Excited states and two-photon absorption of some novel thiophenyl Pt(II)-ethynyl derivatives

The photophysical characterization of two new compounds related to bis((4-(phenylethynyl)phenyl)ethynyl)bis(tributylphosphine)platinum(II), here abbreviated Pt1, is reported. For the first new compound ATP1, the inner phenyl rings (closer to the Pt atom) in Pt1 are replaced by thiophene rings bridging at the 2,5-positions. In compound ATP2, the outer phenyl groups are replaced by thiophene rings bonded at the 2-position. Specifically, we report on the fluorescence quantum yield, two-photon absorption, triplet decay times and two-photon absorption induced emission spectra of the molecules in THF solutions. The results were compared with those of Pt1 and Pt1 capped with an acetonide-protected 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid (bis-MPA) ester group (Pt1-G1). The photophysical properties of the organic dye 7-(diethylamino)coumarin (Coumarin 110) were determined and used as a reference material. The two-photon absorption cross section around 720-740 nm of ATP1 and ATP2 was found to be of the same order of magnitude as for Pt1-G1, i.e., between 5 and 10 GM, but slightly larger for ATP1 than for ATP2 (1 GM = 1 G?ppert-Mayer = 10(-50) (cm(4) s)/photon). The fluorescence decay time of all compounds was found to be very short (subnanosecond) with quantum yields 0.0045, 0.0007, 0.0011 and 0.0020 for ATP1, ATP2, Pt1-G1 and Pt1, respectively, measured at excitation wavelength 373 nm. Just as Pt1 and Pt1-G1, both thiophenyl derivatives showed large intersystem crossing capabilities and phosphorescence, characteristic for a triplet state that can enhance the nonlinear absorption and optical power limiting by triplet state absorption. The phosphorescence emission of the thiophenyl derivatives was red-shifted in comparison with Pt1 and Pt1-G1, and the phosphorescence decay times were on the order of 200-500 ns, as for the Pt1 compound.     

Rational design of protein-based MRI contrast agents

We describe the rational design of a novel class of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents with engineered proteins (CAi.CD2, i = 1, 2,..., 9) chelated with gadolinium. The design of protein-based contrast agents involves creating high-coordination Gd(3+) binding sites in a stable host protein using amino acid residues and water molecules as metal coordinating ligands. Designed proteins show strong selectivity for Gd(3+) over physiological metal ions such as Ca(2+), Zn(2+), and Mg(2+). These agents exhibit a 20-fold increase in longitudinal and transverse relaxation rate values over the conventional small-molecule contrast agents, e.g., Gd-DTPA (diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid), used clinically. Furthermore, they exhibit much stronger contrast enhancement and much longer blood retention time than Gd-DTPA in mice. With good biocompatibility and potential functionalities, these protein contrast agents may be used as molecular imaging probes to target disease markers, thereby extending applications of MRI.     

Negishi Cross-Coupling in the Preparation of Benzyl Substituted Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine Based CSF1R Inhibitors

The colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) is a protein kinase emerging as an attractive target with clinical relevance in cancer, CNS and inflammatory diseases. Molecular docking experiments followed by synthesis and structure–activity relationship have been used to identify low molecular weight structures as promising hits for lead optimization. These molecules are synthesized from a 4-chloro-6-iodo-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine building block using Negishi and Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions in high yields. Several inhibitors possessed excellent enzymatic potency, and the parent compound preferably binds to the autoinhibited form of CSF1R. Cellular and in vivo profiling indicate that further tuning of drug structure is needed prior to efficacy studies.