Supramolecular vesicles which can successfully encapsulate DOX and exhibit rapid drug release in a low-pH environment are constructed based on the host-guest interaction of water-soluble pillar[5]arene and a BODIPY derivative. They show remarkable combination of chemo- and photodynamic activities, suggesting a promising drug nanocarrier.
AA/BB-type and A2/B3-type FRET-capable supramolecular polymers based on a BODIPY-bridged pillar[5]arene dimer and two BODIPY derivative guests have been successfully constructed and their application in mimicking the light-harvesting system of natural photosynthesis was studied.
The combination of photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy is a promising strategy to overcome growing problems in contemporary medicine, such as low therapeutic efficacy and drug resistance. Four zinc(II) phthalocyanine-coumarin conjugates were synthesized and characterized. In these complexes, zinc(II) phthalocyanine was used as the photosensitizing unit, and a coumarin derivative was selected as the cytostatic moiety; the two components were linked via a tri(ethylene glycol) chain. These conjugates exhibit high photocytotoxicity against HepG2 human hepatocarcinoma cells, with low IC50 values in the range of 0.014-0.044 μM. The high photodynamic activities of these conjugates are in accordance with their low aggregation tendency and high cellular uptake. One of these conjugates exhibits high photocytotoxicity and significantly higher chemocytotoxicity. The results clearly show that the two antitumor components in these conjugates work in a cooperative fashion. As shown by confocal microscopy, the conjugates can localize in the mitochondria and lysosomes, and one of the conjugates can also localize in the cell nuclei.
Novel neutral guest molecules, G1-G7, are studied for their host-guest complexation with per-ethylated pillar[5]arene (EtP[5]A). Among them, G1 and G7 , dibenzyl tetramethylene bis-carbamate derivatives, are found to afford a novel stable pseudo[2]rotaxane with EtP[5]A, respectively, and G7 ⊂ EtP[5]A shows photoresponsive properties.
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