| dc.description.abstract | Singlet oxygen (1Dg, or commonly 1O2) is a reactive oxygen species of importance in many biomedical
applications, particularly the photodynamic ablation of cancer cells known as Photodynamic Therapy
(PDT). In a therapeutical scenario, is it crucial to control the activation and inactivation of the
photoactive drugs (photosensitizers) used in PDT to minimize side effects such as prolonged skin
photosensitivity and non-specific tissue damage. With this goal in mind, our group developed a
supramolecular ON-OFF switch for the generation of singlet oxygen by a photosensitizer. Switching
behaviour is based on competitive binding to macrocycles of the family of cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s, n
= 7 or 8), where the displacement into CB[7] turned the system ON while the association to CB[8]
turned the system OFF. The system was reversible upon different stimuli, besides being biocompatible.
Experiments in vitro in cultured cancer cells show that the switching behaviour has limitations in a
complex biological environment.
Scheme 1. Supramolecular ON-OFF switch for singlet oxygen based on biocompatible components.
References
[1] Robinson-Duggon, J.; Peŕez-Mora, F.; Valverde-Vaśquez, L.; Corteś-Arriagada, D.; De la Fuente,
J. R.; Günther, G.; Fuentealba, D. J. Phys. Chem. C. 2017, 121, 21782-21789.
[2] Robinson-Duggon, J.; Pérez-Mora, F.; Dibona-Villanueva, L.; Fuentealba, D. Isr. J. Chem. 2017,
in press.
[3] Cáceres, J.; Robinson-Duggon, J.; Tapia, A.; Paiva, C.; Gómez, M.; Bohne, C.; Fuentealba, D.
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 2574-2582. | |
