Karn Sorasaenee

Gallium(III) corroles

Gallium(III) corroles are closed-shell analogs of zinc(II) porphyrins. These intensely fluorescent molecules can be modified readily to tune their solubility and photophysical properties. A water-soluble gallium corrole has been synthesized and investigated in depth; it binds tightly to human serum albumin, opening the possibility of using corroles as therapeutic agents as well as probes of biological structures.

Structural evidence for monodentate binding of guanine to the dirhodium(II,II) core in a manner akin to that of cisplatin

The reaction of Rh2(OAc)4(bpy) (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) with 9-ethylguanine (9-EtGH) proceeds with substitution of two acetate ligands to produce [Rh2(OAc)2(bpy)(9-EtGH)(H2O)2(CH3SO4)][CH3SO4]·(H2O) (1), which has been structurally characterized. In compound 1, the equatorial sites of one rhodium center are occupied by a chelating bpy molecule and 9-EtGH is equatorially coordinated via N(7) to the other rhodium center. The interaction of the 9-EtGH base with the dirhodium core is further stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the purine O(6) and the equatorial water molecule. The eight non-equivalent bpy proton resonances, as well as that of the purine H(8) (which shifts upfield upon coordination as compared to free 9-EtGH, due to bpy ring current effects), were assigned by means of 2D NMR spectroscopy. The pH titration curve of the H(8) proton reveals pH-independent behavior and a pKa value of 8.0 for N1–H deprotonation; both observations corroborate N(7) binding of the purine base to the dirhodium unit in solution. These findings indicate that, in the presence of a chelating agent that blocks one rhodium center, 9-EtGH binds to a single rhodium center in a monodentate fashion via N(7), instead of in a bridging fashion through the N(7) and O(6) sites as previously noted.

Decorating metal oxide surfaces with fluorescent chlorosulfonated corroles.

We have prepared 2,17-bis(chlorosulfonyl)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (1), 2,17-bis(chlorosulfonyl)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrolatoaluminum(III) (1-Al), and 2,17-bis(chlorosulfonyl)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrolatogallium(III) (1-Ga). The metal complexes 1-Al and 1-Ga were isolated and characterized by electronic absorption and NMR spectroscopies, as well as by mass spectrometry. Relative emission quantum yields for 1, 1-Al, and 1-Ga, determined in toluene, are 0.094, 0.127, and 0.099, respectively. Reactions between 1, 1-Al, and 1-Ga and TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) result in corrole-TiO2 NP conjugates. The functionalized NP surfaces were investigated by solid-state Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies and by confocal fluorescence imaging. The fluorescence images for 1-Al-TiO2 and 1-Ga-TiO2 suggest a promising application of these NP conjugates as contrast agents for noninvasive optical imaging.

Amphiphilic aluminium(III) and gallium(III) corroles

The preparation and spectroscopic properties of a series of metallocorroles with polar head groups CHO and CH=C(CN)(COOH) are reported, as well as the X-ray crystal structure of 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrolatoaluminium(III)bispyridine (triclinic space group (P-1) with unit cell parameters: a = 9.426(1) A; b = 13.202(1) A; c = 19.936(1) A; α = 74.19(1)°; β = 78.47(1)°; γ = 75.75(1)°; V = 2289.57(8) A^3). Amphiphilic aluminium(III) and gallium(III) corroles exhibit electronic absorption (Soret peaks between 410 and 448 nm; Q-bands between 584 and 638 nm) and fluorescence (band maxima between 634 and 706 nm) at lower energies than their hydrophobic analogs.

Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of a near-IR fluorescent corrole–TiO2 nanoconjugate

We are investigating the biological and biomedical imaging roles and impacts of fluorescent metallocorrole-TiO2 nanoconjugates as potential near-infrared optical contrast agents in vitro in cancer and normal cell lines. The TiO2 nanoconjugate labeled with the small molecule 2,17-bis(chlorosulfonyl)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrolato aluminum(III) (1-Al-TiO2) was prepared. The nanoparticle 1-Al-TiO2 was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and integrating-sphere electronic absorption spectroscopy. TEM images of three different samples of TiO2 nanoparticles (bare, H2O2 etched, and 1-Al functionalized) showed similarity in shapes and sizes with an average diameter of 29nm for 1-Al-TiO2. Loading of 1-Al on the TiO2 surfaces was determined to be ca. 20-40mg 1-Al/g TiO2. Confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) studies of luciferase-transfected primary human glioblastoma U87-Luc cells treated with the nanoconjugate 1-Al-TiO2 as the contrast agent in various concentrations were performed. The CFM images revealed that 1-Al-TiO2 was found inside the cancer cells even at low doses (0.02-2μg/mL) and localized in the cytosol. Bioluminescence studies of the U87-Luc cells exposed to various amounts of 1-Al-TiO2 showed minimal cytotoxic effects even at higher doses (2-2000μg/mL) after 24h. A similar observation was made using primary mouse hepatocytes (PMH) treated with 1-Al-TiO2 at low doses (0.0003-3μg/mL). Longer incubation times (after 48 and 72h for U87-Luc) and higher doses (>20μg/mL 1-Al-TiO2 for U87-Luc and >3μg/mL 1-Al-TiO2 for PMH) showed decreased cell viability.

A corrole nanobiologic elicits tissue-activated MRI contrast enhancement and tumor-targeted toxicity

Water-soluble corroles with inherent fluorescence can form stable self-assemblies with tumor-targeted cell penetration proteins, and have been explored as agents for optical imaging and photosensitization of tumors in pre-clinical studies. However, the limited tissue-depth of excitation wavelengths limits their clinical applicability. To examine their utility in more clinically-relevant imaging and therapeutic modalities, here we have explored the use of corroles as contrast enhancing agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and evaluated their potential for tumor-selective delivery when encapsulated by a tumor-targeted polypeptide. We have found that a manganese-metallated corrole exhibits significant T1 relaxation shortening and MRI contrast enhancement that is blocked by particle formation in solution but yields considerable MRI contrast after tissue uptake. Cell entry but not low pH enables this. Additionally, the corrole elicited tumor-toxicity through the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and cytoskeletal breakdown when delivered by the targeted polypeptide. The protein-corrole particle (which we call HerMn) exhibited improved therapeutic efficacy compared to current targeted therapies used in the clinic. Taken together with its tumor-preferential biodistribution, our findings indicate that HerMn can facilitate tumor-targeted toxicity after systemic delivery and tumor-selective MR imaging activatable by internalization.

Large field of view scanning fluorescence lifetime imaging system for multimode optical imaging of small animals

We describe a scanning fluorescence lifetime imaging (SFLIM) system that provides a large field of view (LFOV), using a femtosecond (fs) pulsed laser, for multi-mode optical imaging of small animals. Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) can be a useful optical method to distinguish between fluorophores inside small animals. However, difficulty arises when LFOV is required in FLIM using a fs pulsed laser for the excitation of the fluorophores at low wavelengths (<500nm), primarily because the field of view of the pulsed blue excitation light generated from the second harmonic of the fs pulsed light is limited to about a centimeter in diameter due to the severe scattering and absorption of the light inside tissues. Here, we choose a scanning method in order to acquire a FLIM image with LFOV as one alternative. In the SFLIM system, we used a conventional cooled CCD camera coupled to an ultra-fast time-gated intensifier, a tunable femtosecond laser for the excitation of fluorophores, and an x-y moving stage for scanning. Images acquired through scanning were combined into a single image and then this reconstructed image was compared with images obtained by spectral imaging. The resulting SFLIM system is promising as an alternative method for the FLIM imaging of small animals, containing fluorophores exited by blue light, for LFOV applications such as whole animal imaging.