Photoactivated DNA cleavage and anticancer activity of oxovanadium(IV) complexes of curcumin

Oxovanadi um(IV) complexes VO(Fc-pic)(acac)](ClO4) (1), VO(Fc-pic)(cur)](ClO4) (2), VO(Ph-pic)(acac)](ClO4) (3) and VO(Ph-pic)(cur)](ClO4) (4), where Fc-pic and Ph-pic are ferrocenylmethyl-bis-(2-pyridylmethylamine) (in 1, 2) and bis-(2-pyridylmethyl)benzylamine (in 3, 4), respectively, acac is acetylacetonate anion (in 1, 3) and cur is curcumin anion (in 2, 4) were prepared, characterized and their photo-induced DNA cleavage and anticancer activity studied. The crystal structure of 1 as its PF6 salt (1a) shows the presence of a VO2+ moiety in VO3N3 coordination geometry. The complexes show a d-d band at similar to 790 nm in DMF and display V(IV)/V(III) redox couple near -1.45 V vs. SCE in DMF-0.1 M TBAP. The complexes are avid binders to calf thymus DNA. Complex 2 efficiently photo-cleaves plasmid DNA in near-IR light of 785 nm forming (OH)-O-center dot radicals. The curcumin complexes show photocytotoxicity in HeLa cancer cells in visible light of 400-700 nm with significant cellular uptake within 4 h of incubation time.

Nanoindentation studies on waveguides inscribed in chalcogenide glasses using ultrafast laser

Optical straight waveguides are inscribed in GeGaS and GeGaSSb glasses using a high repetition-rate sub-picosecond laser. The mechanical properties of the glasses in the inscribed regions, which have undergone photo induced changes, have been evaluated by using the nanoindentation technique. Results show that the hardness and elastic modulus of the photo-modified glasses are significantly lower as compared to the other locations in the waveguide, which tend to be similar to those of the unexposed areas. The observed mechanical effects are found to correlate well with the optical properties of the waveguides. Further, based on the results, the minimum threshold values of hardness and elastic modulus for the particular propagation mode of the waveguide (single or multi), has been established.

Channel II photocurrent quantification in narrow optical gap polymer-fullerene solar cells with complimentary acceptor absorption

Most charge generation studies on organic solar cells focus on the conventional mode of photocurrent generation derived from light absorption in the electron donor component (so called channel I). In contrast, relatively little attention has been paid to the alternate generation pathway: light absorption in the electron acceptor followed by photo-induced hole transfer (channel II). By using the narrow optical gap polymer poly(3,6-dithieno3,2-b] thiophen-2-yl)-2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-pyrrolo- 3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione-5',5 `'-diyl-alt-4,8-bis(dodecyloxy) benzo1,2-b:4,5-b'] dithiophene-2,6-diyl with two complimentary fullerene absorbers; phenyl-C-61-butyric acid methyl ester, and phenyl-C-71-butyric acid methyl ester (70-PCBM), we have been able to quantify the photocurrent generated each of the mechanisms and find a significant fraction (>30%), which is derived in particular from 70-PCBM light absorption.

Tuning ultrafast photoresponse of gold nanorods

Nondegenerate pump probe differential transmission experiments on gold nanorods with varying longitudinal surface plasmon resonance have revealed a new phenomenon where the polarity of the transient transmission signal can be reversibly switched between photo bleaching and photo-induced absorption by controlling probe fluence. Under the usual case where probe fluences are nominal, photo bleaching effect is observed for the nanorods with longitudinal surface plasmon resonance energy smaller than the probe photon energy. The laser-induced melting of the nanorods or change in their shape is ruled out for the observed optical switching effect. A quantitative understanding of the results is attempted by invoking a cascaded two-photon absorption dominant beyond a threshold probe fluence of similar to 75 mu J/cm(2).

Optically active heterostructures of graphene and ultrathin MoS2

Here we present the fabrication and characterization of a new class of hybrid devices where the constituents are graphene and ultrathin molybdenum di-sulphide (MoS2). This device is one of the simplest member of a family of hybrids where the desirable electrical characteristics of graphene such as high mobility are combined with optical activity of semiconductors. We find that in the presence of an optically active substrate, considerable photoconductivity is induced in graphene which is persistent up to a time scale of at least several hours. This photo induced memory can be erased by the application of a suitable gate voltage pulse. This memory operation is stable for many cycles. We present a theoretical model based on localized states in MoS2 which explains the data. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of ultraviolet pulse rate dependent photomechanical actuation in carbon nanotubes using fiber Bragg gratings

In this Letter, we present a non-contact method of controlling and monitoring photomechanical actuation in carbon nanotubes (CNT) by exposing it to ultra-violet radiation at different pulse rates (10 to 200 Hz). This is accomplished by imparting a reversible photo induced strain (5-330 mu epsilon) on CNT coated fibre Bragg gratings; CNT undergoes an internal reversible structural change due to cyclic photon absorption that leads to the development of mechanical strain, which in turn allows reversible switching of the Bragg wavelength. The results also reveal an interesting pulse rate dependent rise and fall times of photomechanical actuation in CNT. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Photoactivated cytotoxicity of ferrocenyl-terpyridine oxovanadium(IV) complexes of curcuminoids

Oxovanadium(IV) complexes, viz. VO(Fc-tpy)(Curc)](ClO4) (1), VO(Fc-tpy)(bDHC)](ClO4) (2), VO(Fc-tpy)(bDMC)](ClO4) (3) and VO(Ph-tpy)(Curc)](ClO4) (4), of 4'-ferrocenyl-2,2':6',2 `'-terpyridine (Fc-tpy) and 4'-phenyl-2,2':6',2 `'-terpyridine (Ph-tpy) and monoanionic curcumin (Curc), bis-dehydroxycurcmin (bDHC) and bis-demethoxycurcumin (bDMC) were prepared, characterized and their photo-induced DNA cleavage activity and photocytotoxicity in visible light studied. The ferrocenyl complexes 1-3 showed an intense metal-to-ligand charge transfer band near 585 nm in DMF and displayed Fc(+)/Fc and V(IV)/V(III) redox couples near 0.65 V and -1.05 V vs. SCE in DMF-0.1 M TBAP. The complexes as avid binders to calf thymus DNA showed significant photocleavage of plasmid DNA in red light of 647 nm forming (OH)-O-center dot radicals. The complexes showed photocytotoxicity in HeLa and Hep G2 cancer cells in visible light of 400-700 nm with low dark toxicity. ICP-MS and fluorescence microscopic studies exhibited significant cellular uptake of the complexes within 4 h of treatment with complexes. The treatment with complex 1 resulted in the formation of reactive oxygen species inside the HeLa cells which was evidenced from the DCFDA assay. (C) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

A quinazoline derivative as quick-response red-shifted reporter for nanomolar Al3+ and applicable to living cell staining

A newly synthesized and structurally characterized quinazoline derivative (L) has been shown to act as a quick-response chemosensor for Al3+ with a high selectivity over other metal ions in water-DMSO. In the presence of Al3+, L shows a red-shifted ratiometric enhancement in fluorescence as a result of internal charge transfer and chelation-enhanced fluorescence through the inhibition of a photo-induced electron transfer mechanism. This probe detects Al3+ at concentrations as low as 1.48 nM in 100 mM HEPES buffer (DMSO-water, 1 : 9 v/v) at biological pH with a very short response time (15-20 s). L was applied to biological imaging to validate its utility as a fluorescent probe for monitoring Al3+ ions in living cells, illustrating its value in practical environmental and biological systems.

Synthesis, X-ray structure and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of Cu(I/II) complexes of thiosemicarbazone: special emphasis on their interactions with DNA

4-(p-X-phenyl)thiosemicarbazone of napthaldehyde {where X = Cl (HL1) and X = Br (HL2)}, thiosemicarbazone of quinoline-2-carbaldehyde (HL3) and 4-(p-fluorophenyl) thiosemicarbazone of salicylaldehyde (H2L4) and their copper(I) {Cu(HL1)(PPh3)(2)Br]center dot CH3CN (1) and Cu(HL2)(PPh3)(2)Cl]center dot DMSO (2)} and copper(II) {((Cu2L2Cl)-Cl-3)(2)(mu-Cl)(2)]center dot 2H(2)O (3) and Cu(L-4)(Py)] (4)} complexes are reported herein. The synthesized ligands and their copper complexes were successfully characterized by elemental analysis, cyclic voltammetry, NMR, ESI-MS, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Molecular structures of all the Cu(I) and Cu(II) complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography. All the complexes (1-4) were tested for their ability to exhibit DNA-binding and - cleavage activity. The complexes effectively interact with CT-DNA possibly by groove binding mode, with binding constants ranging from 10(4) to 10(5) M-1. Among the complexes, 3 shows the highest chemical (60%) as well as photo-induced (80%) DNA cleavage activity against pUC19 DNA. Finally, the in vitro antiproliferative activity of all the complexes was assayed against the HeLa cell line. Some of the complexes have proved to be as active as the clinical referred drugs, and the greater potency of 3 may be correlated with its aqueous solubility and the presence of the quinonoidal group in the thiosemicarbazone ligand coordinated to the metal.

Significant photocytotoxic effect of an iron(III) complex of a Schiff base ligand derived from vitamin B-6 and thiosemicarbazide in visible light

Iron(III)-Schiff base complexes, namely, Fe(tsc-py)(2)](NO3) (1), Fe(tsc-acpy)(2)](NO3) (2) and Fe(tsc-VB6)(2)](NO3) (3), where tsc-py, tsc-acpy and tsc-VB6 are the respective Schiff bases derived from thiosemicarbazide (tsc) and pyridine-2-aldehyde (tsc-py), 2-acetyl pyridine (tsc-acpy) and vitamin B-6 (pyridoxal, tsc-VB6), have been prepared, structurally characterized and their photocytotoxicity studied in cancer HeLa cells. The single crystal X-ray structures of the complexes 1 and 2 show a distorted octahedral geometry formed by the FeN4S2 core. The low-spin and 1 : 1 electrolytic complexes display a broad absorption band in the visible region. Complexes 1 and 2, without any VB6 moiety are not cytotoxic under light or dark conditions. Complex 3 is significantly photocytotoxic under visible light of 400-700 nm giving an IC50 value of 22.5 mu M in HeLa cells with no dark toxicity (IC50 > 100 mu M). The photo-induced cell death is attributable to apoptotic pathways involving photo-assisted generation of intracellular ROS. The observed photocytotoxicity of complex 3 could be the result of its better photosensitizing property combined with its enhanced uptake into cancer cells via a VB6 transporting membrane carrier (VTC) mediated diffusion pathway due to the presence of the VB6 moiety compared to the two non-vitamin B-6 analogues, complexes 1 and 2.

Effect of laser irradiation on the optical properties of As40Sb15Se45 chalcogenide thin films

The exposure with band gap light of thermally evaporated As40Sb15Se45 amorphous film of 800 nm thickness, were found to be accompanied by optical changes. The as-prepared and illuminated thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The optical band gap was reduced due to photo induced effects along with the increase in disorder. These optical properties changes are due to the change of homopolar bond densities. The core level peak shifting in XPS spectra and Raman shift supports the optical changes happening in the film due to light exposure.

TiO2-RGO hybrid nanomaterials for enhanced water splitting reaction

The production of H-2 via photocatalytic water splitting reaction has attracted a great attention as a clean and renewable energy for next generation. Despite tremendous efforts, the present challenge for materials scientist is to develop highly active photo catalysts for splitting of water at low cost. This article reports the synthesis of TiO2-reduced graphene oxide hybrid nanomaterials through ionothermal method using functionalized ionic liquid for the enhanced hydrogen generation via water splitting reaction. The structural and morphological properties of the samples were investigated by XFtD, Raman spectroscopy, TG-DTA, UV-vis spectroscopy and TEM. A substantial increase of H-2 evolution was observed for TiO2-reduced graphene oxide hybrid nanomaterials. This is due to the high migration efficiency of photo-induced electrons and the inhibition of charge carrier recombination due to the electronic interaction between TiO2 and reduced graphene oxide. i.e, reduced graphene oxide acts as an electron-acceptor which effectively hinders the electron hole pair recombination of TiO2. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of laser irradiation on optical properties of Ge12Sb25Se63 amorphous chalcogenide thin films

The change in photo-induced optical properties in thermally evaporated Ge12Sb25Se63 chalcogenide thin film under 532-nm laser illumination has been reported in this paper. The structure and composition of the film have been examined by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, respectively. The optical properties such as refractive index, extinction coefficient and thickness of the films have been determined from the transmission spectra based on inverse synthesis method and the optical band gap has been derived from optical absorption spectra using the Tauc plot. It has been found that the mechanism of the optical absorption is due to allowed indirect transition. The optical band gap increases by 0.05 eV causing photo-bleaching mechanism, while refractive index decreases because of reduction in structural disordering. Deconvolution of Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectra into several peaks provides different structural units, which supports the optical photo-bleaching.

Effect of Te Addition into As2Se3 Thin Film: Optical Property Study by FTIR and XPS.

In the present work, we report the effect of Te deposition onto As2Se3 film which affects the optical properties. The Te/As2Se3 film was illuminated with 532 nm laser to study the photo induced diffusion. The prepared As2Se3, Te/As2Se3 films were characterized by X-ray diffraction which show a completely amorphous nature. On the basis of optical transmission data carried out by Fourier Transform infrared Spectroscopy, a non direct transition was found for these films. The optical bandgap is found to be decreased with Te deposition and photo darkening phenomena is observed for the diffused film. The change in the optical constants are also supported by the corresponding change in different types of bonds which are being analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Endoplasmic reticulum targeting tumour selective photocytotoxic oxovanadium(IV) complexes having vitamin-B6 and acridinyl moieties

Oxovanadium(IV) complexes of vitamin-B6 Schiff base, viz., VO(HL1/L-2/L-3)(B)] Cl (1-4), where B is 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy in 1 and 2), 11-(9-acridinyl)dipyrido3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine (acdppz in 3 and 4), H2L1 center dot HCl is 3-hydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-4-(((2-hydroxyphenyl)imino)methyl)-2-methylp yridin-1-ium chloride (in 1 and 4), HL2 is 2-(((2-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)ethyl) imino)methyl) phenol (in 2) and HL3 is 4-(((2-(1H-imidazol-4- yl)ethyl)imino)methyl)-5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-3-ol (in 3) were synthesized, characterized and their cellular uptake, photo-activated cytotoxicity and intracellular localization were studied. Complexes 1a, as the perchlorate salt of 1, and 2a, as the hexafluorophosphate salt of 2, were structurally characterized. Vitamin-B6 transporting membrane carrier (VTC) mediated entry into tumour cells in preference to the normal ones seems to be responsible for the higher cellular uptake of the complexes into HeLa and MCF-7 cells over MCF-10A cells. Complexes 3 and 4 having acdppz as the photosensitizer exhibit remarkable photocytotoxicity in these cancer cells giving IC50 of < 0.9 mu M. The complexes remain non-toxic in the dark. The complexes show photo-induced apoptotic cell death via singlet oxygen (O-1(2)) generation. Fluorescence microscopy reveals specific localization of complex 4 to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and generation of O-1(2) possibly leads to apoptotic cell death by triggering ER stress response (ERSR).