title: Photophysics of acetophenone interacting with DNA: why the road to photosensitization is open.
abstract: Deoxyribonucleic acid photosensitization, i.e. the photoinduced electron- or energy-transfer of chromophores interacting with DNA, is a crucial phenomenon that triggers important DNA lesions such as pyrimidine dimerization, even upon absorption of relatively low-energy radiation. Oxidative lesions may also be produced via the photoinduced production of reactive oxygen species. Aromatic ketones, and acetophenone in particular, are well known for their sensitization effects. In this contribution we model the structural and dynamical properties of the acetophenone/DNA aggregates as well as their spectroscopic and photophysical properties using high-level hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics methods. We show that the key steps of the photochemistry of acetophenone in gas phase are conserved in the macromolecular environment and thus an ultrafast singlet-triplet conversion of acetophenone is expected prior to the transfer to DNA.
authors.affiliation: Institut fur Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Gothe Universitat Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huix-Rotllant
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dumont
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferré
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monari
mesh_terms: D000098:Acetophenones / Q000737:chemistry*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004579:Electron Transport; D004583:Electrons; D004735:Energy Transfer; D007700:Kinetics; D008027:Light; D056004:Molecular Dynamics Simulation; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D011089:Polydeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry*; D011789:Quantum Theory; D026082:Singlet Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000098:Acetophenones; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D011089:Polydeoxyribonucleotides; D026082:Singlet Oxygen; C084838:polydeoxyadenylic acid-polythymidylic acid; D004247:DNA; C038699:acetophenone