Optical control of neuronal firing via photoinduced electron transfer in donor–acceptor conjugates† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental procedures and spectroscopic data for all new compounds, supplementary characterizations, and optimized structures by theoretical calculations. See DOI: 10.1039/c5sc04135j

• Published in: Chemical science (Cambridge) Vol. 7; no. 5; pp. 3331 - 3337
• Main Authors: Takano, Yuta, Numata, Tomohiro, Fujishima, Kazuto, Miyake, Kazuaki, Nakao, Kazuya, Grove, Wesley David, Inoue, Ryuji, Kengaku, Mineko, Sakaki, Shigeyoshi, Mori, Yasuo, Murakami, Tatsuya, Imahori, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Royal Society of Chemistry 17.02.2016
• Subjects: Chemistry
• ISSN: 2041-6520; 2041-6539
• DOI: 10.1039/c5sc04135j

A rationally designed donor–acceptor conjugate efficiently generates a photoinduced charge-separated state in a cellular environment, achieving photoinduction of neuronal firing. A series of porphyrin–fullerene linked molecules has been synthesized to evaluate the effects of substituents and molecular structures on their charge-separation yield and the lifetime of a final charge-separated state in various hydrophilic environments. The selected high-performance molecule effectively achieved depolarization in a plasma cell membrane by visible light as well as two-photon excitation using a near-infrared light laser. Moreover, it was revealed that the depolarization can trigger neuronal firing in rat hippocampal neurons, demonstrating the potential and versatility for controlling cell functions using light.