The research project was developed following the implementation scheme already planned in the original proposal and in agreement to the Career Development Plan. Concerning the research program, the initial stage was devoted to the search and to the validation of an accurate quantum chemical protocol to investigate promising candidates molecules for PDT and to study antineoplastic agents displaying a dual action against cancer.
Work performed on expanded bacteriochlorins in order to assess whether some of recently synthesized dyes could be proposed as photosensitizers in PDT, was published in Molecules, 2016, 21, 288.
Another class of porphyrogenic macrocycles made of five pyrrolic rings linked by meso-like bridges, was investigated for their potential use both in photodynamic therapy and as likely photoactivated agent for water disinfection. The results of this investigation were published in Theor Chem Acc, 2016, 135:29.
The first two-component conjugate investigated during the action was a very interesting RuII-PtII assembly, in which a Ru polypyridine chromophore is functionalized by a cisplatin moiety We decided to undertake a detailed exploration of the photophysical properties of [(Ph2phen)2Ru(dpp)]2+ complex and of its assembly with cisplatin revealing that a successful synergistic effect exist between the two units. The outcomes of this exploration were published as Hot Paper in Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 9162-9168 and also presented as cover picture of the journal. Moreover, they were presented as poster communication on the occasion of the ESPA2016 conference (Castellón de la Plana, Spain, June 28 - July 1, 2016) and were also included in the oral speech given by the researcher at the EuCheMS Chemistry Congress (Sevilla, Spain, September 11-15 2016).
A class of Ru polypyridine dyads was studied during the action, in view of their ability to promote Type I/Type II photoreactions depending on the length of the organic chain bound to the metal centre. The outcomes of such exploration were published as full paper in Inorg. Chem. 2016, 55, 11185–11192. Moreover, the results were presented as Oral Communication during the ACS National Meeting (April 2-6 2017, San Francisco, USA).
Porphyrinoids systems combined with cisplatin-like compounds have also been explored during the individual fellowship. In particular, we started our investigation focusing on tetraplatinated porphyrins conjugates that have been recently synthesized and studied for their anticancer properties. Moreover, to propose a further advance in this novel field and give some insights useful for the design of new PSs with improved efficiency, we have also decided to introduce structural modification into the porphyrin dye evaluating the consequent changes in the chemical and photophysical properties. Results reveal that the designed dyes better meet the criteria to be successful in the PDT application.
The outcomes of such exploration were published in Chem. Eur. J. 2017, DOI 10.1002/chem.201702876 and were also included in the invited speech given by the researcher at the Theoretical Biophysics Conference 2017 (26-30, June 2017, Invited Lecture)
