A multifunctional β-cyclodextrin-conjugate photodelivering nitric oxide with fluorescence reporting.

This contribution reports the design, synthesis and photochemical properties of a novel cationic, water soluble, β-cyclodextrin (βCD) conjugate integrating an anthracene moiety and a nitroaniline derivative within the primary side of the βCD scaffold. Photoinduced energy transfer between the anthracene and the nitroaniline chromophores effectively suppresses the fluorescence of the anthracene unit. Excitation with visible light triggers the release of nitric oxide (NO) from the nitroaniline chromophore, accompanied to the concomitant revival of the anthracene fluorescence, which acts as an optical reporter for detecting the amount of the NO released. Furthermore, the anthracene moiety photogenerates singlet oxygen (