Photoexcitation of the methionine-iron bond in iron(III) cytochrome c: bimolecular reaction with NADH

Conditionally Activatable Photoredox Catalysis in Living Systems

The transformational effect of photoredox catalytic chemistries has inspired new opportunities, enabling us to interrogate nature in ways that are not possible otherwise and to unveil new biotechnologies in therapy and diagnosis. However, the deployment of artificial photoredox catalysis in living systems remains challenging, mired by the off-target risk and safety concerns of photocatalyst toxicity. Here, we present an appealing approach, namely conditionally activatable photoredox catalysis (ConAPC), and as a proof of concept design the first ConAPC architecture (Se-NO₂) based upon classic self-immolative chemistry, in which the inherent photocatalytic properties can be temporarily caged while the species becomes active only at the tumor sites via sensing to specific biomarkers. Such a masking strategy allows a spatial-temporal control of photoresponsivity in vitro and in vivo. In particular, for ConAPC design, a new biologically benign metal-free photocatalyst (Se-NH₂), which is able to initiate NIR photoredox catalysis to manipulate the cellular electron pool in an O₂-independent mechanism of action, is identified. With this unique strategy, potent tumor-specific targeting photocatalytic eradication (TGI: 95%) is obtained in a mouse model. Impressively, favorable features such as high-resolution tumor recognition (SBR: 33.6) and excellent biocompatibility and safety are also achieved. This work therefore offers a new possibility for chemists to leverage artificial photocatalytic reactions toward the development of facile and intelligent photocatalytic theranostics.

XeCl laser action at medium fluences on biological tissues: fluorescence study and simulation with a chemical solution

A rat heart, isolated and perfused, was irradiated with a XeCl excimer laser at 308 nm. The evolution of the fluorescence spectrum was measured. For an incident energy E greater than 4 kJ m-2 per pulse the fluorescence changed with time in a complex and spectrally non-uniform way. The proposed interpretation is that the radiation acts on the cellular respiratory chain. Buffered solutions of NADH, cytochrome c and FAD, which play a role in the respiratory chain, were irradiated in order to simulate the in vivo findings. The conclusion of this study is that XeCl radiation introduces a modification in the functioning of the respiratory chain: it accelerates electron transfer, but this quickly leads to an interruption of the respiratory chain.