Novel (Phenothiazinyl)Vinyl-Pyridinium Dyes and Their Potential Applications as Cellular Staining Agents.

We report here the synthesis and structural characterization of novel cationic (phenothiazinyl)vinyl-pyridinium (PVP) dyes, together with optical (absorption/emission) properties and their potential applicability as fluorescent labels. Convective heating, ultrasound irradiation and mechanochemical synthesis were considered as alternative synthetic methodologies proficient for overcoming drawbacks such as long reaction time, nonsatisfactory yields or solvent requirements in the synthesis of novel dye (E)-1-(3-chloropropyl)-4-(2-(10-methyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)vinyl)pyridin-1-ium bromide 3d and its N-alkyl-2-methylpyridinium precursor 1c. The trans geometry of the newly synthesized (E)-4-(2-(7-bromo-10-ethyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)vinyl)-1-methylpyridin-1-ium iodide 3b and (E)-1-methyl-4-(2-(10-methyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)vinyl)pyridin-1-ium tetrafluoroborate 3a' was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. A negative solvatochromism of the dyes in polar solvents was highlighted by UV-Vis spectroscopy and explanatory insights were supported by molecular modeling which suggested a better stabilization of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO). The photostability of the dye 3b was investigated by irradiation at 365 nm in different solvents, while the steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence properties of dye 3b and 3a' in solid state were evaluated under one-photon excitation at 485 nm. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the new PVP dyes on B16-F10 melanoma cells was evaluated by WST-1 assay, while their intracellular localization was assessed by epi-fluorescence conventional microscopy imaging as well as one- and two-photon excited confocal fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). PVP dyes displayed low cytotoxicity, good internalization inside melanoma cells and intense fluorescence emission inside the B16-F10 murine melanoma cells, making them suitable staining agents for imaging applications.

Heterocycles 27. Microwave assisted synthesis and antitumour activity of novel phenothiazinyl-thiazolyl-hydrazine derivatives.

A series of new phenothiazinyl-thiazolyl-hydrazine derivatives were synthesized by Hantzsch cyclization of 1-(10-ethyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)-methylidene-thiosemicarbazide with α-halocarbonyl derivatives. Comparison between classical and microwave assisted synthesis emphasizes the great advantages induced by microwaves irradiation which afforded high reaction yields in much shorter reaction time. Structural assignments were based on spectroscopic methods (high resolution NMR, FTIR, MS). The new compounds were tested in vitro for their antiproliferative activity against tumor cell lines using spectrometric methods. Most of the compounds exhibit cytotoxicity against hepatic and colon tumor cells in a dose-dependent mode and a relationship between the structure and their biological activity was observed.

(E)-3-(2-Alkyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)-1-arylprop-2-en-1-ones: Preparative, IR, NMR and DFT study on their substituent-dependent reactivity in hydrazinolysis and sonication-assisted oxidation with copper(II)nitrate.

A series of novel 3(5)-aryl/ferrocenyl-5(3)-phenothiazinylpyrazoles and pyrazolines were obtained by substituent-dependent regioselective condensation of the corresponding (E)-3-(2-alkyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)-1-aryl/ferrocenylprop-2-en-1-one with hydrazine or methylhydrazine in acetic acid. The different propensity of the primary formed beta-hydrazino adducts to undergo competitive retro-Mannich reaction was interpreted in terms of tautomerisation equilibrium constants calculated by DFT using a solvent model. The regioselectivity of the cyclisation reactions with methylhydrazine and the substituent-dependent redox properties of pyrazolines were also rationalized by comparative DFT calculations performed for simplified model molecules. On the effect of ultrasound-promoted oxidation with copper(II)nitrate phenothiazine-containing pyrazolines, enones and oxo-compounds were selectively transformed into sulfoxides. Only one sulfoxide enone was partially converted into an oxirane derivative. The structure of the novel products was determined by IR and NMR spectroscopy including COSY, HSQC, HMBC and DNOE measurements.