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Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry 2018Azo dyes are widely used in textile, fiber, cosmetic, leather, paint and printing industries. Besides their characteristic coloring function, azo compounds are reported... (Review)
Review
Azo dyes are widely used in textile, fiber, cosmetic, leather, paint and printing industries. Besides their characteristic coloring function, azo compounds are reported as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and cytotoxic agents. They have the ability to be used as drug carriers, either by acting as a 'cargo' that entrap therapeutic agents or by prodrug approach. The drug is released by internal or external stimuli in the region of interest, as observed in colon-targeted drug delivery. Besides drug-like and drug carrier properties, a number of azo dyes are used in cellular staining to visualize cellular components and metabolic processes. However, the biological significance of azo compounds, especially in cancer chemotherapy, is still in its infancy. This may be linked to early findings that declared azo compounds as one of the possible causes of cancer and mutagenesis. Currently, researchers are screening the aromatic azo compounds for their potential biomedical use, including cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this review, we highlight the medical applications of azo compounds, particularly related to cancer research. The biomedical significance of cis-trans interchange and negative implications of azo compounds are also discussed in brief.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Azo Compounds; Carcinogens; Coloring Agents; Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Isomerism; Mutagens; Prodrugs
PubMed: 29792144
DOI: 10.2174/1389557518666180524113111 -
Food and Chemical Toxicology : An... Aug 2023Azo compounds are widely distributed synthetic chemicals in the modern world. Their most important applications are as dyes, but, in addition, several azo compounds are... (Review)
Review
Azo compounds are widely distributed synthetic chemicals in the modern world. Their most important applications are as dyes, but, in addition, several azo compounds are used as pharmaceuticals. Ingested azo compounds can be reduced by the action of bacteria in the gut, where the oxygen tension is low, and the development of microbiome science has allowed more precise delineation of the roles of specific bacteria in these processes. Reduction of the azo bond of an azo compound generates two distinct classes of aromatic amine metabolites: the starting material that was used in the synthesis of the azo compound and a product which is formed de novo by metabolism. Reductive metabolism of azo compounds can have toxic consequences, because many aromatic amines are toxic/genotoxic. In this review, we discuss aspects of the development and application of azo compounds in industry and medicine. Current understanding of the toxicology of azo compounds and their metabolites is illustrated with four specific examples - Disperse Dyes used for dyeing textiles; the drugs phenazopyridine and eltrombopag; and the ubiquitous food dye, tartrazine - and knowledge gaps are identified. SUBMISSION TO: FCT VSI: Toxicology of Dyes.
Topics: Azo Compounds; Coloring Agents; Tartrazine; Bacteria; Amines
PubMed: 37451600
DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113932 -
Food and Cosmetics Toxicology Dec 1970
Review
Topics: Animals; Azo Compounds; Biliary Tract
PubMed: 5500003
DOI: 10.1016/s0015-6264(70)80455-2 -
Journal of the American Chemical Society Jul 2013The photoisomerization of azobenzenes provides a general means for the photocontrol of molecular structure and function. For applications in vivo, however, the...
The photoisomerization of azobenzenes provides a general means for the photocontrol of molecular structure and function. For applications in vivo, however, the wavelength of irradiation required for trans-to-cis isomerization of azobenzenes is critical since UV and most visible wavelengths are strongly scattered by cells and tissues. We report here that azobenzene compounds in which all four positions ortho to the azo group are substituted with bulky electron-rich substituents can be effectively isomerized with red light (630-660 nm), a wavelength range that is orders of magnitude more penetrating through tissue than other parts of the visible spectrum. When the ortho substituent is chloro, the compounds also exhibit stability to reduction by glutathione, enabling their use in intracellular environments in vivo.
Topics: Azo Compounds; Light; Models, Molecular; Molecular Structure; Photochemical Processes
PubMed: 23750583
DOI: 10.1021/ja402220t -
Chemistry & Biodiversity Nov 2021Bacteria can produce nitrogenous compounds via both primary and secondary metabolic processes. Many bacterial volatile nitrogenous compounds produced during the... (Review)
Review
Bacteria can produce nitrogenous compounds via both primary and secondary metabolic processes. Many bacterial volatile nitrogenous compounds produced during the secondary metabolism have been identified and reported for their antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, algicidal and antitumor activities. The production of these nitrogenous compounds depends on several factors, including the composition of culture media, growth conditions, and even the organic solvent used for their extraction, thus requiring their identification in specific conditions. In this review, we describe the volatile nitrogenous compounds produced by bacteria especially focusing on their antimicrobial activity. We concentrate on azo-compounds mainly pyrazines and pyrrolo-pyridines reported for their activity against several microorganisms. Whenever significant, extraction and identification methods of these compounds are also mentioned and discussed. To the best of our knowledge, this is first review describing volatile nitrogenous compounds from bacteria focusing on their biological activity.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Azo Compounds; Bacteria; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Structure; Volatile Organic Compounds
PubMed: 34643327
DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202100549 -
Food and Chemical Toxicology : An... Aug 2023Azo dyes, including Tartrazine, Sunset Yellow, and Carmoisine, are added to foods to provide color, but they have no value with regard to nutrition, food preservation,... (Review)
Review
Azo dyes, including Tartrazine, Sunset Yellow, and Carmoisine, are added to foods to provide color, but they have no value with regard to nutrition, food preservation, or health benefits. Because of their availability, affordability, stability, and low cost, and because they provide intense coloration to the product without contributing unwanted flavors, the food industry often prefers to use synthetic azo dyes rather than natural colorants. Food dyes have been tested by regulatory agencies responsible for guaranteeing consumer safety. Nevertheless, the safety of these colorants remains controversial; they have been associated with adverse effects, particularly due to the reduction and cleavage of the azo bond. Here, we review the features, classification, regulation, toxicity, and alternatives to the use of azo dyes in food.
Topics: Azo Compounds; Tartrazine; Coloring Agents; Food; Food Industry; Food Coloring Agents
PubMed: 37429408
DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2023.113935 -
ChemSusChem Jan 2015Diazo compounds are very versatile reagents in organic chemistry and meet the challenge of selective assembly of structurally complex molecules. Their leaving group is... (Review)
Review
Diazo compounds are very versatile reagents in organic chemistry and meet the challenge of selective assembly of structurally complex molecules. Their leaving group is dinitrogen; therefore, they are very clean and atom-efficient reagents. However, diazo compounds are potentially explosive and extremely difficult to handle on an industrial scale. In this review, it is discussed how continuous flow technology can help to make these powerful reagents accessible on large scale. Microstructured devices can improve heat transfer greatly and help with the handling of dangerous reagents safely. The in situ formation and subsequent consumption of diazo compounds are discussed along with advances in handling diazomethane and ethyl diazoacetate. The potential large-scale applications of a given methodology is emphasized.
Topics: Azo Compounds; Diazomethane; Diazonium Compounds; Safety
PubMed: 25488620
DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201402874 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2022Azo molecules, characterized by the presence of a -N=N- double bond, are widely used in various fields due to their sensitivity to external stimuli, ch as light. The... (Review)
Review
Azo molecules, characterized by the presence of a -N=N- double bond, are widely used in various fields due to their sensitivity to external stimuli, ch as light. The emergence of bacterial resistance has pushed research towards designing new antimicrobial molecules that are more efficient than those currently in use. Many authors have attempted to exploit the antimicrobial activity of azobenzene and to utilize their photoisomerization for selective control of the bioactivities of antimicrobial molecules, which is necessary for antibacterial therapy. This review will provide a systematic and consequential approach to coupling azobenzene moiety with active antimicrobial molecules and drugs, including small and large organic molecules, such as peptides. A selection of significant cutting-edge articles collected in recent years has been discussed, based on the structural pattern and antimicrobial performance, focusing especially on the photoactivity of azobenzene and the design of smart materials as the most targeted and desirable application.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Azo Compounds
PubMed: 36080413
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27175643 -
Azo-Based Fluorogenic Probes for Biosensing and Bioimaging: Recent Advances and Upcoming Challenges.Chemistry, An Asian Journal Aug 2017The use of nonfluorescent azo dyes as dark quenchers in activatable optical bioprobes based on the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism and designed to... (Review)
Review
The use of nonfluorescent azo dyes as dark quenchers in activatable optical bioprobes based on the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism and designed to target a wide range of enzymes has been established for over two decades. The key value of the azo moiety (-N=N-) to act as an efficient "ON-OFF" switch of fluorescence once introduced within the core structure of conventional organic-based fluorophores (mainly fluorescent aniline derivatives) has recently been exploited in the development of alternative reaction-based small-molecule probes based on the "profluorescence" concept. These unprecedented "azobenzene-caged" fluorophores are valuable tools for the detection of a wide range of reactive (bio)analytes. This review highlights the most recent and relevant advances made in the design and biosensing/bioimaging applications of azo-based fluorogenic probes. Emphasis is also placed on relevant achievements in the synthesis of bioconjugatable/biocompatible azo dyes used as starting building blocks in the rational and rapid construction of these fluorescent chemodosimeters. Finally, a brief glimpse of possible future biomedical applications (theranostics) of these "smart" azobenzene-based molecular systems is presented.
Topics: Azo Compounds; Biosensing Techniques; Fluorescent Dyes; Optical Imaging
PubMed: 28594477
DOI: 10.1002/asia.201700682 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2021Synthetic heterocyclic compounds have incredible potential against different diseases; pyridines, phenolic compounds and the derivatives of azo moiety have shown... (Review)
Review
Synthetic heterocyclic compounds have incredible potential against different diseases; pyridines, phenolic compounds and the derivatives of azo moiety have shown excellent antimicrobial, antiviral, antidiabetic, anti-melanogenic, anti-ulcer, anticancer, anti-mycobacterial, anti-inflammatory, DNA binding and chemosensing activities. In the present review, the above-mentioned activities of the nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds (pyridines), hydroxyl (phenols) and azo derivatives are discussed with reference to the minimum inhibitory concentration and structure-activity relationship, which clearly indicate that the presence of nitrogen in the phenyl ring; in addition, the hydroxyl substituent and the incorporation of a diazo group is crucial for the improved efficacies of the compounds in probing different diseases. The comparison was made with the reported drugs and new synthetic derivatives that showed recent therapeutic perspectives made in the last five years.
Topics: Azo Compounds; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Phenols; Pyridines
PubMed: 34443460
DOI: 10.3390/molecules26164872