Publications by authors named "Antonio L Zanocco"

An "off-on" fluorescent nanoprobe for near-infrared multiphoton imaging of singlet oxygen has been developed. The nanoprobe comprises a naphthoxazole fluorescent unit and a singlet-oxygen-sensitive furan derivative attached to the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles. In solution, the fluorescence of the nanoprobe increases upon reaction with singlet oxygen both under one- and multiphoton excitation, with fluorescence enhancements up to 180-fold.

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Singlet oxygen (O) is the first electronic excited state of molecular oxygen. Due to its non-radical and non-ionic character as well as its mild reactivity, O has a pivotal role in cell signaling processes at low concentration, yet it is cytotoxic at high concentrations. Quantifying the production of O, particularly in biological systems, is therefore essential for understanding and controlling its effects.

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Photosensitized reactions mediated by endogenous chromophores have been associated with the etiology of age-related cataract disease. Endogenous chromophores such as 3-hydroxykynurenine (3OHKN) can be found in both free form, and bound to crystallin proteins. However, their efficiency in generating photo-induced oxidative modifications on eye lens proteins is not completely understood.

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In this study, we report the synthesis and the photochemical behavior of a series of new "click-on" fluorescent probes designed to detect singlet oxygen. They include a highly fluorescent chemical structure, an aryloxazole ring, linked to a furan moiety operating as singlet oxygen trap. Their activity depends on both the structure of the aryloxazole fluorophore and the electron-donating and electron-accepting properties of the substituents attached to the C-5 of the furan ring.

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Naphthoxazole derivatives are small heterocyclic compounds endowed with outstanding fluorescence properties. In this work, we report a detailed study of the intense white light fluorescence observed in naphthoxazole-quinoline dyads in solvent mixtures including at least a strong hydrogen bonding solvent. The same phenomenon was also studied in inclusion complexes naphthoxazole derivatives-sulfonated-βCD either in aqueous solution as well as in solid phase.

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2-Aminothiazolo[4,5-c]porphycenes are a novel class of 22-π electron aromatic porphycene derivatives prepared by click reaction of porphycene isothiocyanates with primary and secondary amines with high potential as near-infrared theranostic labels. Herein, the optical and photophysical properties of 2-aminothiazolo[4,5-c]porphycenes have been studied, revealing a strong dependence on hydrogen bond donor solvents and acids. High hydrogen bond donor solvents and acids shift the absorption and fluorescence emission of 2-aminothiazolo[4,5-c]porphycenes to the blue due to a contraction of their aromatic system from 22-π to 18-π electrons.

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The photophysical properties of 2-phenyl-naphtho[1,2-d][1,3]oxazole, 2(4-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)naphtho[1,2-d][1,3]oxazole and 2(4-N,N-diphenylaminophenyl) naphtho[1,2-d][1,3]oxazole were studied in a series of solvents. UV-Vis absorption spectra are insensitive to solvent polarity whereas the fluorescence spectra in the same solvent set show an important solvatochromic effect leading to large Stokes shifts. Linear solvation energy relationships were employed to correlate the position of fluorescence spectra maxima with microscopic empirical solvent parameters.

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In this study, we report the synthesis and photochemical behavior of a new family of photoactive compounds to assess its potential as singlet oxygen ((1)O2) probes. The candidate dyads are composed by a (1)O2 trap plus a naphthoxazole moiety linked directly or through an unsaturated bond to the oxazole ring. In the native state, the inherent great fluorescence of the naphthoxazole moiety is quenched; but in the presence of (1)O2, generated by the addition and appropriate irradiation of an external photosensitizer, a photooxidation reaction occurs leading to the formation of a new chemical entity whose fluorescence is two orders of magnitude higher than that of the initial compound, at the optimal selected wavelength.

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Detection of singlet oxygen emission, λ(max) = 1270 nm, following laser excitation and steady-state methods were employed to measure the total reaction rate constant, k(T), and the reactive reaction rate constant, k(r), for the reaction between singlet oxygen and several flavonoids. Values of k(T) determined in deuterated water, ranging from 2.4×10(7) M(-1) s(-1) to 13.

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One of the several uses of sucrose detergents, as well as other micelle forming detergents, is the solubilization of different membrane proteins. Accurate knowledge of the micelle properties, including size and shape, are needed to optimize the surfactant conditions for protein purification and membrane characterization. We synthesized sucrose esters having different numbers of methylene subunits on the substituent to correlate the number of methylene groups with the size of the corresponding micelles.

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The photophysics and photochemistry of a series of naphthoxazinones have been studied using a combination of methods ranging from steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques to product analysis. The photophysics of naphthoxazinone derivatives is very dependent on the structure: phenanthrene-like compounds exhibit higher fluorescence quantum yield than the less aromatic anthracene-like homologous. The latter, exhibit a substantial degree of charge transfer in the excited singlet state.

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Steady state photolysis and time resolved near infrared luminescence detection were employed to study the reaction kinetics of singlet oxygen with three different lipid-soluble probes incorporated in large unilamellar dioctadecyldimethylammonium chloride (DODAC) vesicles. The probes: 2-(4-(N,N,N-trimethylamine)-butyl)-5-dodecylfuryl bromide (DFTA), 2-(12-(N,N,N-trimethylamine)-dodecyl)-5-hexylfuryl bromide (HFDA) and 2-(1-(N,N,N-trimethylamine)-methyl)-5-methylfuryl iodide (MFMA) are useful in studying both singlet oxygen dynamics and its equilibrium in microcompartmentalized systems because they are actinometers in lipidic microphases. These probes contain a reactive furan ring, which will be located at different depths in the bilayer of DODAC vesicles.

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A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of 2-(4-(N,N,N-trimethyl)-butyl)-5-dodecylfuryl bromide (DFTA) in dipalmitoylphophatidil-choline (DPPC) liposome solutions has been developed. Lipid-soluble furan derivatives, 2,5-disubstituted with different n-alkyl chains and a terminal trimethylammonium group are useful probes for studying singlet oxygen dynamics and equilibria in microcompartmentalized systems. The actual HPLC method uses a gradient elution and DAD detection.

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A sensitive method for the determination and confirmation of the sum of malachite green (MG) and leucomalachite green (LMG) in salmon muscle has been developed. It is based on the use of an oxidative pre-column reaction which converts LMG into MG previous to liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry (LC-APCI-MS) analysis. The determination of both compounds together constitutes a good screening method to confirm the presence of this kind of residue, taking into account that the combined signals will provide a gain of sensitivity.

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Thyronine derivatives are essential indicators of thyroid gland diseases in clinical diagnosis and are currently used as standards for developing ordinary biochemical assays. Photooxidation of gland hormones of the thyronine (TN) family and structurally related compounds (TN, 3,5-diiodothyronine,3,3',5-triiodothyronine and 3,3',5,5'-tetraiodothyronine or thyroxine) was studied using rose bengal, eosin and perinaphthenone (PN) as dye sensitizers. Tyrosine (Tyr) and two iodinated derivatives (3-iodotyrosine and 3,5-diiodotyrosine) were also included in the study for comparative purposes.

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Detection of O(2)((1)Delta(g)) phosphorescence emission, lambda(max) = 1270 nm, following laser excitation and steady-state methods was employed to determine the total rate constant, k(T), and the chemical reaction rate constant, k(R), for reaction between 5,6-disubstituted-2,3-dihydropyrazines and singlet oxygen in several solvents. Values of k(T) ranged from 0.26 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1) in hexafluoro-2-propanol to 58.

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