Publications by authors named "Maria A F Faustino"

Article Synopsis
  • - Alzheimer's disease leads to cognitive decline and memory loss, linked to issues with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, prompting interest in developing effective acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors.
  • - New thiazoloindazole-based compounds have shown potential as AChE inhibitors, with some outperforming the existing treatment drug donepezil in molecular studies, and good synthesis yields of 66 to 87%.
  • - The most promising derivatives feature a bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl-triazolyl group, which effectively inhibits AChE, achieving remarkable inhibitor potency with an IC value below 1.0 μM.
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Iron-magnetic nanoparticles (Fe-NMPs) are widely used in environmental remediation, while porphyrin-based hybrid materials anchored to silica-coated FeO-nanoparticles (FeO-NPs) have been used for water disinfection purposes. To assess their safety on plants, especially concerning potential environmental release, it was investigated for the first time, the impact on plants of a silica-coated FeO-NPs bearing a porphyrinic formulation (FORM) - FORM@NMP. Additionally, FORM alone and the magnetic nanoparticles without FORM anchored (NH@NMP) were used for comparison.

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Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a critical global health issue and the development of alternatives to conventional antibiotics is of the upmost relevance. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is considered a promising and innovative approach for the photoinactivation of microorganisms, particularly in cases where traditional antibiotics may be less effective due to resistance or other limitations. In this study, two β-modified monocharged porphyrin-imidazolium derivatives were efficiently incorporated into polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) formulations and supported into graphitic carbon nitride materials.

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Photopharmacology is an approach that aims to be an alternative to classical chemotherapy. Herein, the different classes of photoswitches and photocleavage compounds and their biological applications are described. Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) containing azobenzene moieties (PHOTACs) and photocleavable protecting groups (photocaged PROTACs) are also mentioned.

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Sulfonamides are a conventional class of antibiotics that are well-suited to combat infections. However, their overuse leads to antimicrobial resistance. Porphyrins and analogs have demonstrated excellent photosensitizing properties and have been used as antimicrobial agents to photoinactivate microorganisms, including multiresistant (MRSA) strains.

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Cellulose is the most abundant natural biopolymer and owing to its compatibility with biological tissues, it is considered a versatile starting material for developing new and sustainable materials from renewable resources. With the advent of drug-resistance among pathogenic microorganisms, recent strategies have focused on the development of novel treatment options and alternative antimicrobial therapies, such as antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). This approach encompasses the combination of photoactive dyes and harmless visible light, in the presence of dioxygen, to produce reactive oxygen species that can selectively kill microorganisms.

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Wastewater (WW) insufficiently treated for the disinfection of microorganisms, including pathogenic ones, is a source of concern and a possible generator of public health problems. Traditional disinfection methods to reduce pathogens concentration (e.g.

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The laboratorial available methods applied in plasma disinfection can induce damage in other blood components. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) represents a promising approach and is approved for plasma and platelet disinfection using non-porphyrinic photosensitizers (PSs), such as methylene blue (MB). In this study, the photodynamic action of three cationic porphyrins (Tri-Py(+)-Me, Tetra-Py(+)-Me and Tetra-S-Py(+)-Me) towards viruses was evaluated under white light irradiation at an irradiance of 25 and 150 mW·cm and the results were compared with the efficacy of the approved MB.

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An efficient synthetic access to new cationic porphyrin-bipyridine iridium(III) bis-cyclometalated complexes was developed. These porphyrins bearing arylbipyridine moieties at β-pyrrolic positions coordinated with iridium(III), and the corresponding Zn(II) porphyrin complexes were spectroscopically, electrochemically, and electronically characterized. The features displayed by the new cyclometalated porphyrin-bipyridine iridium(III) complexes, namely photoinduced electron transfer process (PET), and a remarkable efficiency to generate O, allowing us to envisage new challenges and opportunities for their applications in several fields, such as photo(catalysis) and photodynamic therapies.

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The photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of microorganisms has gained interest as an efficient option for conventional antibiotic treatments. Recently, Si(IV) phthalocyanines (SiPcs) have been highlighted as promising photosensitizers (PSs) to the PDI of microorganisms due to their remarkable absorption and emission features. To increase the potential of cationic SiPcs as PS drugs, one novel (1a) and two previously described (2a and 3a) axially substituted PSs with di-, tetra-, and hexa-ammonium units, respectively, were synthesized and characterized.

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Corroles possess key photophysical and photochemical properties to be exploited as therapeutic agents in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). Herein, we present for the first time the antimicrobial efficiency of three corrole dimers and of the corresponding precursor against the Gram(+) bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, to explore future clinical applications, the cytotoxicity of the most promising derivatives towards Vero cells was evaluated.

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The emergence of microbial resistance to antimicrobials among several common pathogenic microbial strains is an increasing problem worldwide. Thus, it is urgent to develop not only new antimicrobial therapeutics to fight microbial infections, but also new effective, rapid, and inexpensive methods to monitor the efficacy of these new therapeutics. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) and antimicrobial blue light (aBL) therapy are receiving considerable attention for their antimicrobial potential and represent realistic alternatives to antibiotics.

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Photodynamic action has been used for diverse biomedical applications, such as treating a broad range of bacterial infections. Based on the combination of light, dioxygen, and photosensitizer (PS), the photodynamic inactivation (PDI) approach led to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and represented a non-invasive, non-toxic, repeatable procedure for pathogen photoinactivation. To this end, different tetrapyrrolic macrocycles, such as porphyrin (Por) dyes, have been used as PSs for PDI against microorganisms, mainly bacteria.

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The last two years have been marked by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. This virus is found in the intestinal tract; it reaches wastewater systems and, consequently, the natural receiving water bodies. As such, inefficiently treated wastewater (WW) can be a means of contamination.

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Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, with an abrupt growth of its incidence over the last years. It is extremely resistant to traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but therapies for this cancer are gaining attention. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered an effective modality to treat several types of skin cancers and can offer the possibility to treat one of the most aggressive ones: melanoma.

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Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide; therefore, there is an urgent need to find safe and effective therapies. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is diagnosed in ca. 15-20% of BC and is extremely aggressive resulting in reduced survival rate, which is mainly due to the low therapeutic efficacy of available treatments.

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The evidence that telomerase is overexpressed in almost 90% of human cancers justifies the proposal of this enzyme as a potential target for anticancer drug design. The inhibition of telomerase by quadruplex stabilizing ligands is being considered a useful approach in anticancer drug design proposals. Several aromatic ligands, including porphyrins, were exploited for telomerase inhibition by adduct formation with G-Quadruplex (GQ).

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The development of new photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents designed for bladder cancer (BC) treatments is of utmost importance to prevent its recurrence and progression towards more invasive forms. Here, three different porphyrinic photosensitizers (PS) (TMPyP, Zn-TMPyP, and P1-C) were non-covalently loaded onto graphene oxide (GO) or graphene quantum dots (GQDs) in a one-step process. The cytotoxic effects of the free PS and of the corresponding hybrids were compared upon blue (BL) and red-light (RL) exposure on T24 human BC cells.

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Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent cancer diagnosed in men worldwide. Among the common treatment options, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is being considered a promising local therapy to treat this cancer. Although PDT is an established treatment modality approved for several types of cancer, the low solubility, the reduced tumor selectivity, the absorption in the therapeutic window and the poor clearance from the body of the currently approved photosensitizers (PS) hampers its wide clinical application.

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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an approved therapeutic approach and an alternative to conventional chemotherapy for the treatment of several types of cancer with the advantages of reducing the side effects and developing resistance mechanisms. Here, was evaluated the photosensitization capabilities of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[4-(pyridinium-1-yl-methyl)phenyl]porphyrin (3), its N-confused isomer (4) and of the neutral precursors (1) and (2) and the results were compared with the ones obtained with the cationic 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (TMPyP). Both regular porphyrin derivatives 1 and 3 showed higher efficiency to generate singlet oxygen than TMPyP.

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Microorganisms, usually bacteria and fungi, grow and spread in skin wounds, causing infections. These infections trigger the immune system and cause inflammation and tissue damage within the skin or wound, slowing down the healing process. The use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) to eradicate microorganisms has been regarded as a promising alternative to anti-infective therapies, such as those based on antibiotics, and more recently, is being considered for skin wound-healing, namely for infected wounds.

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Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris is a cause of major concern for the orange juice industry due to its thermal and chemical resistance, as well as its spoilage potential. A. acidoterrestris spoilage of orange juice is due to off-flavor taints from guaiacol production and some halophenols.

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Zinc(II) phthalocyanines (Pcs) peripherally decorated with 2,4,6-tris(dimethylaminomethyl)phenoxy groups (Pcs and ) and the corresponding quaternized derivatives (Pcs and ) were synthesized and their photodynamic inactivation (PDI) efficiency against recombinant bioluminescent was examined. The photophysical data revealed that the presence of the ammonium units on the Pc structures promotes a redshift of the absorption bands when compared with the corresponding nonquaternized ones. The ammonium-substituted Pcs and showed excellent stability in dimethylformamide, moderate photostability, and increased efficiency to generate singlet oxygen (O).

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Spartina maritima and Puccinellia maritima are two fascinating but underexplored halophytic species, and herein, the chemical profile of their hexane extracts is described. Terpenoids and sterols were the most abundant chemical groups in both species. The second dominant class was alcohols and the third esters of fatty acids.

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The synthesis of new porphyrin-indazole hybrids by a Knoevenagel condensation of 2-formyl-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin and N-methyl-nitroindazolylacetonitrile derivatives is reported. The target compounds were isolated in moderate to good yields (32-57%) and some of the isolated porphyrin-indazole conjugates showed good performance in the generation of singlet oxygen when irradiated with visible light. Their efficiency as photosensitizers in the photoinactivation of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus-MRSA was evaluated.

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