Pivotal Role of the Intracellular Microenvironment in the High Photodynamic Activity of Cationic Phthalocyanines.

To investigate the influence of phthalocyanine aggregation on their photodynamic activity, a series of six cationic water-soluble zinc(II) phthalocyanines bearing from four to sixteen 4-((diethylmethylammonium)methyl)phenoxy substituents was synthesized. Depending on their structure, the phthalocyanines have different aggregation behaviors in phosphate buffer solutions ranging from fully assembled to monomeric states. Remarkably, independent of aggregation in buffer, very high photodynamic efficiencies against the tumor cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 in the nanomolar range were found for all investigated phthalocyanine, and the IC(light) varied from 27 to 358 nM (3.

Phthalocyanine aggregates in the photodynamic therapy: dogmas, controversies, and future prospects.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a rapidly developing method for the treatment of cancer and bacterial diseases, is based on the photosensitization of oxygen to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that destroy specific biological targets. Among the various photosensitizers, phthalocyanines (Pc) have attracted particular attention due to their excellent photophysical properties, most of which meet the therapeutic requirements. The statement that aggregation of Pc-based photosensitizers is undesirable because it suppresses ROS generation has become commonplace in PDT.

Sn and Ge Complexes with Redox-Active Ligands as Efficient Interfacial Membrane-like Buffer Layers for p-i-n Perovskite Solar Cells.

Inverted perovskite solar cells with a p-i-n configuration have attracted considerable attention from the research community because of their simple design, insignificant hysteresis, improved operational stability, and low-temperature fabrication technology. However, this type of device is still lagging behind the classical n-i-p perovskite solar cells in terms of its power conversion efficiency. The performance of p-i-n perovskite solar cells can be increased using appropriate charge transport and buffer interlayers inserted between the main electron transport layer and top metal electrode.

Low-Symmetry Phthalocyanines Bearing Carboxy-Groups: Synthesis, Spectroscopic and Quantum-Chemical Characterization.

The synthesis and characterization of AB-type phthalocyanines, -, bearing bulky 2,6-diisopropylphenoxy-groups or chlorine atoms on isoindoline units "A" and either one or two carboxylic anchors on isoindoline unit "B" are reported. A comparison of molecular modelling with the conventional time dependent-density functional theory (TD-DFT) approach and its simplified sTD-DFT approximation provides further evidence that the latter method accurately reproduces the key trends in the spectral properties, providing colossal savings in computer time for quite large molecules. This demonstrates that it is a valuable tool for guiding the rational design of new phthalocyanines for practical applications.

The Functional Role of Loops and Flanking Sequences of G-Quadruplex Aptamer to the Hemagglutinin of Influenza a Virus.

Nucleic acid aptamers are generally accepted as promising elements for the specific and high-affinity binding of various biomolecules. It has been shown for a number of aptamers that the complexes with several related proteins may possess a similar affinity. An outstanding example is the G-quadruplex DNA aptamer RHA0385, which binds to the hemagglutinins of various influenza A virus strains.

Structural and Functional Aspects of G-Quadruplex Aptamers Which Bind a Broad Range of Influenza A Viruses.

An aptamer is a synthetic oligonucleotide with a unique spatial structure that provides specific binding to a target. To date, several aptamers to hemagglutinin of the influenza A virus have been described, which vary in affinity and strain specificity. Among them, the DNA aptamer RHA0385 is able to recognize influenza hemagglutinins with highly variable sequences.