +390mV vs. SHE. For the tetraheme Cyt two distinct midpoint potentials of +85 and +265mV were measured, likely reflecting a pair of low-potential hemes and a pair of high-potential hemes, respectively. The time course of electron transfer from reduced Cyt to P(+) suggests an arrangement where the highest potential heme is not located immediately adjacent to P. Comparisons of these and other properties of isolated Roseiflexus castenholzii RCs to those from its close relative Chloroflexus aurantiacus and to RCs from the purple bacteria are made.
    Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 03/2011; 1807(3):262-9. · 4.66 Impact Factor
  • Article: Excited-state photodynamics of perylene-porphyrin dyads. 5. Tuning light-harvesting characteristics via perylene substituents, connection motif, and three-dimensional architecture.
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    ABSTRACT: Seven perylene-porphyrin dyads were examined with the goal of identifying those most suitable for components of light-harvesting systems. The ideal dyad should exhibit strong absorption by the perylene in the green, undergo rapid and efficient excited-state energy transfer from perylene to porphyrin, and avoid electron-transfer quenching of the porphyrin excited state by the perylene in the medium of interest. Four dyads have different perylenes at the p-position of the meso-aryl group on the zinc porphyrin. The most suitable perylene identified in that set was then incorporated at the m- or o-position of the zinc porphyrin, affording two other dyads. An analogue of the o-substituted architecture was prepared in which the zinc porphyrin was replaced with the free base porphyrin. The perylene in each dyad is a monoimide derivative; the perylenes differ in attachment of the linker (either via a diphenylethyne linker at the N-imide or an ethynylphenyl linker at the C9 position) and the number (0-3) of 4-tert-butylphenoxy groups (which increase solubility and slightly alter the electrochemical potentials). In the p-linked dyad, the monophenoxy perylene with an N-imide diphenylethyne linker is superior in providing rapid and essentially quantitative energy transfer from excited perylene to zinc porphyrin with minimal electron-transfer quenching in both toluene and benzonitrile. The dyads with the same perylene at the m- or o-position exhibited similar results except for one case, the o-linked dyad bearing the zinc porphyrin in benzonitrile, where significant excited-state quenching is observed; this phenomenon is facilitated by close spatial approach of the perylene and porphyrin and the associated thermodynamic/kinetic enhancement of the electron-transfer process. Such quenching does not occur with the free base porphyrin because electron transfer is thermodynamically unfavorable even in the polar medium. The p-linked dyad containing a zinc porphyrin attached to a bis(4-tert-butylphenoxy)perylene via an ethynylphenyl linker at the C9 position exhibits ultrafast and quantitative energy transfer in toluene; the same dyad in benzonitrile exhibits ultrafast (<0.5 ps) perylene-to-porphyrin energy transfer, rapid (∼5 ps) porphyrin-to-perylene electron transfer, and fast (∼25 ps) charge recombination to the ground state. Collectively, this study has identified suitable perylene-porphyrin constructs for use in light-harvesting applications.
    The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 11/2010; 114(45):14249-64. · 3.70 Impact Factor
  • Article: Stable synthetic cationic bacteriochlorins as selective antimicrobial photosensitizers.
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    ABSTRACT: Photodynamic inactivation is a rapidly developing antimicrobial treatment that employs a nontoxic photoactivatable dye or photosensitizer in combination with harmless visible light to generate reactive oxygen species that are toxic to cells. Tetrapyrroles (e.g., porphyrins, chlorins, bacteriochlorins) are a class of photosensitizers that exhibit promising characteristics to serve as broad-spectrum antimicrobials. In order to bind to and efficiently penetrate into all classes of microbial cells, tetrapyrroles should have structures that contain (i) one or more cationic charge(s) or (ii) a basic group. In this report, we investigate the use of new stable synthetic bacteriochlorins that have a strong absorption band in the range 720 to 740 nm, which is in the near-infrared spectral region. Four bacteriochlorins with 2, 4, or 6 quaternized ammonium groups or 2 basic amine groups were compared for light-mediated killing against a gram-positive bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus), a gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli), and a dimorphic fungal yeast (Candida albicans). Selectivity was assessed by determining phototoxicity against human HeLa cancer cells under the same conditions. All four compounds were highly active (6 logs of killing at 1 microM or less) against S. aureus and showed selectivity for bacteria over human cells. Increasing the cationic charge increased activity against E. coli. Only the compound with basic groups was highly active against C. albicans. Supporting photochemical and theoretical characterization studies indicate that (i) the four bacteriochlorins have comparable photophysical features in homogeneous solution and (ii) the anticipated redox characteristics do not correlate with cell-killing ability. These results support the interpretation that the disparate biological activities observed stem from cellular binding and localization effects rather than intrinsic electronic properties. These findings further establish cationic bacteriochlorins as extremely active and selective near-infrared activated antimicrobial photosensitizers, and the results provide fundamental information on structure-activity relationships for antimicrobial photosensitizers.
    Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 09/2010; 54(9):3834-41. · 4.84 Impact Factor
  • Article: Probing the rate of hole transfer in oxidized porphyrin dyads using thallium hyperfine clocks.
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    ABSTRACT: Understanding hole/electron-transfer processes among interacting constituents of multicomponent molecular architectures is central to the fields of artificial photosynthesis and molecular electronics. One strategy for examining ground-state hole/electron transfer in oxidized tetrapyrrolic arrays entails analysis of the hyperfine interactions observed in the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of the pi-cation radical. Herein, it is demonstrated that (203)Tl/(205)Tl hyperfine "clocks" are greatly superior to those provided by (1)H, (14)N, or (13)C owing to the fact that the (203)Tl/(205)Tl hyperfine couplings are much larger (15-25 G) than those of the (1)H, (14)N, or (13)C nuclei (1-6 G). The large (203)Tl/(205)Tl hyperfine interactions permit accurate simulations of the EPR spectra and the extraction of specific rates of hole/electron transfer. The (203)Tl/(205)Tl hyperfine clock strategy is applied to a series of seven porphyrin dyads. All of the dyads are joined at a meso position of the porphyrin macrocycle via linkers of a range of lengths and composition (diphenylethyne, diphenylbutadiyne, and (p-phenylene)(n), where n = 1-4); substituents such as mesityl at the nonlinking meso positions are employed to provide organic solubility. The hole/electron-transfer time constants are in the hundreds of picoseconds to sub-10 ns regime, depending on the specific porphyrin and/or linker. Density functional theory calculations on the constituents of the dyads are consistent with the view that the relative energies of the porphyrin versus linker highest occupied molecular orbitals strongly influence the hole/electron-transfer rates. Variable-temperature EPR studies further demonstrate that the hole/electron-transfer process is at best weakly activated (12-15 kJ mol(-1)) at room temperature and somewhat below. At lower temperatures, the process is essentially activationless. The weak activation is attributed to restricted torsional motions of the phenyl rings of the linker. Collectively, the studies provide the physical basis for the rational design of multicomponent architectures for efficient hole/electron transfer.
    Journal of the American Chemical Society 09/2010; 132(34):12121-32. · 9.91 Impact Factor
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    Article: Probing the rate of hole transfer in oxidized synthetic chlorin dyads via site-specific (13)C-labeling.
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    ABSTRACT: Understanding electronic communication among interacting constituents of multicomponent molecular architectures is important for rational design in diverse fields including artificial photosynthesis and molecular electronics. One strategy for examining ground-state hole/electron transfer in an oxidized tetrapyrrolic array relies on analysis of the hyperfine interactions observed in the EPR spectrum of the pi-cation radical. This strategy has been previously employed to probe the hole/electron-transfer process in oxidized multiporphyrin arrays of normal isotopic composition, wherein (1)H and (14)N serve as the hyperfine "clocks", and in arrays containing site-specific (13)C-labels, which serve as additional hyperfine clocks. Herein, the hyperfine-clock strategy is applied to dyads of dihydroporphyrins (chlorins). Chlorins are more closely related structurally to chlorophylls than are porphyrins. A de novo synthetic strategy has been employed to introduce a (13)C label at the 19-position of the chlorin macrocycle, which is a site of large electron/hole density and is accessible synthetically beginning with (13)C-nitromethane. The resulting singly (13)C-labeled chlorin was coupled with an unlabeled chlorin to give a dyad wherein a diphenylethyne linker spans the 10-positions of the two zinc chlorins. EPR studies of the monocations of both the natural abundance and (13)C-labeled zinc chlorin dyads and benchmark zinc chlorin monomers reveal that the time scale for hole/electron transfer is in the 4-7 ns range, which is 5-10-fold longer than that in analogous porphyrin arrays. The slower hole/electron transfer rate observed for the chlorin versus porphyrin dyads is attributed to the fact that the HOMO is a(1u)-like for the chlorins versus a(2u)-like for the porphyrins; the a(1u)-like orbital exhibits little (or no) electron/hole density at the site of linker attachment whereas the a(2u)-like orbital exhibits significant electron/hole density at this site. Collectively, the studies of the chlorin and porphyrin dyads provide insights into the structural features that influence the hole/electron-transfer process.
    The Journal of Organic Chemistry 05/2010; 75(10):3193-202. · 4.45 Impact Factor
  • Article: In vitro photodynamic therapy and quantitative structure-activity relationship studies with stable synthetic near-infrared-absorbing bacteriochlorin photosensitizers.
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    ABSTRACT: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a rapidly developing approach to treating cancer that combines harmless visible and near-infrared light with a nontoxic photoactivatable dye, which upon encounter with molecular oxygen generates the reactive oxygen species that are toxic to cancer cells. Bacteriochlorins are tetrapyrrole compounds with two reduced pyrrole rings in the macrocycle. These molecules are characterized by strong absorption features from 700 to >800 nm, which enable deep penetration into tissue. This report describes testing of 12 new stable synthetic bacteriochlorins for PDT activity. The 12 compounds possess a variety of peripheral substituents and are very potent in killing cancer cells in vitro after illumination. Quantitative structure-activity relationships were derived, and subcellular localization was determined. The most active compounds have both low dark toxicity and high phototoxicity. This combination together with near-infrared absorption gives these bacteriochlorins great potential as photosensitizers for treatment of cancer.
    Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 05/2010; 53(10):4018-27. · 4.80 Impact Factor
  • Article: Stable synthetic bacteriochlorins overcome the resistance of melanoma to photodynamic therapy.
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    ABSTRACT: Cutaneous malignant melanoma remains a therapeutic challenge, and patients with advanced disease have limited survival. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been successfully used to treat many malignancies, and it may show promise as an antimelanoma modality. However, high melanin levels in melanomas can adversely affect PDT effectiveness. Herein the extent of melanin contribution to melanoma resistance to PDT was investigated in a set of melanoma cell lines that markedly differ in the levels of pigmentation; 3 new bacteriochlorins successfully overcame the resistance. Cell killing studies determined that bacteriochlorins are superior at (LD(50) approximately 0.1 microM) when compared with controls such as the FDA-approved Photofrin (LD(50) approximately 10 microM) and clinically tested LuTex (LD(50) approximately 1 microM). The melanin content affects PDT effectiveness, but the degree of reduction is significantly lower for bacteriochlorins than for Photofrin. Microscopy reveals that the least effective bacteriochlorin localizes predominantly in lysosomes, while the most effective one preferentially accumulates in mitochondria. Interestingly all bacteriochlorins accumulate in melanosomes, and subsequent illumination leads to melanosomal damage shown by electron microscopy. Fluorescent probes show that the most effective bacteriochlorin produces significantly higher levels of hydroxyl radicals, and this is consistent with the redox properties suggested by molecular-orbital calculations. The best in vitro performing bacteriochlorin was tested in vivo in a mouse melanoma model using spectrally resolved fluorescence imaging and provided significant survival advantage with 20% of cures (P<0.01).
    The FASEB Journal 04/2010; 24(9):3160-70. · 5.71 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 1987–2013
    • Washington University in St. Louis
      • Department of Chemistry
      Saint Louis, MO, USA
  • 2009–2012
    • Massachusetts General Hospital
      • Wellman Center for Photomedicine
      Boston, MA, USA
  • 2006–2012
    • Stanford University
      • Department of Chemistry
      Stanford, CA, USA
  • 2005–2012
    • University of California, Riverside
      • Department of Chemistry
      Riverside, CA, USA
  • 1998–2012
    • North Carolina State University
      • Department of Chemistry
      Raleigh, NC, USA
  • 2008
    • University of Washington Seattle
      Seattle, WA, USA
  • 1978
    • Washington State University
      • Department of Chemistry
      Pullman, WA, USA