My PhD research activity, carried out under the supervision of Professor Paola Bonaccorsi, at the Department CHIBIOFARAM of the University of Messina, gave me the possibility to interact with other groups of research, enriching my work and myself. In the first chapter of this thesis, after a brief introduction on bichromophoric systems, carbohydrates and BODIPY dyes, I describe the synthesis of new bichromophoric systems hosting carbohydrate residues, their photophysical characterization and studies on their biological properties. After that, my interest toward luminescent antenna systems moved from carbohydrates toward Curcumin, the most abundant component of Curcuma Longa, known also as Turmeric. Curcumin was extensively studied for its numerous pharmacological activities but also because is a dye, exhibiting good optical and electrical properties, owing to a symmetric structure and a highly -electron delocalized system. In chapter two of this thesis, the synthesis of Curcumin-based bichromophoric systems is described, together with the study of their photophysical properties and some biological results I’ve obtained on these systems. Furthermore, during my PhD, I spent four months at the Newcastle University joining the research group of Dott. Fabio Cucinotta. I worked on the design, synthesis and characterization of a series of silica nanoparticles appropriately doped with the Curcumin-based luminescent dyes I’ve already prepared in the laboratory of Messina. Finally, the third chapter is concerned with the use of the sulfenic acid chemistry, which was already experienced by the research group of Messina, for conceiving Curcumin-derived sulfenic acids to be possibly employed in the detection of biothiols. This final chapter describes the generation of the Curcumin-based sulfenic moiety and its trapping of cysteine or GSH by the formation of a disulphide bond. The system Curc-SOH precursor/Curc-GSH seems to have photophysical characteristics that make it a promising candidate for the conception of a turn-off sensor of biothiols.

Synthesis, photophysical and biological properties of photoactive molecules possessing natural residues

SALERNO, TANIA MARIA GRAZIA
2018-11-16

Abstract

My PhD research activity, carried out under the supervision of Professor Paola Bonaccorsi, at the Department CHIBIOFARAM of the University of Messina, gave me the possibility to interact with other groups of research, enriching my work and myself. In the first chapter of this thesis, after a brief introduction on bichromophoric systems, carbohydrates and BODIPY dyes, I describe the synthesis of new bichromophoric systems hosting carbohydrate residues, their photophysical characterization and studies on their biological properties. After that, my interest toward luminescent antenna systems moved from carbohydrates toward Curcumin, the most abundant component of Curcuma Longa, known also as Turmeric. Curcumin was extensively studied for its numerous pharmacological activities but also because is a dye, exhibiting good optical and electrical properties, owing to a symmetric structure and a highly -electron delocalized system. In chapter two of this thesis, the synthesis of Curcumin-based bichromophoric systems is described, together with the study of their photophysical properties and some biological results I’ve obtained on these systems. Furthermore, during my PhD, I spent four months at the Newcastle University joining the research group of Dott. Fabio Cucinotta. I worked on the design, synthesis and characterization of a series of silica nanoparticles appropriately doped with the Curcumin-based luminescent dyes I’ve already prepared in the laboratory of Messina. Finally, the third chapter is concerned with the use of the sulfenic acid chemistry, which was already experienced by the research group of Messina, for conceiving Curcumin-derived sulfenic acids to be possibly employed in the detection of biothiols. This final chapter describes the generation of the Curcumin-based sulfenic moiety and its trapping of cysteine or GSH by the formation of a disulphide bond. The system Curc-SOH precursor/Curc-GSH seems to have photophysical characteristics that make it a promising candidate for the conception of a turn-off sensor of biothiols.
16-nov-2018
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11570/3131194
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