On the spectral properties of methyl and methoxy derivatives of 1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoxalines: Experiment and DFT/TDDFT calculations.

Paper reports the synthesis and spectroscopic studies of two novel 1,3-diphenyl pyrazoloquinoxaline (PQX) derivatives with 6-substituted methyl (MePQX) or methoxy (MeOPQX) side groups. The optical absorption and fluorescence emission spectra are recorded in solvents of different polarity. Other photophysical constants, such as the fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield, radiationless and radiative rate constants, electronic transition dipole moments, give complete characterization of MePQX and MeOPQX dyes as materials for potential luminescence or electroluminescence applications. Measured optical absorption and fluorescence emission spectra are compared with the results of quantum-chemical analysis using density functional theory (DFT/TDDFT) methods based on hybrid and long range corrected (LRC) exchange-correlation (xc) functionals in combination with solvation self consistent reaction field model. Comparing to conventional hybrid xc-functionals, the DFT/TDDFT calculations using LRC xc-functionals yield considerably more accurate description of optical absorption and fluorescence emission spectra. The best description of the absorption-emission circle provides the model assuming that optical absorption takes place from preferably flat or weakly twisted molecular conformations in the ground state, as particularly is suggested by the geometrical DFT optimization, whereas the fluorescence emission would be expected from more twisted molecular conformations in the excited state.

Spectral kinetics of fluorescence spectra of fluoroderivatives of pyrazoloquinoline in different polymer matrices.

Three fluoro-substituted pyrazoloquinoline derivatives have been placed in polymer matrices: polycarbonate, poly(methyl methacrylate) and polystyrene. Absorption, excitation and time-resolved fluorescence spectra have been recorded and luminescence lifetime of the optically active composites has been determined. Influence of the dielectric environment the optical properties of the chromophores are discussed. Experimental data and conclusions are supported with (TD)DFT calculations.

DFT/TDDFT study on the electronic structure and spectral properties of diphenyl azafluoranthene derivative.

Paper reports the DFT/TDDFT study on the electronic structure and spectral properties of the five-membered annulated diphenyl azafluoranthene derivative 1,3-diphenyl-3H-indeno[1,2,3-de]pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (DPIPQ) by means of polarizable continuum model (PCM) and Onsager reaction field approaches at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory. The results of calculations are compared with the optical absorption and fluorescence spectra as well as with the cyclic voltammetry data. The DFT/TDDFT/PCM approaches exhibit rather good quantitative agreement regarding the spectral position of the first absorption band; the discrepancy between the experiment and theory is less than 0.06 eV (linear response approach) or 0.25 eV (state specific approach). As for the fluorescence emission the TDDFT/PCM calculations underestimate the transition energy on about of 0.7-0.8 eV. Such discrepancy should be attributed to insufficient quality of the TDDFT/PCM optimization in the excited state. Ignoring the geometrical relaxation in the excited state provides considerably better agreement between the experiment and theory; discrepancy is less than 0.1-0.22 eV depending on a solvent polarity. The dominant influence on the fluorescence emission results mainly from the solvent reorganization in the excited state whereas the solute relaxation is indeed weak and may be ignored.

Potential therapeutic advantage of ribose-cysteine in the inhibition of astrocytoma cell proliferation.

It has been observed that astrocyte and astrocytoma cells differ in their response to D-ribose-L-cysteine (RibCys) in the culture medium. RibCys, a prodrug of L-cysteine, elevates the level of cysteine and glutathione in both astrocytoma and astrocyte cultures. It also affects the activity of two sulfurtransferases, 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase and rhodanese, involved in the metabolism of sulfane sulfur-containing compounds and in consequence exerts an effect on the level of sulfane sulfur. Under conditions, in which the raised level of sulfane sulfur was accompanied by an elevated activity of 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase, the proliferation of the human astrocytome U373 line was decreased. The experiments were simultaneously performed with murine astrocytes to compare the behavior of normal cells under similar conditions. In murine astrocytes, RibCys was capable of increasing cellular proliferation, and was accompanied by a diminished level of sulfane sulfur and unchanged activity of the two sulfurtransferases. Thus, RibCys might offer a therapeutic advantage in the inhibition of astrocytoma cell proliferation. Besides, in the absence of oxidative stress, measured as the ratio of GSH/GSSG, the obtained results confirm that the fall in the level of sulfane sulfur is associated with increasing proliferation of cells, whereas a rise in the level causes a decrease in the proliferation of U373 cells.

Synthesis and spectroscopic study of several novel annulated azulene and azafluoranthene based derivatives.

A series of cyclized five-membered annulated azafluoranthene (AAF) and seven-membered annulated azulene (AA) derivatives have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic methods. The optical absorption and fluorescence spectra have been recorded in organic solvents of different polarity and analyzed within the semiempirical quantum chemical model PM3. In combination with the molecular dynamics simulations it properly reproduces the overall shape of the measured absorption spectra of both AA and AAF dyes including the strongest band in the region of 250-300 nm and the broad first absorption band above 400 nm. While the solvent polarity rises all the dyes exhibit the hypsochromic shift of the first absorption band and the bathochromic shift of the fluorescence band. Such opposite solvatochromic trends appear to be consistent with the Lippert-Mataga solvatochromic model. Compared to AA compounds, both AAF dyes reveal much stronger solvatochromic shift and broadening of the fluorescence band likewise the relative decrease in quantum yield on rising solvent polarity what may be an evidence for the intramolecular charge transfer mechanism being involved into the fluorescence emission. Depending on solvent polarity AA and AAF dyes emit light in the green-yellow range of the visible spectra what may be of interest for potential luminescent or electroluminescent applications.

Spectroscopy of fluoro derivatives of 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline in different solvents.

Theoretical simulations of UV-vis spectra for organic chromophores: 3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,4-diphenyl-, 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-3,4-diphenyl- and 4-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline. Density Functional Theory 6-31G calculations were performed. The molecular geometry and UV-vis spectra were simulated with the time-dependent DFT calculations. Influence of number of occupied and excited states on the behavior of the spectra is explored. To further improve the calculations a Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM) was employed to simulate the influence of solvent polarity. It was used in both geometry optimization and spectra simulation. An attempt to find a correlation between the values of dipole moments and the spectral shifts was performed. The results were compared with experiment.

UV-vis spectroscopy and semiempirical quantum chemical studies on methyl derivatives of annulated analogues of azafluoranthene and azulene dyes.

Paper reports the measured optical absorption and fluorescence spectra of 4-(2-chlorophenyl)-7-methyl-1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (MCPDPPQ), as well as 6-methyl-1,3-diphenyl-3H-indeno[1,2,3-de]pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (MDPIPQ) and 9-methyl-6-phenyl-6H-5,6,7-triazadibenzo[f,h]naphtho[3,2,1-cd]azulene (MPTNA) representing cyclized five- or seven-membered regioisomeric products of MCPDPPQ, respectively. The spectra has been recorded in solvents of different polarity and compared with the results of quantum chemical calculations performed by means of the semiempirical method PM3 in combination with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Cyclization of MCPDPPQ into MDPIPQ or MPTNA is accompanied by a significant red shift of the first optical absorption and fluorescence bands. While the solvent polarity rises all the dyes exhibit the blue shift of the first absorption band and the red shift of the fluorescence band. These trends have been reproduced within the semiempirical calculations in combination with the Lippert-Mataga dielectric polarization model and explained by specific orientations of the dipole moments in the ground and excited states. All dyes may be considered as candidates for the luminescent or electroluminescent applications. Depending on solvent polarity they emit light in the green-yellow range of the visible spectra.

Isolation and characterization of novel defence-related genes induced by copper, salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, abscisic acid and pathogen infection in Brassica carinata.

Summary To examine the defence response in Brassica carinata we differentially screened a cDNA library made from CuCl(2)-treated (Cu) leaves. The sequence of 17 of the 27 cDNA clones examined that showed Cu-induction had a high similarity to defence genes from other plant species. Among other clones that showed higher expression in the Cu leaves were two cDNAs encoding polypeptides of 351 and 250 amino acids, designated BcCJS1 and BcCJAS1. BcCJS1 had similarity to S-adenosyl-l-methionine: salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase from Clarkia breweri. However, the enzyme activity was not found in extracts from E. coli expressing BcCJS1. BcCJAS1 did not show extensive similarity to any genes with known function in the databases but it did contain three regions of amino acid sequence that are frequently found in amidotransferases. A third Cu-induced mRNA, Bcp6PGL, showed very high (86%) similarity to a putative 6-phosphogluconolactonase (6PGL) from Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition to Cu induction, BcCJS1 expression was induced by methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and salicylic acid (SA), BcCJAS1 expression by MeJA, SA and abscisic acid and Bcp6PGL expression by MeJA. The expression of all three genes increased after Alternaria brassicae infection. BcCJS1 and BcCJAS1 were induced within 1 h after MeJA- but not until 3 h after SA-treatment. The expression of both genes was systemically induced after infection with a compatible or incompatible fungal pathogen. SA systemically induced only BcCJAS1. The effects of various inhibitors of signalling pathways on expression of the three genes were studied.