Mechanistic investigation on cellular internalization triggering structure-induced conformational modulation of...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Chemistry
• Supramolecular Chemistry

Background:

• Tuning condensed state properties via electron donor (D) and acceptor (A) functional groups is crucial for developing advanced materials.
• Boron-nitrogen (BN) organic molecules offer a versatile platform for exploring structure-property relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize BN-incorporated organic molecules with varying D/A characteristics.
• To investigate their self-assembly behavior and control over condensed state luminescence.
• To evaluate their potential in cellular imaging and drug delivery.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a series of BN-based organic congeners with diverse functional groups.
• Exploration of supramolecular assembly and condensed state luminescence.
• Analysis of nanostructure formation (nanosheets, nanospheres, nanowires, nanorods).
• Cellular uptake studies and imaging using various nano-architectures.
• Single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) analysis.

Main Results:

• Minor structural modifications in BN molecules led to distinct self-assembly patterns and significant luminescence redshift (>90 nm).
• NBPy exhibited time-dependent fluorescence enhancement due to morphological evolution from nanospheres to nanowires.
• Nano-architectures demonstrated lysosomal localization via endocytosis, with nanorods showing the highest cellular uptake.
• SCXRD analysis revealed the critical role of boron atoms and functional groups in dictating molecular architecture and properties.

Conclusions:

• Functional group tuning in BN-based organic molecules effectively controls supramolecular assembly and photophysical properties.
• The developed nano-architectures show promise for cellular imaging and efficient drug delivery.
• Understanding structure-property correlations provides insights for designing novel functional materials.