Selective, Intrinsically Fluorescent Trk Modulating Probes.

Neurotrophins (NTs) elicit the growth, survival, and differentiation of neurons and other neuroectoderm tissues via activation of Trk receptors. Hot spots for NT·Trk interactions involve three neurotrophin loops. Mimicry of these using "-organopeptides" comprising loop sequences cyclized onto endocyclic organic fragments accounts for a few of the low molecular mass Trk agonists or modulators reported so far; the majority are nonpeptidic small molecules accessed without molecular design and identified in random screens.

A fluorescent electrophile for CLIPS: self indicating TrkB binders.

Combination of cysteine-containing peptides with electrophiles provides efficient access to -organopeptides. However, there are no routes to -organopeptides containing robust, brilliant fluorophores emitting at wavelengths longer than cellular autofluorescence. We show such fluorescent -organopeptides can be made SAr reactions of cysteine-containing peptides with a BODIPY system.

Revolutionary Pyrazole-based Aza-BODIPY: Harnessing Photothermal Power Against Cancer Cells and Bacteria.

In the realm of cancer therapy and treatment of bacterial infection, photothermal therapy (PTT) stands out as a potential strategy. The challenge, however, is to create photothermal agents that can perform both imaging and PTT, a so-called theranostic agent. Photothermal agents that absorb and emit in the near-infrared region (750-900 nm) have recently received a lot of attention due to the extensive penetration of NIR light in biological tissues.

Unraveling the photophysical characteristics and biological applications of vinyl sulfones as viscosity sensors.

For the first time, a series of vinyl sulfone-NH-based push-pull fluorophores (4a-4d) were introduced for their potential use in biological applications. The fluorophores 4a-4d were readily synthesized upon reduction of the corresponding vinyl sulfones-NO (3a-3d), which were prepared by sulfonylation of nitrostyrene. Both types of probes can be prepared in high yields through a few steps with minimal cost.

Quercetin Nanoparticle-Based Hypoxia-Responsive Probe for Cancer Detection.

In this study, we developed functional nanomaterials via a phenolic-enabled nanotechnology strategy for hypoxia detection employing quercetin (QCT), an abundant flavonoid, as a polyphenolic system. The nano form of QCT was stabilized by coating it with polyethylene glycol (PEG) before loading it with a flavylium dye (Flav) as a pH indicator. The nanosystem, Flav@QCT-PEG, collapsed when it was in an acidic environment, i.

Controlling the Photocatalytic Activity and Benzylamine Photooxidation Selectivity of BiWO via Ion Substitution: Effects of Electronegativity.

Doping or ion substitution is often used as an effective strategy to improve photocatalytic activities of several semiconductors. Most frequently, the dopants provide extra states to increase light absorption, alter the electronic structure, or lower the carrier recombination. This work focuses on ion substitution in BiWO, where the dopants modify band-edge potentials of the catalysts.

Aza-BODIPY based carbonic anhydrase IX: Strategy to overcome hypoxia limitation in photodynamic therapy.

Hypoxia caused by photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a major hurdle to cancer treatment since it can promote recurrence and progression by activating angiogenic factors, lowering therapeutic efficacy dramatically. In this work, AZB-I-CAIX was developed as a carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX)-targeting NIR photosensitizer that can overcome the challenge by utilizing a combination of CAIX knockdown and PDT. AZB-I-CAIX showed a specific affinity to CAIX-expressed cancer cells and enhanced photocytotoxicity compared to AZB-I-control (the molecule without acetazolamide).

Flavylium-Based Hypoxia-Responsive Probe for Cancer Cell Imaging.

A hypoxia-responsive probe based on a flavylium dye containing an azo group () was synthesized to detect hypoxic conditions via a reductase-catalyzed reaction in cancer cells. In in vitro enzymatic investigation, the azo group of was reduced by a reductase in the presence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) followed by fragmentation to generate a fluorescent molecule, . The response of to the reductase was as fast as 2 min with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.

Glucose conjugated aza-BODIPY for enhanced photodynamic cancer therapy.

Compared with normal cells, cancer cells usually exhibit an increase in glucose uptake as part of the Warburg effect. To take advantage of this hallmark of cancer, glucose transporters could be a good candidate for cancer targeting. Herein, we report novel glycoconjugate aza-BODIPY dyes (AZB-Glc and AZB-Glc-I) that contain two glucose moieties conjugated to near-infrared dyes via the azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction.

One-Pot Synthesis of Coumarin-Indomethacin Hybrids as COX-2 Targeting Probes for Cancer Imaging.

Facile synthesis of 6- or 7-substituted coumarin-indomathacin hybrids (Coum-IDM) has been developed for specific cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) binding along with their intrinsic fluorescent properties. A mild and rapid condensation/dehydrative cyclization of 2-hydroxy benzaldehyde with activated indomethacin was carried out in one step under ultrasound irradiation. Coum-IDM was found to be the best of this series as it presented significant binding to COX-2 and exhibited higher fluorescent intensity in cancer cells than in normal cells.

Aza-BODIPY probe for selective visualization of cyclooxygenase-2 in cancer cells.

AZB-IMC was developed as a COX-2 specific probe that exhibited a brighter fluorescence signal in cancer cells that overexpress COX-2 compared to normal cells. Oxidative stress agent-treated inflamed cell lines inducing high COX-2 levels revealed an enhanced fluorescence signal. Inhibitory studies showed a markedly reduced fluorescence intensity in cancer cells.