Unraveling the Mechanism of the Photodeprotection Reaction of 8‐Bromo‐ and 8‐Chloro‐7‐hydroxyquinoline Caged Acetates

Photoremovable protecting groups (PPGs) when conjugated to biological effectors forming “caged compounds” are a powerful means to regulate the action of physiologically active messengers in vivo through 1‐photon excitation (1PE) and 2‐photon excitation (2PE). Understanding the photodeprotection mechanism is important for their physiological use. We compared the quantum efficiencies and product outcomes in different solvent and pH conditions for the photolysis reactions of (8‐chloro‐7‐hydroxyquinolin‐2‐yl)methyl acetate (CHQ‐OAc) and (8‐bromo‐7‐hydroxyquinolin‐2‐yl)methyl acetate (BHQ‐OAc), representatives of the quinoline class of phototriggers for biological use, and conducted nanosecond time‐resolved spectroscopic studies using transient emission (ns‐EM), transient absorption (ns‐TA), transient resonance Raman (ns‐TR²), and time‐resolved resonance Raman (ns‐TR³) spectroscopies. The results indicate differences in the photochemical mechanisms and product outcomes, and reveal that the triplet excited state is most likely on the pathway to the product and that dehalogenation competes with release of acetate from BHQ‐OAc, but not CHQ‐OAc. A high fluorescence quantum yield and a more efficient excited‐state proton transfer (ESPT) in CHQ‐OAc compared to BHQ‐OAc explain the lower quantum efficiency of CHQ‐OAc relative to BHQ‐OAc.     

A mathematical model of aging-related and cortisol induced hippocampal dysfunction

Background  

The hippocampus is essential for declarative memory synthesis and is a core pathological substrate for Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common aging-related dementing disease. Acute increases in plasma cortisol are associated with transient hippocampal inhibition and retrograde amnesia, while chronic cortisol elevation is associated with hippocampal atrophy. Thus, cortisol levels could be monitored and managed in older people, to decrease their risk of AD type hippocampal dysfunction. We generated an in silicomodel of the chronic effects of elevated plasma cortisol on hippocampal activity and atrophy, using the systems biology mark-up language (SBML). We further challenged the model with biologically based interventions to ascertain if cortisol associated hippocampal dysfunction could be abrogated.     

Definition and measurement of the normalized electrical impedance of lossy piezoelectric resonators for ultrasonic transducers

Relevant equivalent circuit parameters and values of material constants of a piezoelectric resonator can be determined from measurements of its electrical input impedance as a function of frequency. The complex electrical impedance curves and the associated critical frequencies are the basis of this characterization by the piezoelectric resonance method. In this paper, the previously introduced concept of normalized electrical impedance of the lossy resonator, extended to include piezoelectric losses, is applied to the analysis of the effects of different types of intrinsic losses on peak values, bandwidths and characteristic frequencies. The resulting impedance patterns depend solely on the electromechanical coupling coefficient and the loss tangents, providing a useful tool for the analysis of low-Q resonators. The normalized impedance is experimentally evaluated from the basic data provided by an HP 4194A impedance analyser by means of specifically developed ASP programs.     

Photoinitiated Free-Radical Polymerization of 4,5,6,7-Tetrahalogenated Fluoresceins

We demonstrated the photoredox catalytic performances of fluorescein derivatives, bearing heavy halogen atoms (Br or I) on a benzoic acid group, using photoinitiated free-radical polymerization. 4,5,6,7-Tetrabromofluorescein and 4,5,6,7-tetraiodofluorescein were used as visible-light-photoredox catalysts to initiate polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and N-vinylpyrrolidone in the presence of triethanolamine under aerobic conditions. Their photocatalytic performances were evaluated by the hydrogelation of photopolymerization both on the surface of an agarose film and in a liquid solution. The polymerization degree increased considerably in the following order: tetraiodofluorescein<tetrabromofluorescein<fluorescein. This result was different from fluorescein derivatives containing the heavy halogen atoms on a xanthene core ring. Consequently, the location of the heavy halogen atoms was crucial in the photocatalytic performance of fluorescein derivatives.     

Comparison of the absorption, emission, and resonance Raman spectra of 7-hydroxyquinoline and 8-bromo-7-hydroxyquinoline caged acetate

To better understand the deprotection reaction of the new promising phototrigger compound BHQ-OAc (8-bromo-7-hydroxyquinoline acetate), we present a detailed comparison of the UV-vis absorption, resonance Raman, and fluorescence spectra of BHQ-OAc with its parent compound 7-hydroxyquinoline in different solvents. The steady-state absorption and resonance Raman spectra provide fundamental information about the structure, properties, and population distribution of the different prototropic forms present under the different solvent conditions examined. The species present in the excited states that emit strongly were detected by fluorescence spectra. It is shown that the ground-state tautomerization process of BHQ-OAc is disfavored compared with that of 7-HQ in aqueous solutions. The observation of the tautomeric form of BHQ-OAc in neutral aqueous solutions demonstrates the occurrence of the excited-state proton-transfer process, which would be a competing process for the deprotection reaction of BHQ-OAc in aqueous solutions.     

New high-energy luminescence bands from Co2+ in ZnSe

Three sharp absorption features in the energy range 2.36–2.55 eV have been detected in the transmission spectrum of Co-diffused ZnSe, and a number of luminescence transitions originating from the lowest of these states at 2.361 eV have been observed. Photoluminescence excitation spectra prove that these are high energy excited states of the Co²⁺_Zn impurity, a conclusion confirmed by comparison of measured and predicted luminescence energies. This represents the first identification of luminescence branching from a higher excited state of a transition metal ion in any semiconductor. The sharp, weakly phonon-coupled transitions involve either intra-impurity excitation or transitions from the impurity to localised states split off from a minimum in the conduction band. The implications of these observations for the mechanism of host-impurity energy transfer and for the nature of the excited state wavefunctions are discussed.     

Unraveling the mechanism of the photodeprotection reaction of 8-bromo- and 8-chloro-7-hydroxyquinoline caged acetates

Photoremovable protecting groups (PPGs) when conjugated to biological effectors forming "caged compounds" are a powerful means to regulate the action of physiologically active messengers in vivo through 1-photon excitation (1PE) and 2-photon excitation (2PE). Understanding the photodeprotection mechanism is important for their physiological use. We compared the quantum efficiencies and product outcomes in different solvent and pH conditions for the photolysis reactions of (8-chloro-7-hydroxyquinolin-2-yl)methyl acetate (CHQ-OAc) and (8-bromo-7-hydroxyquinolin-2-yl)methyl acetate (BHQ-OAc), representatives of the quinoline class of phototriggers for biological use, and conducted nanosecond time-resolved spectroscopic studies using transient emission (ns-EM), transient absorption (ns-TA), transient resonance Raman (ns-TR(2)), and time-resolved resonance Raman (ns-TR(3)) spectroscopies. The results indicate differences in the photochemical mechanisms and product outcomes, and reveal that the triplet excited state is most likely on the pathway to the product and that dehalogenation competes with release of acetate from BHQ-OAc, but not CHQ-OAc. A high fluorescence quantum yield and a more efficient excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) in CHQ-OAc compared to BHQ-OAc explain the lower quantum efficiency of CHQ-OAc relative to BHQ-OAc.