Small gold nanoparticles for interfacial Staudinger-Bertozzi ligation

Bioorthogonal Reactions of Triarylphosphines and Related Analogues

Bioorthogonal phosphines were introduced in the context of the Staudinger ligation over 20 years ago. Since that time, phosphine probes have been used in myriad applications to tag azide-functionalized biomolecules. The Staudinger ligation also paved the way for the development of other phosphorus-based chemistries, many of which are widely employed in biological experiments. Several reviews have highlighted early achievements in the design and application of bioorthogonal phosphines. This review summarizes more recent advances in the field. We discuss innovations in classic Staudinger-like transformations that have enabled new biological pursuits. We also highlight relative newcomers to the bioorthogonal stage, including the cyclopropenone-phosphine ligation and the phospha-Michael reaction. The review concludes with chemoselective reactions involving phosphite and phosphonite ligations. For each transformation, we describe the overall mechanism and scope. We also showcase efforts to fine-tune the reagents for specific functions. We further describe recent applications of the chemistries in biological settings. Collectively, these examples underscore the versatility and breadth of bioorthogonal phosphine reagents.

Probing Multiscale Factors Affecting the Reactivity of Nanoparticle-Bound Molecules

The structures and physicochemical properties of surface-stabilizing molecules play a critical role in defining the properties, interactions, and functionality of hybrid nanomaterials such as monolayer-stabilized nanoparticles. Concurrently, the distinct surface-bound interfacial environment imposes very specific conditions on molecular reactivity and behavior in this setting. Our ability to probe hybrid nanoscale systems experimentally remains limited, yet understanding the consequences of surface confinement on molecular reactivity is crucial for enabling predictive nanoparticle synthon approaches for postsynthesis engineering of nanoparticle surface chemistry and construction of devices and materials from nanoparticle components. Here, we have undertaken an integrated experimental and computational study of the reaction kinetics for nanoparticle-bound hydrazones, which provide a prototypical platform for understanding chemical reactivity in a nanoconfined setting. Systematic variation of just one molecular-scale structural parameter-the distance between reactive site and nanoparticle surface-showed that the surface-bound reactivity is influenced by multiscale effects. Nanoparticle-bound reactions were tracked in situ using ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy, allowing direct comparison to the reactions of analogous substrates in bulk solution. The surface-confined reactions proceed more slowly than their solution-phase counterparts, and kinetic inhibition becomes more significant for reactive sites positioned closer to the nanoparticle surface. Molecular dynamics simulations allowed us to identify distinct supramolecular architectures and unexpected dynamic features of the surface-bound molecules that underpin the experimentally observed trends in reactivity. This study allows us to draw general conclusions regarding interlinked structural and dynamical features across several length scales that influence interfacial reactivity in monolayer-confined environments.

Nanoparticles and bioorthogonal chemistry joining forces for improved biomedical applications

Bioorthogonal chemistry comprises chemical reactions that can take place inside complex biological environments, providing outstanding tools for the investigation and elucidation of biological processes. Its use in combination with nanotechnology can lead to further developments in diverse areas of biomedicine, such as molecular bioimaging, targeted delivery, in situ drug activation, study of cell-nanomaterial interactions, biosensing, etc. Here, we summarise the recent efforts to bring together the unique properties of nanoparticles and the remarkable features of bioorthogonal reactions to create a toolbox of new or improved biomedical applications. We show how, by joining forces, bioorthogonal chemistry and nanotechnology can overcome some of the key current limitations in the field of nanomedicine, providing better, faster and more sensitive nanoparticle-based bioimaging and biosensing techniques, as well as therapeutic nanoplatforms with superior efficacy.

Rapid, user-friendly, and inexpensive detection of azidothymidine

Strict adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is very important to improve the quality of life for HIV-positive patients to reduce new infections and determine treatment success. Azidothymidine (AZT) is an antiretroviral drug commonly used in HAART treatment. In this research, an "add, mix, and measure" assay was developed to detect AZT within minutes. Three different probes designed to release fluorophores when samples containing AZT are added were synthesized and characterized. The limit of detection to AZT in simulated urine samples was determined to be 4 μM in 5 min for one of the probes. This simple and rapid point-of-care test could potentially be used by clinicians and health care workers to monitor the presence of AZT in low resource settings.

Nitrone-Modified Gold Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Their Potential as 18F-Labeled Positron Emission Tomography Probes via I-SPANC

A novel bioorthogonal gold nanoparticle (AuNP) template displaying interfacial nitrone functional groups for bioorthogonal interfacial strain-promoted alkyne-nitrone cycloaddition reactions has been synthesized. These nitrone-AuNPs were characterized in detail using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and a nanoparticle raw formula was calculated. The ability to control the conjugation of molecules of interest at the molecular level onto the nitrone-AuNP template allowed us to create a novel methodology for the synthesis of AuNP-based radiolabeled probes.

Fluorogenic Gold Nanoparticle (AuNP) Substrate: A Model for the Controlled Release of Molecules from AuNP Nanocarriers via Interfacial Staudinger-Bertozzi Ligation

The ability to regulate small-molecule release from metallic nanoparticle substrates offers unprecedented opportunities for nanocarrier-based imaging, sensing, and drug-delivery applications. Herein we report a novel and highly specific release methodology off gold nanoparticle (AuNP) surfaces based on the bioorthogonal Staudinger-Bertozzi ligation. A thiol ligand bearing the molecular cargo, a Rhodamine B dye derivative, was synthesized and used to modify small water-soluble 5 nm AuNPs. Upon incorporation into the AuNP monolayer, we observed efficient quenching of the dye emission, resulting in a very low level of fluorescence emission that provided the baseline from which cargo release was monitored. We examined the ability of these AuNPs to react with azide molecules via Staudinger-Bertozzi ligation on the nanoparticle surface by monitoring the fluorescence emission after the introduction of an organic azide. We observed an immediate increase in emission intensity upon azide addition, which corresponded to the release of the dye into the bulk solution. The ³¹P NMR spectrum of the AuNP product also agrees with the formation of the ligation product. Thus this system represents a novel and highly specific release methodology off AuNP surfaces that can have potential applications in drug delivery, sensing, and materials science.

Copper-assisted azide–alkyne cycloaddition chemistry as a tool for the production of emissive boron difluoride 3-cyanoformazanates

Emissive BF₂ complexes of 3-cyanoformazanates produced using CuAAC chemistry are described. Highlights include ferrocene-substituted derivatives with ‘turn-on’ fluorescence upon oxidation and a water soluble derivative with application as a cell-imaging agent.