The incorporation of molecular machines into the backbone of porous framework structures will facilitate nano actuation, enhanced molecular transport, and other out-of-equilibrium host-guest phenomena in well-defined 3D solid materials. In...

We present a new family of oxindole-based functionalised at three positions on the upper and lower halves, with methoxy or cyano groups. We find that this allows the absorption wavelength and quantum yields of these motors to be tuned.

The design of stimuli-responsive systems in nanomedicine arises from the challenges associated with the unsolved needs of current molecular drug delivery. Here, we present a delivery system with high spatiotemporal control and tunable release profiles. The design is based on the combination of an hydrophobic synthetic molecular rotary motor and a PDMS- b -PMOXA diblock copolymer to create a responsive self-assembled system. The successful incorporation and selective activation by low-power visible light (λ = 430 nm, 6.9 mW) allowed to trigger the delivery of a fluorescent dye with high efficiencies (up to 75%). Moreover, we proved the ability to turn on and off the responsive behavior on demand over sequential cycles. Low concentrations of photoresponsive units (down to 1 mol% of molecular motor) are shown to effectively promote release. Our system was also tested under relevant physiological conditions using a lung cancer cell line and the encapsulation of an Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug. Similar levels of cell viability are observed compared to the free given drug showing the potential of our platform to deliver functional drugs on request with high efficiency. This work provides an important step for the application of synthetic molecular machines in the next generation of smart delivery systems.

With the aim of designing new metallosupramolecular architectures for drug delivery, research has focused on porous 3-dimentional (3D)-metallacages able to encapsulate cytotoxic agents protecting them from metabolism while targeting them...

3‐Benzylidene‐indoline‐2‐ones play a prominent role in the pharmaceutical industry due to the diverse biomedical applications of oxindole heterocycles. Despite the extensive reports on their biological properties, these compounds have hardly been studied for their photochemical activity. Here, we present 3‐benzylidene‐indoline‐2‐ones as a promising class of photoswitches with high yields, robust photochemical switching with quantum yields reaching up to 50% and potential for biological applications.