abstract
Telomerase inhibition has been an important strategy in cancer therapies, but for which effective drugs are still required. Here, noncovalent hybrid nanoplatforms containing the tetracationic 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methyl-pyridinium-4-yl) porphyrin (TMPyP) and graphene oxide (GO) were prepared for promoting telomerase inhibition through the selective detection and stabilization of DNA guanine-quadruplex (G-Q) structures. Upon binding TMPyP to the GO sheets, the typical absorption bands of porphyrin have been red-shifted and the fluorescence emission was quenched. Raman mapping was used for the first time to provide new insights into the role of the electrostatic and pi-pi stacking interactions in the formation of such hybrids. The selective recovery of fluorescence observed during the titration of TMPyP@GO with G-Q, resembles a selective "turn-off-on" fluorescence sensor for the detection of G-Q, paving the way for a new class of antitumor drugs.
keywords
CATIONIC PORPHYRIN; PHOTOTHERMAL THERAPY; BRAIN CANCER; LIGANDS; FUNCTIONALIZATION; RECOGNITION; DERIVATIVES; TELOMERASE; SURFACE; RAMAN
subject category
Chemistry
authors
Monteiro, AR; Ramos, CIV; Fateixa, S; Moura, NMM; Neves, MGPMS; Trindade, T
our authors
Sara Fateixa
Junior Researcher
Tito Trindade
Full professoracknowledgements
The authors thank the University of Aveiro and FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) for financial support to the QOPNA research project (FCT UID/QUI/00062/2013) and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 (FCT ref UID/CTM/50011/2013), through national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. The authors also thank the Portuguese NMR Network. C.I.V.R., N.M.M.M., and S.F. thank FCT for their postdoctoral grants (SFRH/BPD/85092/2012, SFRH/BPD/84216/2012, and SFRH/BPD/93547/2013, respectively). The authors also acknowledge the technical assistance provided by Marta Ferro and Celeste Azevedo.