The Ni^II complexes of cyclen- and cyclam-pyridine (respectively 1-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane and 1-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane denoted [Ni^IIL¹]²⁺ and [Ni^IIL²]²⁺) have been isolated and characterised by X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy and electrochemical studies for the [Ni^IIL²]²⁺ complex. In particular, the [Ni^IIL²]²⁺ complex adopts two distinct and stable geometries (type I and V), which mainly differ by the macrocycle configuration. In solution, the isomerisation process between these two configurations is driven by the nickel-centered electron transfer.

A new cyclen derivative L, bearing a methyl-chromeno-pyridinylidene hydrazone moiety, was synthesized and studied in MeOH, as potential fluorescent “OFF-on-ON” sensors for Zn(II). Photophysical properties of this ligand being PET regulated, L was only weakly emissive in the absence of metal ions (OFF). L fluorescence was increased modestly upon addition of one equivalent of Zn(II), and further increased upon addition of a second equivalent. Therefore, Zn : L behaved as a highly sensitive ON sensor for zinc. This efficiency was correlated to Zn(II) coordination via the hydrazone moiety of the fluorophore, producing an efficient CHelation-Enhanced Fluorescence (CHEF) effect. A complementary theoretical study carried out with DFT calculations further elucidated the optical properties.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) was functionalized with a series of amino synthons (octylamine, polyethylene glycol amine, trifluoropropyl amine, rhodamine). Sodium hyaluronate (HAs) was first converted into its protonated form (HAp) and the reaction was conducted in DMSO by varying the initial ratio (−NH₂ (synthon)/COOH (HAp)). HA derivatives were characterized by a combination of techniques (FTIR, ¹H NMR, 1D diffusion-filtered ¹⁹F NMR, DOSY experiments), and degrees of substitution (DS_HA) varying from 0.3% to 47% were determined, according to the grafted synthon. Nanohydrogels were then obtained by ionic gelation between functionalized hyaluronic acids and chitosan (CS) and tripolyphosphate (TPP) as a cross-linker. Nanohydrogels for which HA and CS were respectively labeled by rhodamine and fluorescein which are a fluorescent donor-acceptor pair were subjected to FRET experiments to evaluate the stability of these nano-assemblies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the biocompatibility of contrast agents, such as gadolinium 1, 4, 7, 10 tetraazacyclo-dodecane tetraacetic acid (GdDOTA) and gadolinium dioctyl terephthalate (GdDOTP), encapsulated in a polymeric matrix containing chitosan and hyaluronic acid using RAW264.7 murine macrophages and human blood samples. The cell viability and cytotoxicity were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, while cell cycle analysis was determined in RAW264.7 cells using flow cytometry. The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), hemolytic index, complement activation, and thrombogenic potential of gadolinium (Gd) containing nanohydrogels were measured by fluorometric and spectrophotometric methods. Taken together, our results demonstrate the good bio- and hemocompatibility of chitosan-based nanohydrogels with the RAW264.7 cell line and human blood cells, suggesting that these could be used as injectable formulations for the magnetic resonance imaging diagnostic of lymph nodes.