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Design and Synthesis of Near-Infrared Mechanically Interlocked Molecules for Specific Targeting of Mitochondria
Rabi Sankar Das1, Pranab Chandra Saha1, Nayim Sepay1
1Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry Section, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India.
Abstract:
The entrapment of squaraine (SQ) within a molecular container to form rotaxane has been shown to improve the dye stability and the fluorescence proficiency inside the mitochondria. The macrocycle provides shelter and protects the near-infrared (NIR) SQ chromophore from nucleophilic attacks made by the exposed thiol of Cys-containing mitochondrial proteins and mitochondrial glutathione. Herein a microwave-assisted template-directed clipping reaction on low-loading 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin is used to develop an NIR unsymmetrical squaraine rotaxane in high quantum yield.
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