Honors Theses
Advisor
Shawn Swavey, Ph.D.
Department
Chemistry
Publication Date
4-23-2025
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
BODIPY dyes have demonstrated their effectiveness as photosensitizers due to their diverse reactivity and high selectivity. These dyes are highly versatile and can be modified to absorb light across the visible and infrared spectrum. This study introduces a red light-activated BODIPY dye capable of subcellular localization within the mitochondria, yielding high quantum yields of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The potential of this dye to serve as a photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent highlights its promise as an organelle- targeted phototherapeutic. The synthetic route for this dye, along with its characterization and evaluation through 1H NMR, electronic absorption spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy, is detailed. The dye's ability to generate singlet oxygen and superoxide radicals, as well as its capacity to photo-nick plasmid DNA, will also be addressed. Integrating this organelle-targeted strategy into cancer treatment therapies could help mitigate drug resistance and reduce the recurrence of tumor cells.
Permission Statement
This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes.
Keywords
Undergraduate research
eCommons Citation
Bukirwa, Cynthia, "Efficient Light-Induced Reactive Oxygen Species Production from a Cationic Mitochondrial-Targeting BODIPY Dye" (2025). Honors Theses. 463.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/463
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