Spectroscopic properties and singlet oxygen production by the compound ethyl 3,12-dioxopyran[3,2-a]xanthone-2-carboxylate.

The steady state and time resolved experiments together with absorption and emission spectroscopies and quantum chemical calculations have been employed to investigate spectroscopic properties of a xanthone-type compound (ethyl 3,12-dioxopyran[3,2-a]xanthone-2-carboxylate). The spectroscopic data show good agreement with results obtained from quantum chemical calculations. Additionally, this compound shows expressive quantum efficiency for triplet population and a quantum efficiency of singlet oxygen generation very close to unity. Correlations between the nature of singlet and triplet excited states and spectroscopic properties were performed in order to understand the high quantum efficiency of singlet oxygen generation by this compound.

Phagocytosis of PLGA microparticles in rat peritoneal exudate cells: a time-dependent study.

With the purpose of enhancing the efficacy of microparticle-encapsulated therapeutic agents, in this study we evaluated the phagocytic ability of rat peritoneal exudate cells and the preferential location of poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles inside these cells. The microparticles used were produced by a solvent evaporation method and were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Size distribution analysis using DLS and SEM showed that the particles were spherical, with diameters falling between 0.5 and 1.5 mum. Results from cell adhesion by SEM assay, indicated that the PLGA microparticles are not toxic to cells and do not cause any distinct damage to them as confirmed by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. Among the large variety of cell populations found in the peritoneal exudates (neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and macrophages), TEM showed that only the latter phagocytosed PLGA microparticles, in a time-dependent manner. The results obtained indicate that the microparticles studied show merits as possible carriers of drugs for intracellular delivery.

Solvent effects on the photophysics of 3-(benzoxazol-2-yl)-7-(N,N-diethylamino)chromen-2-one.

The photophysics of 3-(benzoxazol-2-yl)-7-(N,N-diethylamino)chromen-2-one was studied in different solvents and in SDS micelles. This compound presents characteristics which include an S(0)---> S(1) ( pi,pi*) transition with a (1)(n,pi*) perturbative component, due to the electronic coupling between the diethylamino group and the coumarin ring, considerable solvatochromism, dual fluorescence and high fluorescence quantum yields in almost all solvents studied. The electronic structure of the S(1) and S(2) excited states permits vibronic coupling between them, making configurational changes of the S(2) excited state possible, leading to the formation of an S(2)(TICT) state. Analysis of the TCSPC data indicates an equilibrium between the S(2)(TICT) and S(1)(LE) states in favour of the former. In protic solvents, the hydrogen bonding between the solvent and the diethylamino moiety results in the formation of an S(2)(HICT) state, making internal conversion an important deactivation process. Quantum mechanical calculations for the isolated molecule show that the diethylamino group in the S(2)(TICT) state is twisted at least 56 degree from the plane of the coumarin ring, with partial electronic decoupling between -NEt(2) and the coumarin ring. This twisting angle must be positively influenced by solute-solvent interactions. [capital Phi](ST) is found to be small, but not negligible. However, Phi (delta) can be considered negligible, an indication that T(1) is a short-lived state. Based on the experimental data and theoretical calculations, the most probable sequence for the first excited states, including the TICT state, is T(1)(n, pi*) < S(2)(TICT) < S(1)(pi,pi*) approximate S(2) (n,pi*).