Oligoamines in cellular metabolism carry extremely diverse biological functions (i.e., regulating Ca²⁺-influx, neuronal nitric oxide synthase, membrane potential, Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase activity in synaptosomes, etc.). Furthermore, they also act as longevity agents and have a determinative role in autophagy, cell growth, proliferation, and death, while oligoamines dysregulation is a key in a variety of cancers. However, many of their mechanisms of actions have just begun to be understood. In addition to the numerous biosensing methods, only a very few simple small molecule-based tests are available for their selective but reversible tracking or fluorescent labeling. Motivated by this, we present herein a new fluorescent bis(acridino)-crown ether as a sensor molecule for biogenic oligoamines. The sensor molecule can selectively distinguish oligoamines from aliphatic mono- and diamino-analogues, while showing a reversible 1:2 (host:guest) complexation with a stepwise binding process accompanied by a turn-on fluorescence response. Both computational simulations on molecular docking and regression methods on titration experiments were carried out to reveal the oligoamine-recognition properties of the sensor molecule. The new fluorescent chemosensor molecule has a high potential for molecular-level functional studies on the oligoamine systems in cell processes (cellular uptake, transport, progression in cancers, etc.).

Bipyridine ethers are commonly occurring structural motifs in supramolecular chemistry. The herein reported efforts aim to extend the synthetic platform of bipyridino-precursors with new bifunctional intermediates and to improve some previously reported synthetic strategies for structural analogues, like bipyridine-diols as common macrocycle precursors. In addition, their optimized and highly efficient oxidation to the corresponding dialdehydes is reported to obtain further reactive intermediates with wide modifiability. Furthermore, methylations of pyridine-carbaldehydes were carried out alongside different synthetic strategies to introduce chirality centers. Synthetic difficulties and some unsuccessful approaches are also reported to help in focusing future efforts.

A biogén aminok megtalálhatók különféle élőlényekben, sejtekben, élelmiszerekben és italokban is. Az aminocsoportok száma szerint monoaminokra, oligoaminokra és poliaminokra csoportosíthatóak. Ezeket a vegyületeket jellemzően élő szervezetek szintetizálják, aminosavak enzimatikus dekarboxilezésével. A biogén alifás oligoaminok, mint például a spermin, spermidin, putreszcin és kadaverin a legfontosabbak közé tartoznak, amelyek szinte minden élő szervezetben megtalálhatók. Az élő szervezetekben jellemzően protonált formában vannak jelen, és fontos szerepet játszanak különböző biológiai folyamatokban, mint a sejtnövekedés, génszabályozás, és sejtosztódás.