Bio-related chemistry of N-confused porphyrinoids

Porphyrinoids (porphyrin-like macrocycles) have attracted considerable attention for their properties. Because of the importance of porphyrins in biology, utilization of porphyrinoids in the bio-related research is anticipated. We have succeeded in synthesizing water-soluble derivatives of N-confused porphyrin (NCP) and N-fused porphyrin (NFP), which enabled us to explore the interactions with biomolecules in aqueous media. Using these derivatives, optical sensing of biothiols and modulation of G-quadruplex DNA structures were achieved.