Effect of the Substitution Pattern (Peripheral vs Non-Peripheral) on the Spectroscopic, Electrochemical, and Magnetic Properties of Octahexylsulfanyl Copper Phthalocyanines.

In order to investigate the substitution position effect on the spectroscopic, electrochemical, and magnetic properties of copper phthalocyanines, a detailed structure-property analysis has been performed by examining two copper phthalocyanines that are octasubstituted by hexylsulfanyl chains respectively in the peripheral (Cu-P) and non-peripheral (Cu-NP) positions. Cu-NP showed a marked near-IR maximum absorption compared to Cu-P and, accordingly, a smaller HOMO-LUMO energy gap, calculated via the electrochemical results and simulations in the gas phase, as well as for Cu-NP from its crystallographic data. An electron-spin resonance (ESR) technique is used to extract the g values from the powder spectra that are taken at room temperature. The g values were determined to be g∥ = 2.160 and g⊥ = 2.045 for Cu-P and g∥ = 2.150 and g⊥ = 2.050 for Cu-NP. These values indicate that the paramagnetic copper center in both phthalocyanines has axial symmetry with a planar anisotropy ( g∥ > g⊥). The ESR spectra in solution could be obtained only for Cu-P. Curie law is used to fit the experimental data of the magnetic susceptibility versus temperature graphs, and the Curie constant ( C) and diamagnetic/temperature-independent paramagnetic (α) contributions are deduced as 0.37598 (0.39576) cm3·K/mol and -23 × 10-5 (25 × 10-5) cm3/mol respectively for Cu-P and Cu-NP. The room temperature magnetic moment value (1.70 µB) is close to the spin-only value (1.73 µB) for the peripheral complex, showing that there is no orbital contribution to µeff. In contrast, at room temperature, the value of the magnetic moment (1.77 µB) is above the spin-only value, showing an orbital contribution to the magnetic moment. Cu-NP's room temperature magnetic moment value is larger than the value for Cu-P, demonstrating that the orbital contribution to the magnetic moment depends upon the substituent position. The magnitudes of the effective magnetic moment values also support that both Cu-P and Cu-NP complexes have square-planar coordination. This result is consistent with the determined g values. The spin densities were determined experimentally, and the results suggest that the positions of the substituents affect these values (0.469 for Cu-P and 0.490 for Cu-NP).

Tetracationic and Tetraanionic Manganese Porphyrins: Electrochemical and Spectroelectrochemical Characterization.

The electrochemistry and spectroelectrochemistry of four tetrapositively charged and two tetranegatively charged porphyrins were characterized in two nonaqueous solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide and N,N-dimethylformamide) containing 0.1 M tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate. The tetrapositively charged compounds are represented by the tetrapyridylporphyrins [TRPyPM]4+(X-)4, where R is a methyl or [2-[2-(2-methoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy]ethyl group, M = MnIIII, MnIIICl, CuII, or PdII, and X = I- or Cl-. The tetranegatively charged porphyrins are represented by the tetrasulfonato derivatives [TPPSMn(OAc)]4-(NH4+)4 and [TArPSMn(OAc)]4-(NH4+)4, where Ar = 4-O-[2-[2-(2-methoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy]ethylphenyl. Up to seven electrons can be added to the tetrapyridyl porphyrins in three to five reversible reductions, while up to four electrons can be added to the tetrasulfonato derivatives in four reversible processes. Three types of electrochemical behaviors are observed for reduction of the pyridinium groups on the tetrapyridyl porphyrins. One is for the manganese(II) complexes where the four equivalent pyridinium groups are reduced in a single overlapping four-electron-transfer step. Another is for the free-base porphyrin, where four well-separated one-electron reductions occur, while the third is for copper(II) and palladium(II) derivatives, where reduction of the four pyridinium groups proceeds in two well-separated two-electron-transfer steps. The electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties were also characterized for a 1:1 mixture of the tetrapositively and tetranegatively charged manganese porphyrins to investigate possible interactions between these two species. An interaction between the two porphyrins was indeed observed in both solvents after electroreduction of the four pyridinium groups, which led to a substantial change in the mechanism for reduction of the pyridinium groups from an initial single overlapping four-electron-reduction process to two well-separated two-electron-transfer processes.

5,10,15-Triferrocenylcorrole Complexes.

Complexes of 5,10,15-triferrocenylcorrole were synthesized from the crude free-base corrole product obtained by the reaction of ferrocenyl aldehyde and pyrrole. Direct formation of the complex in this manner leads to an increase of the reaction yield by protecting the corrole ring toward oxidative decomposition. The procedure was successful and gave the expected product in the case of the copper and triphenylphosphinecobalt complexes, but an unexpected result was obtained in the case of the nickel derivative, where metal insertion led to a ring opening of the macrocycle at the 5 position, giving as a final product a linear tetrapyrrole nickel complex bearing two ferrocenyl groups. The purified 5,10,15-triferrocenylcorrole complexes have been fully characterized by a combination of spectroscopic methods, electrochemistry, spectroelectrochemistry, and density functional theory calculations. Copper derivatives of 10-monoferrocenyl- and 5,15-diferrocenylcorrole were prepared to investigate how the number and position of the ferrocenyl groups influenced the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of the resulting complexes. A complete assignment of resonances in the (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra was performed for the cobalt and nickel complexes, and detailed electrochemical characterization was carried out to provide additional insight into the degree of communication between the meso-ferrocenyl groups on the conjugated macrocycle and the central metal ion of the ferrocenylcorrole derivatives.

New example of hemiporphycene formation from the corrole ring expansion.

The reaction of 5,10,15-tris(4-tert-butylphenyl)corrole with 2,3-bis(bromomethyl)-5,6-dicyanopyrazine provides a new example of corrole ring expansion to a hemiporphycene derivative. The ring expansion is regioselective, with insertion of the pyrazine derivative at the 5-position of the corrole ring, affording the corresponding 5-hemiporphycene. Different macrocyclic products accompany formation of the 5-hemiporphycene, depending on the reaction experimental conditions. Br-substitued 5-hemiporphycenes and the 2-Br substituted corrole were obtained in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, while in refluxing toluene traces of an inner core substituted corrole were observed together with a significant amount of the unreacted corrole. These results provide an important indication of the reaction pathway. The coordination behavior of the 5-hemiporphycene, together with detailed electrochemical characterization of the free-base and some metal complexes, provides evidence for the reactivity of the peripheral pyrazino group.

A dansyl fluorescent pH probe with wide responsive range in aqueous solution.

A fluorescent pH probe based on diphenylalanine-modified dansyl (FF-Dns) was designed and synthesized. The probe showed sensitive fluorescence emission to pH change over a wide range of 1-13 in aqueous solution. At pH 4-10, FF-Dns displayed the characteristic fluorescent emission of dansyl group (yellow); while protonation of the dimethylamino group caused a very weak fluorescence emission at pH 1-4, and deprotonation of the sulfonamide group caused an emission blue-shift to the green region at pH 11-13. These properties endow FF-Dns with the potential to detect pH variation in physiological environments.

Epigenetic silencing of the NR4A3 tumor suppressor, by aberrant JAK/STAT signaling, predicts prognosis in gastric cancer.

While aberrant JAK/STAT signaling is crucial to the development of gastric cancer (GC), its effects on epigenetic alterations of its transcriptional targets remains unclear. In this study, by expression microarrays coupled with bioinformatic analyses, we identified a putative STAT3 target gene, NR4A3 that was downregulated in MKN28 GC daughter cells overexpressing a constitutively activated STAT3 mutant (S16), as compared to an empty vector control (C9). Bisulphite pyrosequencing and demethylation treatment showed that NR4A3 was epigenetically silenced by promoter DNA methylation in S16 and other GC cell lines including AGS cells, showing constitutive activation of STAT3. Subsequent experiments revealed that NR4A3 promoter binding by STAT3 might repress its transcription. Long-term depletion of STAT3 derepressed NR4A3 expression, by promoter demethylation, in AGS GC cells. NR4A3 re-expression in GC cell lines sensitized the cells to cisplatin, and inhibited tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, in an animal model. Clinically, GC patients with high NR4A3 methylation, or lower NR4A3 protein expression, had significantly shorter overall survival. Intriguingly, STAT3 activation significantly associated only with NR4A3 methylation in low-stage patient samples. Taken together, aberrant JAK/STAT3 signaling epigenetically silences a potential tumor suppressor, NR4A3, in gastric cancer, plausibly representing a reliable biomarker for gastric cancer prognosis.