Reversible Photocontrol of Microtubule Stability by Spiropyran-Conjugated Tau-Derived Peptides

New Triphenylphosphonium Salts of Spiropyrans: Synthesis and Photochromic Properties

The most important area of modern pharmacology is the targeted delivery of drugs, and one of the most promising classes of chemical compounds for creating drugs of this kind are the photochromic spiropyrans, capable of light-controlled biological activity. This work is devoted to the synthesis and study of the photochromic properties of new triphenylphosphonium salts of spiropyrans. It was found that all the synthesized cationic spiropyrans have high photosensitivity, increased resistance to photodegradation and the ability for photoluminescence.

Photoresponsive peptide materials: Spatiotemporal control of self-assembly and biological functions

Peptides work as both functional molecules to modulate various biological phenomena and self-assembling artificial materials. The introduction of photoresponsive units to peptides allows the spatiotemporal remote control of their structure and function upon light irradiation. This article overviews the photoresponsive peptide design, interaction with biomolecules, and applications in self-assembling materials over the last 30 years. Peptides modified with photochromic (photoisomerizable) molecules, such as azobenzene and spiropyran, reversibly photo-controlled the binding to biomolecules and nanostructure formation through self-assembly. Photocleavable molecular units irreversibly control the functions of peptides through cleavage of the main chain and deprotection by light. Photocrosslinking between peptides or between peptides and other biomolecules enhances the structural stability of peptide assemblies and complexes. These photoresponsive peptides spatiotemporally controlled the formation and dissociation of peptide assemblies, gene expressions, protein-drug interactions, protein-protein interactions, liposome deformation and motility, cytoskeleton structure and stability, and cell functions by appropriate light irradiation. These molecular systems can be applied to photo-control biological functions, molecular robots, artificial cells, and next-generation smart drug delivery materials.