Photoreactivity of amino acids: tryptophan-induced photochemical events via reactive oxygen species generation.

Tryptophan (Trp), an aromatic amino acid, is a constituent of peptides/proteins and is also a precursor of serotonin, kynurenine derivatives, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotides. There have been a number of reports on photochemical reactions involving peptides/proteins which contain Trp that showed significant photodegradation, dimerization, and photoionization. The photochemical properties of Trp have not been fully elucidated, and this would provide novel insight into the handling of Trp-containing peptides/proteins. Consequently, we have been trying to evaluate the photochemical properties of Trp, as well as other essential amino acids, focusing on their photosensitivity, photodegradation, and their ability to induce lipid peroxidation. Among all the essential amino acids tested, Trp exhibited the maximal level of superoxide anion generation under 18 h of light exposure (30000 lux). UV spectral analysis of Trp suggested the absorbability of UVA/B light, and exposure of Trp, in both solid and solution states, to UVA/B light resulted in significant photodegradation (t(0.5): 18 h) and gradual color changes. In addition, photoirradiated Trp generated lipoperoxidant, a causative agent of photoirritation, and this might be associated with ROS generation.     

SOME FUROCOUMARINS AND ANALOGS: COMPARISON OF TRIPLET PROPERTIES IN SOLUTION WITH PHOTOBIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES IN YEAST

Abstract— Some photophysical and photochemical properties of two furocoumarins, three furochro-menes and one difurobenzene have been studied in ethanol by laser flash spectroscopy. Such properties included the triplet absorption spectra. extinction coefficients, quantum yields of formation and reactivities with the nucleic acid bases thymine and uracil, and the amino acid tryptophan. The effects the same compounds have on survival of the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , after 365 nm photosensitization were also investigated. These effects on survival differed markedly for the different compounds. Possible correlations between the photophysical, photochemical and photobiological data are discussed.     

Photophysics and Photochemical Studies of the Vitamin B6 Group and Related Derivatives

The photophysics and photochemical properties of vitamin B6 constituents and analogs were studied as function of pH and solvent. The p K of the phenolic oxygen and the pyridine ring nitrogen depends on the electron donor-acceptor ability of the 4-substituent, and agrees with the calculated proton affinity. For all studied compounds, the fluorescence properties showed that the phenolic oxygen is 8 units more acidic in the lowest singlet excited state than in the ground state. The pyridine N-atom is slightly more basic in the excited state. At pH of biological significance, pH 6–8, pyridoxamine and 4-pyridoxic acid are the more efficient chromophores with higher fluorescence yield and longer lifetime. Spectroscopic studies showed that the tautomeric equilibrium depends on the nature of the 4-substituent. The quenching of the singlet excited state of pyridoxamine and 4-pyridoxic acid by amino acids, free or in a peptide, and DNA bases at pH 7 was studied by time-resolved fluorescence techniques. The quenching rate constants are well correlated with the redox properties of the pyridoxinic compound and amino acids, and are related to the free energy change in the electron transfer process. Guanosine and pyrimidine bases also are efficient quenchers, involving an electron transfer reaction.     

Role of fractionation in studying the photochemical properties of humic substances

The purpose of the cooperative research between laboratories of Pushchino Biological Centre Russian Academy of Sciences and Laboratoire de Photochimie Moléculaire et Macromoléculaire, CNRS, France was the investigation of photochemical properties of humic substance fractions with different molecular sizes and electrophoretic mobilities. Humic acids from five different soils were used. The resulting data showed that a great part of photosensitizing fluorophores and chromophores are located in low-molecular fractions of humic acids, independently of their source.     

PHOTOCHEMISTRY and PHOTOBIOLOGY WITHOUT LIGHT

Abstract— This review covers the literature since 1980 on chemically and enzymatically generated electronically excited species. The emphasis lies on triplet states of carbonyl products that are derived from dioxetanes and dioxetanones as precursors or from suitable enzymatic oxygenations. Singlet oxygen, an important excited state species in biological processes, is not explicitly treated. The utilization of triplet excited carbonyl products to promote photochemical and photobiological transformations by energy transfer are of primordial interest and not the photomechanistic behavior, photophysical properties and inherent photochemical reactions of such excited state species. Thus, the coverage concentrates on photodamage of DNA and RNA, the photochemistry of flavins, vitamin D, tryptophan, arachidonic acid, chlorophyll, lipid peroxidation, urocanase activation, excitation of chlorophlasts, and the aerobic oxidation of Schiff bases derived from amino acids and proteins. The potential perspectives of employing authentic dioxetanes and enzymatically generated dioxetane intermediates as effective photon equivalents in photochemotherapy, phototoxicity, photoaffinity labeling and photogenotoxicity are pointed out, in the hope of stimulating more intensive activity in this emerging and novel bioorganic and photobiological field.     

Light induced interactions of benzo[a]pyrene with carboxylic acids

Abstract The in vitro photochemical behaviour of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) in presence of short and long chain carboxylic acids is studied. The direct irradiation (295–400 or 320–400 nm) of BP in solution in the presence of saturated carboxylic acids destroys more than 70% of this carcinogen in 72 h with a 150 W Xe arc lamp. Consumption of BP alone under similar conditions is less than 10%. The principal product resulting from direct interaction of BP with carboxylic acids is characterized as 6-acyloxybenzo[a]pyrene by means of UV, IR, NMR and mass spectroscopy. The other pathways of destruction may involve polymerization. Saturated fatty acids are shown to favour photoacyloxyation, while unsaturated fatty acids appear to facilitate polymerization of BP. The effect of different factors, such as the carboxylic acid involved, solvent, and wavelength on photoacyloxylation reaction as well as on the consumption of BP is discussed. Photoinduced interaction of BP with carboxylic acids seems to involve radical cation as well as free radicals of the hydrocarbon. Biological properties of BP esters in terms of primary irritancy and carcinogenic activity have also been tested by mouse skin assay. Both long and short chain esters do not show any carcinogenic activity; conversely, long chain esters are shown to be more severe irritants as compared to short chain esters or BP.     

212.8 nm laser photolysis of aromatic and aliphatic amino acids and related peptides.

The comparison of the photochemical properties of three aromatic and five aliphatic amino acids and three dipeptides was carried out using 212.8 nm laser irradiation and high performance liquid chromatography. The photochemical sensitivity, photolysis quantum yield and quantum yield of peptide bond scission were determined. Two-photon absorption coefficients of solvent (liquid water) and cell windows material (fused silica) at lambda = 212.8 nm were established.     

Synthesis and photolytic evaluation of a nitroindoline-caged glycine with a side chain of high negative charge for use in neuroscience

A photolabile precursor of the neuroinhibitory amino acid glycine has been synthesised with two phosphate groups attached to the indoline nucleus at a 4-alkoxy substituent. In common with the photochemical properties of other 1-acyl-7-nitroindolines, this releases glycine on a sub-μs time scale upon irradiation with near-UV light. The synthetic route previously developed for the preparation of the GABA analogue required some modifications because of the greater hydrolytic sensitivity of the glycine compound. The phosphorylation method used here could be beneficial to the synthesis of other nitroindoline-caged amino acids, especially the related caged GABA derivative. Glycine released by laser photolysis on spinal cord neurons generated fast-rising responses and the pharmacological properties of the reagent are such that it is useful for physiological experiments.     

En route to a carbohydrate-based vaccine against Burkholderia cepacia

We report a very high yielding first total synthesis of trisaccharide 5, alpha-D-Rhap-(1 --> 3)-alpha-D-Rhap-(1 --> 4)-alpha-D-Galp, corresponding to the repeating unit 1 of an O-polysaccharide present in the lipopolysaccharide of clinical isolate of Burkholderia cepacia. The approach included two successive glycosylations, based on D-rhamnosyl trichloroacetimidate donors 12 and 14. The oligosaccharide 5 has been further functionalized by photochemical coupling or cross-metathesis with non-natural amino acid derivatives. Trisaccharidylamino acids 16 and 17 are now available, with the aim of preparing a novel synthetic carbohydrate-based vaccine.     

Simultaneous concentration enrichment and electrophoretic separation of weak acids on a microchip, using in situ photopolymerized carboxylate-type polyacrylamide gels as the permselective preconcentrator

A method for the simultaneous concentration and separation of weak acids using an acidic polyacrylamide gel, fabricated in the microfluidic channel of a commercial poly(methyl methacrylate)-made microchip, is reported. This approach is based on simple photochemical copolymerization for the fabrication of a permselective preconcentrator. The intersection of the poly(methyl methacrylate)-made microchip was filled with a gel solution comprising acrylamide, N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide, and 2-acrylamidoglycolic acid, with riboflavin as a photocatalytic initiator. In situ polymerization, near the cross of the sample outlet channel, was performed by irradiation with an argon ion laser beam that is also used as the light source for fluorimetric detection. The electrokinetic properties, combined with electrostatic repulsion between sample components and the anionic groups on the polyacrylamide gel, enable the entrapment and concentration of weak acids at the interface of the cathodic side of the gel plug. This method displays concentration factors of up to 10(5) within 3 min. The effectiveness of the ionic preconcentrator was demonstrated by the sensitive analysis of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled amino acids.     

History of laser development on organic compounds (LOC): II. Photochemical laser is an important stage in LOC development

The development of photochemical lasers concepts around fast adiabatic photochemical reactions is considered. The first investigations connected with photochemical lasers based on the intra- and intermolecular proton-transfer reactions and attempts to obtain laser radiation of excimers and exciplexes of aromatic compounds have been analyzed. The dynamics of the process of formulating criteria to select active media for forecasting the radiation properties of prospective active media for photochemical lasers is outlined. The estimation of the photochemical laser as an instrument for broadening the spectral range of the laser radiation of organic compounds is given. The historical importance of photochemical lasers in the development of the investigations of lasers on organic compounds has been determined.     

Stratospheric ozone dynamics according to the Chapman mechanism

The photochemical mechanisms behind the ozone dynamics in the stratosphere have been studied for a long time. Though the differential equations describing the kinetics associated with them are well known, their mathematical properties have not been fully explored. In this work some of these mathematical properties as well as their physical implications are investigated in the simplest photochemical mechanism, namely, Chapman’s one.     

核酸光化学生物学

光敏感基团作为光化学开关被广泛应用于各种生物过程的光调控中。特别是过去十几年内,核苷酸、寡聚核苷酸和DNA/RNA的光敏修饰策略得到了长足的发展,并在细胞信号传导和靶基因的功能调控等诸多生物学研究中发挥重要的作用。本文主要针对常用的光敏感基团、光敏感核酸及其化学生物学研究进展进行简要综述,并对未来核酸光化学生物学的研究进行了展望。     

High-performance liquid chromatography with photochemical fluorimetric detection of tryptophan based on 4-fluoro-7-nitrobenzo-2-oxa- 1,3-diazole : Total protein amino acid analysis

The simultaneous determination of amino acids including trytophan is described. The NBD- F forms a single adduct with tryptophan as with other amino acids, but the adduct lacks intrinsic fluorescence. After ultraviolet irradiation, the adduct fluoresces (pale-green); the fluorescence intensity increases with increasing irradiation time at pH 2-10, Under the same conditions, the other amino acid adducts are slowly decomposed. When the tryptophan adduct, separated on a Nucleosil ODS column (150×4.6 mm, 6 μm), is irradiated in an on-line photochemical reactor (310 nm), its fluorescence peak appears between those of the phenylalanine and lysine adducts. The detection limit for tryptophan by the proposed method is 3 pmol; the limits for other amino acids are 10–100 fmol.     

Properties of 2-, 3-, and 4-acetylpyridine substituted ruthenium(II) bis(bipyridine) complexes: substituent effect on the electronic structure,spectra, and photochemistry of the complex

Bis(2,2′-bipyridine) complexes of ruthenium(II) with 2-, 3-, and 4-acetylpyridine derivatives were synthesized and structurally characterized. The effect of changing the location of the pyridine's acetyl substituent was studied experimentally and theoretically to clarify the effect of substituent position on the chemical behavior and photochemical properties of the complex. The substituent position on the heterocyclic-pyridine was found to strongly affect the chemical and photochemical properties of the complex. Variation of the position of the substituent, and thus ligand modification brought by as a consequence of this variation, offers possibilities to design complexes of desired structural and photochemical properties.     

ON THE PHOTOSENSITIZING PROPERTIES OF N-FORMYLKYNURENINE AND RELATED COMPOUNDS

Abstract— The photochemical and photosensitizing properties of N -formylkynurenine (FK) and related compounds have been investigated using the laser flash photolysis technique by exciting water solutions with 265 nm or 353 nm radiation. The FK molecules in their first excited singlet state readily react with water leading probably to OH formation. FK triplet state reacts with many biological compounds including vitamins, amino acids and nucleic acid bases. The semi-reduced FK thus formed can, in turn, reduce substrates such as cytochrome c or O₂.     

Cinnamates. III. The light sensitive polymers: Cinnamates with internal charge-transfer spectroscopic properties

In this paper, we outline the photochemical and spectroscopic properties of a new light-sensitive polymer obtained as a result of polystyrene modification by attachment of a pendant 4-dimethylamino-cinnamate ester group. This specific cinnamate displays typical charge-transfer character in the absorption and emission spectra. The photochemical and photophysical properties of photopolymer are compared with the monomeric model photochemistry and photophysics.     

A LASER FLASH PHOTOLYSIS STUDY OF THE NATURE OF FLAVIN MONONUCLEOTIDE TRIPLET STATES AND THE REACTIONS OF THE NEUTRAL FORM WITH AMINO ACIDS

Abstract— Primary photochemical processes in aqueous solution have been characterised for FMN. The influence of pH on these processes is attributed to protonation of the neutral triplet and not to the presence of a dimeric species as postulated earlier. Second order rate constants for reaction between the neutral triplet and some naturally occurring amino acids are reported.     

UV/Vis Spectra of Subporphyrazines and Subphthalocyanines with Aluminum and Gallium: A Time‐Dependent DFT Study

The UV/Vis spectra of selected substituted subporphyrazines (SubPz) and subphthalocyanines (SubPc) with aluminum and gallium as central atoms are analyzed through time‐dependent DFT calculations in chloroform. The results are compared with previous results with boron as the central atom to analyze the photochemical properties of these two families of compounds on varying the metal along the same group. The absorptions of SubPz (Al, Ga) are redshifted or blueshifted with respect to SubPz (B) depending on the nature of the R substituents of the molecule, whereas the absorptions of SubPc (Al, Ga) structures are redshifted and with smaller energy gaps with respect to SubPc (B) for all kinds of R substituents. Looking at their absorption spectra, these systems with aluminum and gallium may also have, as in the case of boron, promising photochemical properties.