Photophysical properties and antibacterial activity of meso-substituted cationic porphyrins

A series of derivatives of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(4-N-methylpyridyl)-porphine, where one N-methyl group was replaced by a hydrocarbon chain ranging from C6 to C22, were characterized for their photophysical and photosensitizing properties. The absorption and fluorescence features of the various compounds in neutral aqueous solutions were typical of largely monomeric porphyrins, with the exception of the C22 derivative, which appeared to be extensively aggregated. This was confirmed by the very low triplet quantum yield and lifetime of the C22 derivative as compared with 0.2-0.7 quantum yields and 88-167 micros lifetimes for the other porphyrins. The photophysical properties and photosensitizing activity toward N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide of the C22 porphyrin became comparable to those typical of the other derivatives in 2% aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate, where the C22 compound is fully monomerized. All the porphyrin derivatives exhibited at micromolar concentrations photoinactivation activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, even though the gram-negative bacteria were markedly less photosensitive. The photosensitizing efficiency was influenced by (1) the amount of cell-bound porphyrin, which increased with increasing length of the hydrocarbon chain; and (2) the tendency to undergo partial aggregation in the cell, which seems to be especially important for the C22 derivative.     

Photodynamic studies and photoinactivation of Escherichia coli using meso-substituted cationic porphyrin derivatives with asymmetric charge distribution

The photodynamic activities of novel asymmetrically meso-substituted cationic porphyrins, 5,10-di(4-methylphenyl)-15,20-di(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)porphyrin iodide 1 and 5-(4-trifluorophenyl)-10,15,20-tris(4-trimethylammoniumphenyl)porphyrin iodide 2 and its metal complex with Pd(II) 3, have been investigated in both homogeneous medium bearing photooxidizable substrates and in vitro on a typical gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli. The amphiphilic character of porphyrin 2 was increased by the presence of a high-lipophilic trifluoromethyl group and its photophysical properties changed by forming a complex with Pd(II). Absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic studies were compared in different media. Fluorescence quantum yields (phi(F)) of 0.16 for 1 in tetrahydrofuran and 0.08 for 2 in N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) were calculated, whereas no significant emission was detected for Pd(II) porphyrin 3. The singlet molecular oxygen, O(2)((1)Delta(g)), production was evaluated using 9,10-dimethylanthracene in DMF yielding relative values of 1, 0.55 and 0.47 for porphyrins 3, 2 and 1, respectively. A faster decomposition of l-tryptophan was obtained using Pd(II) porphyrin 3 as sensitizer with respect to the free-base porphyrins 1 and 2. In biological medium, the behavior of cationic porphyrins 1-3 were compared with that of 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-tris(4-methylphenyl)porphyrin 4, which was used as a noncationic sensitizer. These porphyrins are rapidly bound to E. coli cells in 5 min and the amount of cell-bound sensitizer is not appreciably changed incubating the cultures for longer times. The recovered porphyrin 2 after one washing step reaches a value of approximately 2.9 nmol/10(6) cells and this amount remains high even after three washes, indicating that this sensitizer is tightly bound to cells. Photosensitized inactivation of E. coli was analyzed using cells without and with one washing step. In both cases, a higher photoinactivation of cells was found for tricationic porphyrin 2 and 3, causing a approximately 5.5 log (99.999%) decrease of cell survival, when treated with 10 microM of sensitizer. Under these conditions, a lower effect was found for porphyrin 1 (approximately 4 log) whereas sensitizer 4 did not produce appreciable photodamage. The results were also confirmed by growth delay experiments. These studies show that the amphiphilic tricationic porphyrin 2 and 3 bearing a trifluoromethyl group can be a promising model for phototherapeutic agents with potential applications in inactivation of bacteria by photodynamic therapy.     

Multilayer polyelectrolyte films as nanofiltration membranes for separating monovalent and divalent cations

Alternating adsorption of polyanions and polycations on porous supports provides a convenient way to prepare ion-selective nanofiltration membranes. This work examines optimization of ultrathin, multilayer polyelectrolyte films for monovalent/divalent cation separations relevant to water softening. Membranes composed of five bilayers of poly(styrene sulfonate)/poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PSS/PAH) on porous alumina supports allow a solution flux of 0.85 m³/(m² day) at 4.8 bar, and exhibit 95% rejection of MgCl₂ along with a Na⁺/Mg²⁺ selectivity of 22. Similar results were obtained in Na⁺/Ca²⁺ separations. PSS/poly(diallyl-dimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) films permit higher fluxes than PSS/PAH systems due to the higher swelling of films containing PDADMAC, but the Mg²⁺ rejection by PSS/PDADMAC membranes is less than 45%. However, capping PSS/PDADMAC films with a bilayer of PSS/PAH yields Mg²⁺ rejections and Na⁺/Mg²⁺ selectivities that are typical of pure PSS/PAH membranes. Separation performance can be optimized through control over deposition conditions (pH and supporting electrolyte concentration) and the charge of the outer layer since Donnan exclusion is a major factor in monovalent/divalent cation selectivity. Streaming potential measurements demonstrate that the magnitude of positive surface charge increases with increasing concentrations of Mg²⁺ in solution or when the outer polycation layer is deposited from a solution of high ionic strength.     

Some new aspects related to the synthesis of meso-substituted porphyrins

A general analysis of the steps of the Rothemund reaction, allowed for a better understanding and a significant improvement of this reaction as a synthetic method in some of the previously known difficult syntheses.     

Fine-structure vibronic fluorescence spectra of meso-substituted porphyrins and their interpretation

Fine-structure fluorescence spectra have been recorded on selective laser excitation at 4.2 K for meso-tetraethylporphyrin (TEP), meso-tetrapropyl-porphyrin (TPP) and their derivatives with deuteriated NH groups. An interpretation of the spectra obtained is proposed on the basis of calculations of the normal vibrations of the molecules. It was noted that the interaction of the ethyl groups of TEP with the solvent leads to different orientations of these groups to the plane of the macrocycle, which leads to an increase in the number of lines in the frequency range 150–400 cm^–1 and to their broadening.Translated from Teoreticheskie i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 26, No. 6, pp. 664–668, November–December, 1990.     

Adsorption of monovalent and divalent cations on planar water-silica interfaces studied by optical reflectivity and Monte Carlo simulations

Adsorption on planar silica substrates of various monovalent and divalent cations from aqueous solution is studied by optical reflectivity. The adsorbed amount is extracted by means of a thin slab model. The experimental data are compared with grand canonical Monte Carlo titration simulations at the primitive model level. The surface excess of charge due to adsorbed cations is found to increase with pH and salt concentration as a result of the progressive dissociation of silanol groups. The simulations predict, in agreement with experiments, that the surface excess of charge from divalent ions is much larger than from monovalent ions. Ion-ion correlations explain quantitatively the enhancement of surface ionization by multivalent cations. On the other hand, the combination of experimental and simulation results strongly suggests the existence of a second ionizable site in the acidic region. Variation of the distance of closest approach between the ions and surface sites captures ion specificity of water-silica interfaces in an approximate fashion.     

Effect of divalent cations on the adhesion rate of cellular surfaces with ionizable groups

The adhesion rate of cells under charge regulation onto a rotating disc with constant potential is investigated theoretically in this paper. In particular, the effect of the presence of divalent carions in the suspension medium on adhesion rate of cells is discussed. By using sheep leucocytes as an illustrative example, it is shown that the presence of divalent cations in the suspension medium has the effect of decreasing the adhesion rate of cells. At a fixed level of ionic strength, the adhesion rate decreases with the increase of the concentration of divalent cations in the suspension medium for the various values of Peclet number andAd parameter given in this paper. For a fixed concentration of cations, the adhesion rate increases with the increase of ionic strength. At high ionic strength, the effect of increasing the concentration of cations on decreasing the adhesion rate of cells is not as high as that at low ionic strength. Applying the concept of Donnan potential, it is found that the magnitude of the electrostatic force between an ion-penetrable cell membrane and a solid surface is much smaller than that for the ion-impenetrable cell membrane.Nomenclature a cell radius (cm) - A Hamaker's constant (erg) - Ad A/kT - C dimensionless cell concentration - D cell diffusion coefficient (cm²/s) - e magnitude of electron charge (statcoul) - F dimensionless interaction force between cell and rotating disc pernkT - h minimum separation distance between cell surface and disc surface (cm) - H dimensionless separation distance between cell surface and disc surfaceh/a - [H ⁺] _r hydrogen ion concentration in the suspension medium (mole dm^–3) - [H ⁺] _s hydrogen ion concentration on the cell surface (mole dm^–3) - Boltzmann's constant (erg K^–1) - K _a dissociation equilibrium constant for acid groups on cell surface (mole dm^–3) - K _b dissociation equilibrium constant for base groups on cell surface (mole dm^–3) - n ionic strength in the suspension medium (ions cm^–3 - Pe Peclet number - q valence of cations - Sa the reciprocal of acidic density on the cell surface (cm²/group) - S _b the reciprocal of basic density on the cell surface (cm²/group) - Sh Sherwood number - T absolute temperature (K) - the fraction of cationic electrolyte in the suspension medium, 01 - reciprocal of Debye length, (cm^–1) - fluid kinematic viscosity (cm²/s) - ×a - l distance between two plate surfaces in Derjuguin's model (cm) - dimensionless total interaction energy between cell surface and disc surface - _vdw dimensionless unretarded van der Waals potential between cell surface and disc surface - _DL dimensionless double-layer interaction potential between cell surface and disc surface - dimensionless electrostatic potential between cell surface and disc surface - rotating speed of the disc (rad/s)     

Interaction of monovalent cationic drugs with montmorillonite

The aim of this study was to compare the adsorption of various organic drugs and a well-studied surfactant. The organic drugs used were promethazine chloride [10-(2-dimethylammonium) propylfenothiazine chloride] and buformin hydrochloride (1-butylbiguanidine chloride). The surfactant was benzalkonium chloride (N-tridecyl-N-benzyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride). Different amounts of drug solutions were added to montmorillonite suspensions, either separately (simple system) or in combination (competitive system) under the same conditions, and the organocomplexes formed were investigated. The organic molecule with the short alkyl chain adsorbed to yield monolayer coverage, whereas the aromatic molecule and the surfactant formed a pseudotrimolecular arrangement. In the competitive system, the larger organic molecules (having the same charge) displaced the smaller one from the interlayer space. The intercalation of molecules in the interlayer space was investigated by X-ray diffraction measurements. Received: 30 November 2000 Revised: 20 December 2001 Accepted: 26 October 2001     

Interaction of monovalent and divalent counterions with some carboxylic polysaccharides

Eleven samples of carboxylic polysaccharides were studied. The activity coefficients γ have been measured for monovalent (Na⁺) and divalent (Ca²⁺) counterions. There is no specific influence of the structure of the chain on γ values. Agreement with theoretical values confirms the rigidity of the chain; for low charge density, the theoretical treatment seems to be incorrect. Selectivity is discussed in term of selectivity coefficient K and free energy of exchange ΔG; ΔG is linearly related to the charge density but K which characterizes the competition of the two counterions is sensitive to the nature of the chain. The carboxymethylamyloses present a larger selectivity whose origin is not discussed here. The last point treated is the intrinsic constant of dissociation of polyacids. The pK₀ values are practically independent of the nature of the polyelectrolyte and of the charge density; the values are close to the pK₀ of monomeric unit and are not affected by the position of ? COOH in the anhydroglucose ring.     

Effect of pH on methylene blue transient states and kinetics and bacteria photoinactivation

We have measured directly by time-resolved spectroscopy the transient spectra and kinetics of the methylene blue (MB) excited singlet and triplet state as a function of pH from a few picoseconds to several microseconds. The data show that the acidic triplet state (3)MBH(2+) is the protonated analogue of the basic (3)MB(+). It is also shown that the singlet oxygen formation quantum yield is much higher in basic than in acidic media. The transient spectra and their kinetics suggest that because pH exerts a large influence in singlet oxygen and radical formation, it may also be important in bacteria inactivation. Therefore, we performed experiments, which showed that the rate of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria inactivation at pH 9 is 3-25 times higher than the rate at pH 5.     

Photophysical properties of unsymmetric meso-substituted porphyrins synthesized via the Suzuki coupling reaction

A new family of porphyrins containing different groups in meso positions was synthesized by Suzuki coupling reaction of meso mono- and dibromo-diarylporphyrins with several boronate esters, catalyzed by palladium organometallic complexes. These procedures gave high yields of unsymmetric porphyrins bearing carboxylate anchoring groups, with enhanced absorptions in the red and showing no tendency for aggregation in toluene or THF solutions. Such properties are of interest for application in dye-sensitized solar cells.     

Structure and properties of hydrophobically end-capped poly(ethylene oxide) solutions in the presence of monovalent and divalent cations

Hydrophobically modified poly(ethylene oxide), HMPEO, was studied in concentrated salt solutions. The influence of salts was compared to the effect of temperature on poly(ethylene oxide), PEO. As expected, the addition of monovalent cations (Na(+), K(+)) has the same effect as an increase in temperature in agreement with the thermodynamic properties of PEO: a decrease in solubility, micelle size, and viscosity was observed. Moreover, the intensity of neutron scattering peaks (characteristic of the semi-dilute solutions of these associative polymers) increases due to the collapse of PEO coronae in micelles. Very peculiar behavior was observed in the presence of divalent cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+)): larger micelle aggregates and higher viscosities, relaxation times, and activation energies were observed by dynamic rheology. This behavior is attributed to interactions between divalent cations and oxygen in PEO backbones close to the micelle core, which may reinforce intermicellar bridges.     

Thermal stability of aluminium hydroxycarbonates with monovalent cations

Dawsonite-type compounds of formula MAl(OH)₂CO₃ (M = Na. K, NH₄) as well as a laminar hydrotalcite-type hydroxycarbonate of composition [Al₂Li(OH)₆]₂CO₃·4H₂O. have been hydrothermally synthesized The thermal decomposition of these compounds was monitored by DTA and TG, and the resulting products have been studied by X-ray and IR techniques. Sodium and potassium dawsonites are destroyed at 335°C. yielding a poorly crystalline compound in which part of the overall carbonate is present; the remaining carbonate is lost between 600 and 700°C, yielding NaAlO₂ and KAlO₂, respectively Ammonium dawsonite and lithium hydrotalcite are less stable, their thermal decomposition occurring at about 240°C. The ammonium dawsonite heated at 680°C shows the presence of A1₂O₃ with a poorly ordered structure, while lithium hydrotalcite yields poorly crystalline γ-Al₂O₃ at 500°C and a mixture of γ-LiAlO₂ and LiAl₅O₈ when the compound is heated at higher temperatures ( ~ 1000°C).     

Effect of divalent cations on DMPC/DHPC bicelle formation and alignment

Many important classes of biomolecules require divalent cations for optimal activity, making these ions essential for biologically relevant structural studies. Bicelle mixtures composed of short-chain and long-chain lipids are often used in solution- and solid-state NMR structure determination; however, the phase diagrams of these useful orienting media and membrane mimetics are sensitive to other solution components. Therefore, we have investigated the effect of varying concentrations of four divalent cations, Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Zn(2+), and Cd(2+), on cholesterol sulfate-stabilized DMPC/DHPC bicelles. We found that low concentrations of all the divalent ions are tolerated with minimal perturbation. At higher concentrations Zn(2+) and Cd(2+) disrupt the magnetically aligned phase while Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) produce more strongly oriented phases. This result indicates that divalent cations are not only required to maintain the biological activity of proteins and nucleic acids; they may also be used to manipulate the behavior of the magnetically aligned phase.     

Notes on the synthesis of meso-substituted porphyrins from pyrryl carbinols and the mechanism of the rothemund reaction

Aryl pyrryl carbinols have been found to readily cyclize to meso-substituted tetraarylporphyrins in yields which are consistent with the intermediacy of the pyrryl carbinols in the Rothemund reaction. Acidic solutions of the pyrryl carbinols show absorption bands characteristic of pyrrolylmethenes. It is suggested that pyrrolylmethenes are likely intermediates in the Rothemund reaction.     

Tuning supramolecular G-quadruplexes with mono- and divalent cations

Supramolecular G-quadruplexes (SGQs) are formed via the cation promoted self-assembly of guanine derivatives into stacks of planar hydrogen-bonded tetramers. Here, we present results on the formation of SGQs made from the 8-(m-acetylphenyl)-2′-deoxyguanosine (mAGi) derivative in the presence of various mono- and divalent cations. NMR and HR ESI-MS data indicate that varying the cation can efficiently tune the molecularity, the fidelity and stability (thermal and kinetic) of the resulting SGQs. The results show that, parallel to the previously reported potassium-templated hexadecamer (mAGi₁₆·3K⁺), Na⁺, Rb⁺ and NH₄⁺ also promote the formation of similar supramolecules with high fidelity and molecularity. In contrast, the divalent cations Pb²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Ba²⁺ template the formation of octamers (mAGi₈), with the latter two inducing higher thermal stabilities. Molecular dynamics simulations for the hexadecamers containing monovalent cations enabled critical insights that help explain the experimental observations.     

Coordinative interaction of morpholine with divalent metallo tetraphenyl porphyrins

The formation of axially coordinated morpholine (morph) complexes of MTPP, (M  Co, Ni, Cu and Zn) has been studied. Morpholine coordinates through imino nitrogen to the metal ions with the retainment of equatorial conformation. The presence of spin-free, NiTPP (morph), (S = 1) and an equilibrium mixture of CoTPP and an oxygen adduct of CoTPP (morph) in solution have been observed.     

Synthesis and aggregation of cationic porphyrins

Tetra(N-R-pyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin and tetra(N-R-pyridinium-3-yl)porphyrin derivatives were synthesized with R = 3, 6, and 8 carbon alkene, alcohol and carboxylic acid chains. Self-aggregation of these systems was studied at I = 0.1 using visible spectroscopy. N-Alkyl chain length and functionality were determined to play the dominant role in aggregation of the cationic porphyrins. Position of peripheral charge (meta vs. para) also influenced spectral changes and the nature of the aggregate.