A light-regulated synthetic ion channel constructed by an azobenzene modified hydraphile

Biological ion channels are key molecules for cellular regulation and communication. To mimic the structure and functions of nature ion channels, a new class of light-regulated transmembrane ion channels was reported based on tri(macrocycle) hydraphile and azobenzene photoswitch (hydraphile 1). The liposome-based proton transport assays showed that hydraphile 1 exhibited excellent transmembrane activity (Y), and Ymax arrived 0.7 at 40 μmol/L. The successful isomerization of azobenzene moiety was confirmed and qualified by UV and NMR spectra. Upon alternative irradiation of 365 nm UV light and 450 nm visible light, the transmembrane activity of hydraphile 1 was regulated between 0.35 and 0.5, reversibly. All the obtained results have demonstrated the promise of developing excellent synthetic ion channels with ion gating properties based on simple molecular design.

Graphical abstractA light-regulated synthetic ion channel with hydraphile as the channel architecture and azobenzene as the regulation unit was reported. Photoisomerization changes the transmembrane length of the channel, thus results in regulated ion transport.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide