Publication date: 15th December 2025
Interaction of electromagnetic radiation with organic molecules gives rise to different phenomena, all of them of interest for imaging and therapy application. Depending on the feature of the organic material and the energy of the impinging radiation organic can behave like contrast agent (X-ray imaging of tissues), fluorescent probes, photosensitizers of reactive oxygen species[1] and – upon photoisomerization and/or redistribution of their electron density – nanoactuators in complex light mediated biological phenomena. Photoinduced modulation of neuronal activity is of particular interest in neuroscience. In addition to the potential represented by optogenetics, research in this field is moving towards the development of nanomachines capable of altering the membrane potential of neuronal cells following light stimulation. The most direct practical application of this type of technology is the development of synthetic retinas capable of restoring photosensitivity to patients suffering from degenerative diseases affecting the photoreceptors present in the eye. I will discuss the design, synthesis and characterization of a family of photosensitive molecules capable of spontaneously localizing into the neuronal membrane. Upon photoexcitation, such derivatives give rise to a complex sequence of phenomena that have two macroscopic consequences on the structure of the neuronal membrane: a membrane depolarization and the formation of pores in the membrane itself.[2] The latter property can be exploited to increase the local permeability of the membrane, providing a much less invasive analogue to the common patch-clamp technique, i.e. the mechanical perforation of the neuronal membrane with special needles. The effects of membrane depolarization and perforation can be discriminated based on the intensity and duration of light stimulation. The same probes can also act as efficient photosensitizers for bacterial photodynamic inactivation.[3]
Funding from MUR (project InPOWER grant n°P2022PXS5S) and is gratefully acknowledged. L.B. acknowledges the MUSA – Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action – project, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) Mission 4 Component 2 Investment Line 1.5: Strengthening of research structures and creation of R&D “innovation ecosystems”, set up of “territorial leaders in R&D”. F.P. acknowledges project RePLACE (grant n° 2022C4YNP8).
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