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• Developed a two-step synthetic route to anti-plant-virus candidate NK0238. • NK0238 exhibited a broad antivirus spectrum in greenhouse. • NK0238 showed comparable antivirus activities as controls in field trials. • NK0238 was safe to birds, fish, bees and silkworms. • NK0238 has a very good prospect in commercial development. It has previously been shown that tryptophan, the biosynthesis precursor of Peganum harmala alkaloids, and its derivatives have anti-TMV activity both in vitro and in vivo. Further exploration of this led to the identification of NK0238 as a highly effective agent for the prevention and control of diseases caused by plant viruses, but the existing routes are unsuitable for its large-scale synthesis. This study optimized a route for two-step synthesis of this virucide candidate via reaction of l-tryptophan with triphosgene to produce l-tryptophan-N-carboxylic anhydride, which then reacts with n-octylamine to give NK0238 at up to 94% yield and nearly 97% HPLC purity. In addition, the route was used for the preparation of NK0238 on a>40 g scale permitting further assessment of its antivirus activity in the greenhouse and field experiments, and toxicity tests. NK0238 exhibited useful antiviral activities against a variety of viruses both in greenhouse and field experiments. The toxicity tests showed that NK0238 was not acutely toxic to birds, fish, honey bees and silkworms. The optimized route provides a solid foundation for its large-scale synthesis and subsequent efficacy and toxicity studies, its excellent activity and safety make NK0238 a promising drug candidate for further development.

To identify optimal features of metalated sulfophthalocyanine dyes for their use as photosensitizers in the photodynamic therapy of cancer, we synthesized a series of alkynyl-substituted trisulfonated phthalocyanines and compared their amphiphilic properties to a number of parameters related to their photodynamic potency. Varying the length of the substituted alkynyl side-chain modulates the hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of the dyes providing a linear relationship between their n-octanol/water partition coefficients and retention times on reversed-phase HPLC. Aggregate formation of the dyes in aqueous solution increased with increasing hydrophobicity while monomer formation was favored by the addition of serum proteins or organic solvent. Trisulfonated zinc phthalocyanines bearing hexynyl and nonynyl substituents exhibited high cellular uptake with strong localization at the mitochondrial membranes, which coincided with effective photocytotoxicity toward EMT-6 murine mammary tumor cells. Further increase in the length of the alkynyl chains (dodecynyl, hexadecynyl) did not improve their phototoxicity, likely resulting from extensive aggregation of the dyes in aqueous medium and reduced cell uptake. Aggregation was evident from shifts in the electronic spectra and reduced capacity to generate singlet oxygen. When monomerized through the addition of Cremophor EL all sulfonated zinc phthalocyanines gave similar singlet oxygen yields. Accordingly, differences in the tendency of the dyes to aggregate do not appear to be a determining factor in their photodynamic potency. Our results confirm that the latter in particular relates to their amphiphilic properties, which facilitate cell uptake and intracellular localization at photosensitive sites such as the mitochondria. Combined, these factors play a significant role in the overall photodynamic potency of the dyes.