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Hypericin: Single molecule spectroscopy of an active natural ingredient

Quan Liu,F. Wackenhut,O. Hauler,M. Scholz,P. Adam,M. Brecht,A. Meixner

Published 2019 in arXiv: Chemical Physics

ABSTRACT

Hypericin can be found in nature in Hypericum perforatum (St. John's Wort) and has become subject of intense biochemical research. Studies report of antidepressive, antineoplastic, antitumor and antiviral activity of hypericin. Among the variety of potential applications hypericin can be used as photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy (PDT), where it is brought into cancer cells and produces singlet oxygen upon irradiation with a suitable light source. Therefore, the photophysical properties of hypericin are crucial for a successful application in a medical treatment. Here, we present the first single molecule optical spectroscopy study of hypericin. Its photostability is large enough to obtain single molecule fluorescence, surface enhanced Raman spectra (SERS), fluorescence lifetime, antibunching and blinking dynamics. Embedding hypericin in a PVA matrix changes the blinking dynamics, reduces the fluorescence lifetime and increases the photostability. Single molecule SERS spectra show both the neutral and deprotonated form of hypericin and exhibit sudden spectral changes, which can be associated with a reorientation of the single molecule with respect to the surface.

PUBLICATION RECORD

  • Publication year

    2019

  • Venue

    arXiv: Chemical Physics

  • Publication date

    2019-10-09

  • Fields of study

    Medicine, Physics, Chemistry

  • Identifiers
    arXiv 1910.03921
  • External record

    Open on Semantic Scholar

  • Source metadata

    Semantic Scholar

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