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Supramolecular polymerizations mimicking native systems, which are step-by-step constructions to form self-aggregates, were recently developed. However, a general system to successively and spontaneously form self-aggregates from monomeric species remains challenging. Here, we report a photoinduced supramolecular polymerization system as a biomimetic formation of chlorophyll aggregates which are the main light-harvesting antennas in photosynthetic green bacteria, called "chlorosomes". In this system, inert chlorophyll derivatives were UV-irradiated to gradually produce active species through deprotection. Such active monomers spontaneously assembled to form fiberlike chlorosomal self-aggregates in a similar manner as a dynamic growth of natural chlorosomal self-aggregates. The study would be useful for elucidation of the formation process of the chlorosomal aggregates and construction of other supramolecular structures in nature.

Chlorosomes are unique light-harvesting apparatuses in photosynthetic green bacteria. Single chlorosomes contain a large number of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl)-c, -d, -e, and -f molecules, which self-assemble without protein assistance. These BChl self-assemblies involving specific intermolecular interactions (Mg⋅⋅⋅O3 2 -H⋅⋅⋅O=C13 1 and π-π stacks of chlorin skeletons) in a chlorosome have been reported to be round-shaped rods (or tubes) with diameters of 5 or 10 nm, or lamellae with a layer spacing of approximately 2 nm. Herein, the self-assembly of synthetic zinc BChl-d analogues having ester, amide, and urea groups in the 17-substituent is reported. Spectroscopic analyses indicate that the zinc BChl-d analogues self-assemble in a nonpolar organic solvent in a similar manner to natural chlorosomal BChls with additional assistance by hydrogen-bonding of secondary amide (or urea) groups (CON-H⋅⋅⋅O=CNH). Microscopic analyses of the supramolecules of a zinc BChl-d analogue bearing amide and urea groups show round- or square-shaped rods with widths of about 65 nm. Cryogenic TEM shows a lamellar arrangement of the zinc chlorin with a layer spacing of 1.5 nm inside the rod. Similar thick rods are also visible in the micrographs of self-assemblies of zinc BChl-d analogues with one or two secondary amide moieties in the 17-substituent., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Zinc methyl 3-aminomethyl- and 3-(1-aminoethyl)-pyropheophorbides-a were prepared by modifying naturally occurring chlorophyll-a. The synthetic amino-analogs of bacteriochlorophyll-d self-aggregated in an aqueous micelle solution to give large oligomers with red-shifted and broadened electronic absorption bands. The spectra of these self-aggregates were similar to those of bacteriochlorophyll self-aggregates in the main light-harvesting antennas of green photosynthetic bacteria. The 3(1)-amino groups were alternative to the 3(1)-hydroxy groups in natural bacteriochlorophylls-c/d/e/f., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

With the knowledge that the dominant photodynamic therapy (PDT) mechanism of 1a (WST09) switched from type 2 to type 1 for 1b (WST11) upon taurine-driven E-ring opening, we hypothesized that taurine-driven E-ring opening of bacteriochlorophyll derivatives and net-charge variations would modulate reactive oxygen species (ROS) photogeneration. Eight bacteriochlorophyll a derivatives were synthesized with varying charges that either contained the E ring (2a-5a) or were synthesized by taurine-driven E-ring opening (2b-5b). Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) modeling showed that all derivatives would be type 2 PDT-active, and ROS-activated fluorescent probes were used to investigate the photogeneration of a combination of type 1 and type 2 PDT ROS in organic- and aqueous-based solutions. These investigations validated our predictive modeling calculations and showed that taurine-driven E-ring opening and increasing negative charge generally enhanced ROS photogeneration in aqueous solutions. We propose that these structure-activity relationships may provide simple strategies for designing bacteriochlorins that efficiently generate ROS upon photoirradiation.

Bacteriochlorophyll(BChl)-f which has not yet been found in natural phototrophs was prepared by chemically modifying chlorophyll-b. The retention time of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography of the synthetic monomeric BChl-f as well as its visible absorption and fluorescence emission spectra in a solution were identified and compared with other naturally occurring chlorophyll pigments obtained from the main light-harvesting antenna systems of green sulfur bacteria, BChls-c/d/e. Based on the above data, BChl-f was below the level of detection in three strains of green photosynthetic bacteria producing BChl-e.

The 3- and 7-formyl groups of chlorophyll-d (Chl-d) and bacteriochlorophyll-e (BChl-e), respectively, were regioselectively labeled with an isotopically stable oxygen-18 (¹⁸O) atom to give 3¹-¹⁸O-labeled Chl-d and 7¹-¹⁸O-labeled BChl-e (ca. 90% ¹⁸O) by exchanging the carbonyl oxygen atoms in the presence of acidic H₂ ¹⁸O (ca. 95% ¹⁸O). Another photosynthetically active chlorophyll, BChl-a possessing the 3-acetyl group was treated under similar acidic conditions to afford a trace amount of 3¹-¹⁸O-labeled BChl-a and further demetallated compound, the corresponding 3¹-¹⁸O-labeled bacteriopheophytin-a as the major product with 55% ¹⁸O-degree. The FT-IR spectra of ¹⁸O-(un)labeled chlorophylls in the solution and the solid states showed that the 3- and 7-carbonyl stretching vibration modes moved to about a 30-cm⁻¹ lower wavenumber by ¹⁸O-labeling at the 3¹- and 7¹-oxo moieties. In artificial chlorosome-like self-aggregates of BChl-e, the ¹⁸O-labeled 7-carbonyl stretching mode was completely resolved from the specially hydrogen-bonded 13-C=O stretching mode, evidently indicating no interaction of the 7-CHO with other functional groups in the supramolecules.

The syntheses of novel near-infrared (NIR) dyes with excellent optical properties in biological tissues have driven the continued improvement of fluorescence imaging of deeply seated tumors. Bacteriochlorophyll a (Bchl), a dye synthesized by the phototrophic bacteria, R. sphaeroids, is particularly suited for deep tissue imaging due to its high absorbance coefficient and good fluorescence quantum yield in the NIR spectrum. However, obstacles that impede the development of this fluorophore are its poor stability and lack of tumor specificity. These issues ultimately limit its utility for tumor detection. Herein we describe a robust synthesis of a novel Bchl analog, bacteriochlorin e(6) bisoleate (BchlBOA), which is chemically stable, has excellent photophysical properties (ex, 752 nm; em, 762 nm) and is tailored for the incorporation into a tumor targetable high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-like nanoparticle (NP). Incorporating BchlBOA into HDL (HDL-BchlBOA) yielded 12 nm sized particles, corresponding well with the diameter of native HDL. Functional cell uptake studies showed that HDL-BchlBOA was taken up by cells expressing the HDL receptor, scavenger receptor B type I (SR-BI), and was inhibited by 25-fold excess native HDL. Furthermore, the NP was successfully detected in KB cancer cells both in vitro and in tumor xenografts. Taken together, these results demonstrate that we successfully synthesized and formulated a stable analog of Bchl that is capable of being incorporated within HDL-like NPs for tumor-targeted imaging.

Zinc 2(1)- and 3(1)-hydroxy-13-carbonylhexaethylporphyrins 2 and 3 were synthesized by modifying easily available octaethylporphyrin, and the HPLC-separated regioisomers were fully characterized. The latter compound 3(1)-OH-13-C=O-3, which structurally resembled naturally self-aggregative bacteriochlorophyll-d (3(1)-OH/13-C=O), was preferable to make ordered J-aggregates in the solid film, compared to its regioisomeric 2(1)-OH-13-C=O-2. In contrast, more ordered oligomers were obtained by self-aggregation of zinc porphyrin 1 possessing the interactive moieties (3(1)-OH, Zn, 13-C=O) at the same positions, which was prepared by modifying natural chlorophyll-a molecule. The difference between self-aggregation of 1 and 3 was ascribable to the methyl and ethyl groups attached at the 2-position neighboring the 3(1)-OH group which is requisite for self-aggregation; the steric environment around the interactive OH group is important to make highly ordered supramolecules through strong molecular packings.

A simple synthetic route for converting chlorophyll(Chl)-a to bacteriochlorophyll(BChl)-c is described. Methyl bacteriopheophorbide(MBPhe)-d, easily obtained from Chl-a, was selectively brominated at the 20-position with pyridinium tribromide, and the following Suzuki-coupling with methylboronic acid afforded ca. a 4:1 mixture of desired MBPhe-c (20-Me) and debrominated MBPhe-d (20-H) in quantitative yield. Separation of MBPhe-c, transesterification of the 17-propionate group (Me --> farnesyl), and magnesium insertion successfully led to naturally occurring BChl-c.

Acaryochloris marina is a unique photosynthetic prokaryote containing chlorophyll(Chl)-d as a major photoactive pigment (over 95%). The molecular structure of Chl-d is proposed as the 3-formyl analog of Chl-a. However, the stereochemistry of Chl-d at the 13(2)-, 17- and 18-positions has not yet been established unambiguously. In the first part of this paper, we describe the determination of their stereochemistries to be 13(2)-(R)-, 17-(S)- and 18-(S)-configurations by using 1H-1H NOE correlations in 1H-NMR and circular dichroism spectra as well as chemical modification of Chl-a to produce stereochemically defined Chl derivatives. In the second part of the paper, we report a facile synthesis of a self-aggregative Chl by modifying isolated Chl-d. Since Chl-d was characterized by its reactive 3-formyl group, the formyl group was reduced with t-BuNH2BH3 to afford the desirable Chl, 3-deformyl-3-hydroxymethyl-pyrochlorophyll-d (3(1)-OH-pyroChl-d). The synthetic 3(1)-OH-pyroChl-d molecules spontaneously self-organized to form well-ordered aggregates in a non-polar organic solvent. The self-aggregates are a good model of major light-harvesting antenna systems of green photosynthetic bacteria, chlorosomes, in terms of the following three findings. (1) Both the red-shifted electronic absorption band above 750 nm and its induced reverse S-shape CD signal around 750 nm were observed in 0.5% (v/v) THF-cyclohexane. (2) The stretching mode of the 13-carbonyl group was downshifted by about 35 cm(-1) from the wavenumber of its free carbonyl. (3) The self-aggregates were quite stable on titration of pyridine to the suspension, in comparison with those of natural chlorosomal bacteriochlorophyll-d possessing the 3-(1-hydroxyethyl) group.

Aim: Understanding the modes and activities of metal bacterial chlorophylls as PHD sensitizers with DNA., Methods: The modes and activities of the interaction of DNA and metal complexes of bacterial chlorophyll, which have been prepared by extraction and synthesis reaction, have been discussed according to the ultraviolet-visual spectrum and nucleic acid electrophoresis., Results: It indicates that the system of DNA and metal complexes have enchanced the interaction by the ultraviolet-visual spectrum. At the same time, it also indicates that metal complexes of bacterial chlorophyll and DNA have different combining way and have strong cutting effect in illumination by the nucleic acid electrophoresis., Conclusion: This paper proved that metal bacterial chlorophylls as PHD sensitizers have great advantage.

Zinc complex of methyl 3(1)-octadecyl-bacteriopheophorbide-d was prepared from modification of naturally occurring chlorophyll-a. The 3(1)-epimerically pure samples were obtained by HPLC separation and their stereochemistry including the absolute configuration at the secondary alcoholic 3(1)-position was determined by combination of esterification to methoxy(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetate and NMR spectroscopy (Mosher's method). Both the epimers were monomeric in a polar organic solvent and self-aggregated in a non-polar solvent to give oligomers as well as dimers possessing red-shifted visible absorption bands. Visible spectra of the non-polar organic solutions were dependent upon the 3(1)-chirality and such a diastereoselective control on the self-aggregation led to the formation of self-aggregates with different supramolecular structures.

Methyl bacteriopheophorbide-f was prepared from methyl bacteriopheophorbide-d with retention of the 3(1)-chirality. The transformation of the methyl to the formyl group at the 7-position of the chlorin moiety will provide an alternative route for the synthesis of bacteriochlorophylls-e and f.

Structural features of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) a that are required for binding to the light-harvesting proteins of Rhodospirillum rubrum were determined by testing for reconstitution of the B873 or B820 (structural subunit of B873) light-harvesting complexes with BChl a analogues. The results indicate that the binding site is very specific; of the analogues tested, only derivatives of BChl a with ethyl, phytyl, and geranylgeranyl esterifying alcohols and BChl b (phytyl) successfully reconstituted to form B820- and B873-type complexes. BChl analogues lacking magnesium, the C-3 acetyl group, or the C-13(2) carbomethoxy group did not reconstitute to form B820 or B873. Also unreactive were 13(2)-hydroxyBChl a and 3-acetylchlorophyll a. Competition experiments showed that several of these nonreconstituting analogues significantly slowed BChl a binding to form B820 and blocked BChl a-B873 formation, indicating that the analogues may competitively bind to the protein even though they do not form red-shifted complexes. With the R. rubrum polypeptides, BChl b formed complexes that were further red-shifted than those of BChl a; however, the energies of the red shifts, binding behavior, and circular dichroism (CD) spectra were similar. B873 complexes reconstituted with the geranylgeranyl BChl a derivative, which contains the native esterifying alcohol for R. rubrum, showed in-vivo-like CD features, but the phytyl and ethyl B873 complexes showed inverted CD features in the near infrared. The B820 complex with the ethyl derivative was about 30-fold less stable than the two longer esterifying alcohol derivatives, but all formed stable B873 complexes.