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ABSTRACT: RATIONALE: Glycophthalocyanines have a great promising potential in many scientific areas. However, their structural characterization is not an easy task. To overcome this drawback, it is urgent to develop simple and efficient methodologies to characterize this type of compounds. In this work, we describe the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and MALDI-MS/MS of the [M+H](+) to distinguish between two isomeric glycophatholocyanines bearing four galactose units with protected (1a and 2a) or unprotected hydroxyl groups (1b and 2b). METHODS: The MALDI-MS and MALDI-MS/MS spectra were acquired using a MALDI-TOF/TOF Applied Biosystems 4800 Proteomics Analyzer instrument equipped with a nitrogen laser and using dithranol as matrix. Computational studies were performed in order to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying the different fragmentation pathways observed for the isomeric species. RESULTS: The fragmentation pattern observed in MALDI-MS/MS spectra of the [M+H](+) ion was dependent on the peripheral distribution of the sugar units. Phthalocyanines (Pcs) with a sugar unit in each isoindole ring show the typical loss of sugar units (cleavage of C6-O bond) while Pcs with the four sugar units linked to the same isoindole ring show a major and unusual fragmentation pathway corresponding to the cleavage of the C5-C6 bond of the sugar units. This type of fragmentation is not usually observed in the MS/MS of oligosaccharides. CONCLUSIONS: MALDI-MS is a valuable tool for the structural characterization/differentiation of isomeric glycophthalocyanines. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 05/2013; 27(9):1019-1026. · 2.79 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Microbial photodynamic inactivation (PDI), involving the use of a photosensitizer (PS), light and molecular oxygen, with the subsequent production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), has been considered a promising and effective technology for viral inactivation. Although singlet oxygen is generally accepted as the main damaging species in PDI, ROS like free radicals may also be involved in the process, inducing damages to proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and other molecular structures. In this study, the relative importance of each mechanism (type I and type II) on the photoinactivation of non-enveloped DNA (T4-like phage) and RNA (Qβ phage) viruses was evaluated. For this purpose, two cationic porphyrins (Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF and Tetra-Py(+)-Me) and four different ROS scavengers were used. The scavenging effect of sodium azide and L-histidine (singlet oxygen quenchers) and of D-mannitol and L-cysteine (free radical scavengers) was assessed by exposure of both phages (T4-like and Qβ) to each cationic porphyrin (5.0μM for T4-like phage and 0.5μM for Qβ phage) and white light (40Wm(-2)) in the presence of different concentrations of the scavengers (5, 10, 50 and 100mM). Sodium azide and L-histidine gave the best protection, reducing the phototoxic effect of Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF on T4-like phage respectively by 80% and 72% and in the presence of Tetra-Py(+)-Me by 90% and 78%. Free radical scavengers D-mannitol and L-cysteine did not significantly reduce the rate of T4-like phage photoinactivation (around 20% protection, for both PS). The sodium azide protection on Qβ phage photoinactivation, in the presence of Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF, was lower (39%) when compared with T4-like phage. D-mannitol did not exert on Qβ phage any protective effect after 90min of irradiation. The effect of the simultaneous presence of singlet oxygen and free radicals scavengers at 100mM confirmed that singlet oxygen (type II mechanism) is clearly the main ROS involved in T4-like and Qβ phages photoinactivation by these two cationic PS. As RNA-type phages are more easily photoinactivated when compared with DNA-type ones, the protection conferred by the scavengers during the PDI process is lower and this should be taken into account when the main mechanism involved in PDI of different viruses is to be studied.
Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology 01/2013; 120C:10-16. · 1.87 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation is becoming a promising alternative to control microbial pathogens. The combination of positively charged groups and carbohydrate moieties with porphyrin derivatives results in increased cell recognition and water solubility, which improves cell membrane penetration. However, the nature of the oxidative damage and the cellular targets of photodamage are still not clearly identified. This work reports the use of four cationic galactoporphyrins as PSs against two environmental bacteria, Micrococcus sp. and Pseudomonas sp., resistant to oxidative stress induced by UV-B exposure. The effect of (1)O(2) generated during the PDI assays on oxidation of cellular lipids and proteins was also assessed. PDI experiments with Micrococcus sp. and Pseudomonas sp. were conducted with 0.5 and 5.0 μmol L(-1) of photosensitiser, respectively, under white light at a fluence rate of 150 mW cm(-2) during 15 min. The most effective compounds against Gram (+) bacteria were PSs , and leading to ≈8.0 log of photoinactivation while PSs and caused the highest inactivation (≈6.0 log and 5.3 log) of the Gram (-) strain. The adsorption to cellular material and (1)O(2) generation capacity of the PS molecule were determinant factors for these inactivation profiles. The occurrence of protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation supports the hypothesis that antibacterial PDI is triggered by damage of external cell structures such as the cell wall and membrane.
Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences 09/2012; · 2.58 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) is an efficient approach against a wide range of microorganisms and can be viewed as an alternative for the treatment of microbial infections. In this work we synthesized "first" and "second" generation photosensitizers (PSs), the tetra-cationic porphyrin and the new penta-cationic chlorin , respectively, and evaluated their efficiency against two antibiotic resistant bacterial strains, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The PS was obtained in very good yield by an easy synthesis method. The PDI studies were performed in parallel with 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin tetra-iodide (), a widely studied PS in PDI, and the obtained results were compared. Two different light ranges were used: white light (400-800 nm) and red light (530-800 nm) delivered at a fluence rate of 150 mW cm(-2). The results show that both strains, even though antibiotic resistant, were efficiently inactivated by the three PSs, chlorin being the most effective. For the Gram positive bacterium S. aureus a 7.0 log reduction was observed after 5-10 min of irradiation, at a concentration of 0.5 μM, whereas for the Gram negative P. aeruginosa, similar photoinactivation occurred at a higher PS concentration (10 μM) and after a longer irradiation period (30 min). The synthetic chlorin can be regarded as promising for the treatment of bacterial infections under red light, which penetrates deeper in living tissues. The results of this study open the possibility to prepare a new series of chlorin-type derivatives to efficiently photoinactivate Gram (+) and (-) antibiotic resistant bacteria. The efficient PDI with the chlorin indicates high potential for the use of a scaffold in the preparation of new generation PSs based on cationic chlorin derivatives.
Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences 08/2012; · 2.58 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The comparative susceptibility of DNA- and RNA-type viruses to photodynamic inactivation has not yet been clearly addressed. In this study the effect of the tricationic porphyrin Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF on the inactivation of four DNA and three RNA non-enveloped phages was compared. The results obtained show that the photodynamic efficiency varied with the phage type, the RNA-type phages being much more easily photoinactivated than the DNA-type ones.
Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences 08/2012; 11(10):1520-3. · 2.58 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The reaction of 2-formyl-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin with aryl methyl ketones and ammonium acetate, in the presence of La(OTf)(3), affords benzoporphyrins and 2-(2,6-diarylpyridin-4-yl)porphyrins. This methodology was used to prepare, for the first time, a 2-(2,2':6',2''-terpyridin-4'-yl)porphyrin. The structures of two 2-(2,6-diarylpyridin-4-yl)porphyrins were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
Chemical Communications 05/2012; 48(49):6142-4. · 6.17 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The synthesis and photophysical properties of several porphyrin (P)-phthalocyanine (Pc) conjugates (P-Pc; 1-3) are described, in which the phthalocyanines are directly linked to the β-pyrrolic position of a meso-tetraphenylporphyrin. Photoinduced energy- and electron-transfer processes were studied through the preparation of H(2)P-ZnPc, ZnP-ZnPc, and PdP-ZnPc conjugates, and their assembly through metal coordination with two different pyridylfulleropyrrolidines (4 and 5). The resulting electron-donor-acceptor hybrids, which were formed by axial coordination of compounds 4 and 5 with the corresponding phthalocyanines, mimicked the fundamental processes of photosynthesis; that is, light harvesting, the transduction of excited-state energy, and unidirectional electron transfer. In particular, photophysical studies confirmed that intramolecular energy-transfer resulted from the S(2) excited state as well as from the S(1) excited state of the porphyrins to the energetically lower-lying phthalocyanines, followed by an intramolecular charge-transfer to yield P-Pc(.+)⋅C(60)(.-). This unique sequence of processes opens the way for solar-energy-conversion processes.
Chemistry 03/2012; 18(11):3210-9. · 5.93 Impact Factor
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Ana R M Soares, Maria G P M S Neves,
Augusto C Tomé,
M Carmen Iglesias-de la Cruz,
Alicia Zamarrón,
Elisa Carrasco,
Salvador González,
José A S Cavaleiro,
Tomás Torres,
Dirk M Guldi,
Angeles Juarranz
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ABSTRACT: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality for different forms of cancer based on the combination of light, molecular oxygen, and a photosensitizer (PS) compound. When activated by light, the PS generates reactive oxygen species leading to tumor destruction. Phthalocyanines are compounds that have already shown to be efficient PSs for PDT. Several examples of carbohydrate substituted phthalocyanines have been reported, assuming that the presence of carbohydrate moieties could improve their tumor selectivity. This work describes the photoeffects of symmetric and asymmetric phthalocyanines with D-galactose (so-called GPh1, GPh2, and GPh3) on HeLa carcinoma cells and their involvement in cell death. Photophysical properties and in vitro photodynamic activities for the compounds considered revealed that the asymmetric glycophthalocyanine GPh3 is very efficient and selective, producing higher photocytotoxicity on cancer cells than in nonmalignat HaCaT. The cell toxiticy after PDT treatment was dependent upon light exposure level and GPh3 concentration. GPh3 causes cell cycle arrest at the metaphase stage leading to multiple spindle poles, mitotic catastrophe, followed by apoptosis in cancer cells. These effects were partially negated by the pancaspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. Together, these results indicate that GPh3 is an excellent candidate drug for PDT, able to induce selective tumor cell death.
Chemical Research in Toxicology 03/2012; 25(4):940-51. · 3.78 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The self-assembly of a neutral meso-methoxyphenylporphyrin functionalized with a dipeptide glycilglycine substituent (MGG) in water and in water-ethanol mixtures was studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. In water, hydrophobic interactions and the noncovalent intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the terminal carboxylate group of one porphyrin and the hydrogen atoms of the pyrrolic nitrogens of another porphyrin originate nonspecific disorganized H- and J-aggregates. The addition of ethanol (0.1-25% v/v) to the water creates small clusters within which porphyrin J-aggregates reorganize as revealed by a narrow intense band detected by the Rayleigh light scattering (RLS) at 443 nm. Similar phenomenology is detected in SDS premicellar aggregates. Computational DFT calculations of a model dimer formation stabilized via intermolecular hydrogen bonding estimate an energy gain of -22 kJ mol(-1) and a center-to-center and interplane distances between porphyrin moieties of 16.8 and 3.7 Å, respectively. The kinetics of the J-aggregate formation could be fitted with a time-dependent model, and an activation energy of 96 kJ mol(-1) was estimated. The aggregate's morphology of MGG was followed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) which showed rod-type structures of 5-8 μm evolving to spherical particles with increased ethanol content. Similar images and sizes were obtained in analogous samples using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The formation of excitonically coupled supramolecular MGG structures of brickwork or staircase types is proposed in these water-ethanol mixtures.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 03/2012; 116(8):2396-404. · 3.70 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This study describes the synthesis of three new tetra- and octa-thio-pyridinium phthalocyanine derivatives. PSs 3a and 4a were prepared from the tetramerization of phthalonitriles 1 and 2, respectively, whereas PS 5 was prepared from the nucleophilic substitution of the 8 beta fluor atoms of hexadecafluorophthalocyaninatozinc(II) by mercaptopyridine, followed by cationization. The recombinant bioluminescent Escherichia coli strain was used to assess, in real time, the photoinactivation efficiency of these cationic phthalocyanines, under white and red light. The cellular localization and uptake were also determined to assess the potential of the new phthalocyanines as antibacterial agents. Derivative 3a was the most effective PS, causing a 5 logs reduction in bioluminescence after 30 min of irradiation under white or red lights. The photoinactivation efficiency of the phthalocyanine 4a was similar (5 logs reduction in bioluminescence) to that of 3a when irradiated with white light, but the efficiency of inactivation was reduced (2.1 logs reduction in bioluminescence) under red light. The tetra-substituted phthalocyanine 3a also generates high amounts of singlet oxygen, does not aggregate in PBS and is highly fluorescent, which makes it an effective PS and a promising fluorescent labeling.
Photochemistry and Photobiology 02/2012; 88(3):537-47. · 2.41 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(44)H(38)N(8) (2+)·4I(-)·4H(2)O, comprises two halves of non-equivalent cations of 5,10,15,20-tetra-kis-(1-methyl-pyridinium)porphyrin (with the full mol-ecule of each completed by the application of inversion symmetry), four charge balancing iodide anions and four water mol-ecules of crystallization (two water mol-ecules are fully occupied and four mol-ecules have a site occupancy of 50%). The porphyrin cations are arranged into supramolecular columns parallel to the b axis, mediated by π-π [centroid-centroid distance = 3.762 (4) Å] and C-H⋯π supra-molecular inter-actions [C⋯centroid distance = 3.522 (7) Å, C-H⋯centroid = 128°], leading to the formation of columns parallel to the b axis. The close packing leads to the presence of a one-dimensional channel filled with partially occupied water mol-ecules engaged in O-H⋯O and O-H⋯I hydrogen bonds.
Acta Crystallographica Section E Structure Reports Online 12/2011; 67(Pt 12):o3157-8. · 0.35 Impact Factor
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Maria C Gomes,
Sandra M Woranovicz-Barreira,
Maria A F Faustino,
Rosa Fernandes, Maria G P M S Neves,
Augusto C Tomé,
Newton C M Gomes,
Adelaide Almeida,
José A S Cavaleiro,
Angela Cunha,
João P C Tomé
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ABSTRACT: This work reports the photophysical and biological evaluation of five cationic porphyrins as photosensitizers (PS) for the photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of Penicillium chrysogenum conidia. Two different cationic porphyrin groups were synthesized from 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrin and 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin. The photostability and singlet oxygen generation studies showed that these molecules are photostable and efficient singlet oxygen generators. PDI experiments of P. chrysogenum conidia conducted with 50 μmol L(-1) of photosensitiser under white light at a fluence rate of 200 mW cm(-2) over 20 min showed that the most effective PS caused a 4.1 log reduction in the concentration of viable conidia. The present results show that porphyrins 1a and 1b are more efficient PSs than porphyrin 2a while porphyrins 1c and 2b show no inactivation of P. chrysogenum. It is also clear that the effectiveness of the molecule as PS for antifungal PDI is strongly related with the porphyrin substituent groups, and consequently their solubility in physiological media. The average amount of PS adsorbed per viable conidium was a determining factor in the photoinactivation efficiency and varied between the different studied PSs. Cationic PSs 1a and 1b might be promising anti-fungal PDI agents with potential applications in phytosanitation, biofilm control, bioremediation, and wastewater treatment.
Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences 08/2011; 10(11):1735-43. · 2.58 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The synthesis of three possible diporphyrinylamines is described. All compounds were obtained by using the Buchwald-Hartwig aromatic amination reaction. The electronic spectra of the three porphyrin dimers showed characteristic features found in highly delocalized systems. The first oxidation of these compounds took place on the connecting amine function.
Organic Letters 08/2011; 13(17):4742-5. · 5.86 Impact Factor
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Cátia Arrojado,
Carla Pereira,
João P C Tomé,
Maria A F Faustino, Maria G P M S Neves,
Augusto C Tomé,
José A S Cavaleiro,
Angela Cunha,
Ricardo Calado,
Newton C M Gomes,
Adelaide Almeida
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ABSTRACT: Aquaculture activities are increasing worldwide, stimulated by the progressive reduction of natural fish stocks in the oceans. However, these activities also suffer heavy production and financial losses resulting from fish infections caused by microbial pathogens, including multidrug resistant bacteria. Therefore, strategies to control fish infections are urgently needed, in order to make aquaculture industry more sustainable. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has emerged as an alternative to treat diseases and prevent the development of antibiotic resistance by pathogenic bacteria. The aim of this work was to evaluate the applicability of aPDT to inactivate pathogenic fish bacteria. To reach this objective a cationic porphyrin Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF was tested against nine pathogenic bacteria isolated from a semi-intensive aquaculture system and against the cultivable bacteria of the aquaculture system. The ecological impact of aPDT in the aquatic environment was also tested on the natural bacterial community, using the overall bacterial community structure and the cultivable bacteria as indicators. Photodynamic inactivation of bacterial isolates and of cultivable bacteria was assessed counting the number of colonies. The impact of aPDT in the overall bacterial community structure of the aquaculture water was evaluated by denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE). The results showed that, in the presence of Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF, the growth of bacterial isolates was inhibited, resulting in a decrease of ≈7-8 log after 60-270 min of irradiation. Cultivable bacteria were also considerably affected, showing decreases up to the detection limit (≈2 log decrease on cell survival), but the inactivation rate varied significantly with the sampling period. The DGGE fingerprint analyses revealed changes in the bacterial community structure caused by the combination of aPDT and light. The results indicate that aPDT can be regarded as a new approach to control fish infections in aquaculture systems, but it is clearly more difficult to inactivate the complex natural bacterial communities of aquaculture waters than pure cultures of bacteria isolated from aquaculture systems. Considering the use of aPDT to inactivate pathogenic microbial community of aquaculture systems the monitoring of microorganisms is needed in order to select the most effective conditions.
Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences 08/2011; 10(10):1691-700. · 2.58 Impact Factor
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Anabela Tavares,
Sandra R S Dias,
Carla M B Carvalho,
Maria A F Faustino,
João P C Tomé, Maria G P M S Neves,
Augusto C Tomé,
José A S Cavaleiro,
Ângela Cunha,
Newton C M Gomes,
Eliana Alves,
Adelaide Almeida
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ABSTRACT: Photodynamic therapy is a very promising approach to inactivate pathogenic microorganisms. The photodamage of cells involves reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are generated in situ by two main mechanisms (type I and/or type II). The mechanism responsible for the photoinactivation (PI) of a bioluminescent recombinant Escherichia coli, induced by three different cationic porphyrins, was identified in this work using a rapid method based on the monitoring of the metabolic activity of this bacterium. The inhibitory effect of the photodynamic process in the presence of a singlet oxygen quencher (sodium azide) or free radical scavengers (d-mannitol and l-cysteine) was evaluated by exposing bacterial suspensions with 0.5 μM Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF, 5.0 μM Tetra-Py(+)-Me or 5.0 μM Tri-SPy(+)-Me-PF to white light. Strong bacterial protection was observed with sodium azide (100 mM) for the three cationic porphyrins. However, in the presence of Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF and Tetra-Py(+)-Me and the free radical scavengers (l-cysteine and d-mannitol) the reduction on the bacterial bioluminescence was significantly higher and similar to that obtained in their absence (5.4-6.0 log reduction). In the case of Tri-SPy(+)-Me-PF two distinct behaviours were observed when l-cysteine and d-mannitol were used as free radical scavengers: while the presence of l-cysteine (100 mM) lead to a bacterial protection similar to the one observed with sodium azide, in the presence of d-mannitol only a small protection was detected. The high inhibition of the PS activity by l-cysteine is not due to its radical scavenger ability but due to the singlet oxygen quenching by the sulfanyl group (-SH). In fact, the photodecomposition of 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran in the presence of Tri-SPy(+)-Me-PF is completely suppressed when l-cysteine is present. The results obtained in this study suggest that singlet oxygen (type II mechanism) plays a very important role over free radicals (type I mechanism) on the PI process of the bioluminescent E. coli by Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF, Tetra-Py(+)-Me and Tri-SPy(+)-Me-PF. Although the use of scavengers is an adequate and simple approach to evaluate the relative importance of the two pathways, it is important to choose scavengers which do not interfere in both PI mechanisms. Sodium azide and d-mannitol seem to be good oxygen and free radical quenchers, respectively, to study the PI mechanisms by porphyrinic photosensitizers.
Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences 07/2011; 10(10):1659-69. · 2.58 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In the current work, we report on the synthesis and photophysical features of supramolecular hybrid systems that are based on newly fused porphyrin-phthalocyanine (P-Pc) conjugates and a pyridylfullerene. The ZnP-ZnPc conjugate was synthesized in three steps starting with a Diels-Alder reaction between β-vinylporphyrin and fumaronitrile. The resulting mixture of isomeric adducts was then dehydrogenated to yield the corresponding benzo[b]porphyrin-2(1),2(2)-dicarbonitrile. In the final step, cyclotetramerization with 4-tert-butylphthalonitrile, in the presence of zinc acetate, afforded the bis-metalated conjugate. Selective demetallation of ZnP led to the H(2)P-ZnPc conjugate. For both conjugates steric hindrance is the inception to a bent configuration, which does, however, not preclude enlargement of the π-conjugated system, that is, the porphyrins and the phthalocyanines. The two conjugates coordinate N-(4-pyridyl)fullero[c]pyrrolidine giving rise to the corresponding supramolecular porphyrin-phthalocyanine-fullerene systems. Photophysical measurements corroborate a sequential deactivation in the excited state, namely an initial intramolecular energy transfer from ZnP or H(2)P to ZnPc followed by an intramolecular charge transfer to yield ZnP-(ZnPc)˙(+)-(C(60))˙(-) and H(2)P-(ZnPc)˙(+)-(C(60))˙(-), respectively.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 07/2011; 13(25):11858-63. · 3.57 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Nowadays, the emergence of drug resistant microorganisms is a public health concern. The antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has an efficient action against a wide range of microorganisms and can be viewed as an alternative approach for treating microbial infections. The aim of this study was to determine if a model target virus (T4-like bacteriophage), in the presence of the tricationic porphyrin 5,10,15-tris(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)-20-(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin tri-iodide (Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF), can develop resistance to aPDT and recover its viability after photodynamic treatments. To assess the development of aPDT resistance after repeated treatments, a suspension of T4-like bacteriophage was irradiated with white light (40 Wm(-2)) for 120 min in the presence of 5.0 μM of Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF (99.99% of inactivation) and new phage suspensions were produced from the surviving phages, after each cycle of light exposure. The procedure was repeated ten times. To evaluate the recovery of viral viability after photoinactivation, a suspension of T4-like bacteriophage was irradiated with white light for 120 min in the presence of 5.0 μM of Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF on five consecutive days. In each day, an aliquot of the irradiated suspension was plated and the number of lysis plaques was counted after 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h of dark incubation at 37 °C. The profile of bacteriophage photoinactivation did not change after ten consecutive cycles and no recovery of viability was detected after five accumulated cycles of photodynamic treatment. The results suggest that aPDT represents a valuable and promising alternative therapy to treat viral infections, overcoming the problem of microbial resistance.
Antiviral research 06/2011; 91(3):278-82. · 3.61 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We report on immobilizing H(2)/Zn-porphyrin-Zn-phthalocyanine conjugates onto single wall carbon nanotubes and by using the excellent stability of the resulting suspensions we were able to demonstrate for the first time the sequence of energy transfer-electron transfer in SWNT donor-acceptor conjugates.
Chemical Communications 02/2011; 47(12):3490-2. · 6.17 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) combines light, a light-absorbing molecule that initiates a photochemical or photophysical reaction, and oxygen. The combined action of these three components originates reactive oxygen species that lead to microorganisms' destruction. The aim was to evaluate the efficiency of PACT on Vibrio fischeri: 1) with buffer solution, varying temperature, pH, salinity and oxygen concentration values; 2) with aquaculture water, to reproduce photoinactivation (PI) conditions in situ.
To monitor the PI kinetics, the bioluminescence of V. fischeri was measured during the experiments. A tricationic meso-substituted porphyrin (Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF) was used as photosensitizer (5 µM in the studies with buffer solution and 10-50 µM in the studies with aquaculture water); artificial white light (4 mW cm(-2)) and solar irradiation (40 mW cm(-2)) were used as light sources; and the bacterial concentration used for all experiments was ≈10(7) CFU mL(-1) (corresponding to a bioluminescence level of 10(5) relative light units--RLU). The variations in pH (6.5-8.5), temperature (10-25°C), salinity (20-40 g L(-1)) and oxygen concentration did not significantly affect the PI of V. fischeri, once in all tested conditions the bioluminescent signal decreased to the detection limit of the method (≈7 log reduction). The assays using aquaculture water showed that the efficiency of the process is affected by the suspended matter. Total PI of V. fischeri in aquaculture water was achieved under solar light in the presence of 20 µM of Tri-Py(+)-Me-PF.
If PACT is to be used in environmental applications, the matrix containing target microbial communities should be previously characterized in order to establish an efficient protocol having into account the photosensitizer concentration, the light source and the total light dose delivered. The possibility of using solar light in PACT to treat aquaculture water makes this technology cost-effective and attractive.
PLoS ONE 01/2011; 6(6):e20970. · 4.09 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A novel 1,3-dioxopyrrolo[3,4-b]porphyrin (2) has been synthesized in 70% yield following a [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of pyrrolo[3,4-b]porphyrin 1 with (1)O(2). The new imide was used as a template to other 1,3-dioxopyrrolo[3,4-b]porphyrins and to the corresponding open counterparts. The UV/vis absorption spectra of the new compounds show significant red-shifts when compared with those of the nonsubstituted analogues. The structure of an imide derivative was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.
Organic Letters 01/2011; 13(1):130-3. · 5.86 Impact Factor
