Our researchers’ papers on the covers of prestigious journals

The paper “Sumanene meets 5-fluorouracil: curved π-conjugated biointerfaces through covalent and supramolecular integration” (“Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry”) explores the use of sumanene—a curved aromatic compound known as a buckybowl—as a new platform for biological applications. The study demonstrated that sumanene can form a thermodynamically stable supramolecular complex with the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil, and that covalent derivatives can also be synthesised through click reactions. The curved structure of sumanene was shown to promote strong interactions with 5-FU and may influence its biological properties. Cell-based studies indicated promising anticancer activity in the resulting systems, alongside low toxicity to healthy cells, both in vitro and in vivo in tests using zebrafish (Danio rerio).

The work thus shows that curved aromatic compounds could provide attractive models for designing new drug-delivery systems or systems that modify the activity of active pharmaceutical ingredients. This prompted the journal’s editors to feature the paper.

The research was conducted in international collaboration with Professor Hidehiro Sakurai’s team at The University of Osaka, Japan, and in an inter-university collaboration with the Medical University of Warsaw.

The research was funded by the National Science Centre, principally through the OPUS 22 project “Synthesis and application of sumanene derivatives as innovative, selective and efficient molecular receptors for caesium cations” (No. 2021/43/B/ST4/00114), led by Artur Kasprzak, PhD, university professor.

“Sumanene meets 5-fluorouracil: curved π-conjugated biointerfaces through covalent and supramolecular integration”; cover of “Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry”

Cover of “Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry”

The paper “Redefining cyclo[n]pyridines: practical synthesis of carbonylated derivatives, photophysics, aqueous compatibility, and metal exchange studies” describes a new method for synthesising cyclo[5]pyridine derivatives containing carbonyl groups. Its key advantage is that the target compounds can be obtained without conducting the reaction in a glove box, marking a significant advance in the synthesis of these unusual organic compounds, which are synthetically demanding cyclopyridine derivatives. The authors also demonstrated attractive properties of the resulting macrocycles, including solubility in aqueous systems and the capacity for metal exchange.

The research was funded by the National Science Centre, primarily through the PRELUDIUM 24 project “Synthesis of novel macrocyclic molecular receptors with a thorand scaffold for the selective and efficient detection of metal cations” (No. 2025/57/N/ST5/00196), led by Stanisław Kulczyk, MSc, and partly through the OPUS 22 project “Synthesis and application of sumanene derivatives as innovative, selective and efficient molecular receptors for caesium cations” (No. 2021/43/B/ST4/00114), led by Artur Kasprzak, PhD, university professor.

“Redefining cyclo[n]pyridines: practical synthesis of carbonylated derivatives, photophysics, aqueous compatibility, and metal exchange studies”; cover of “Organic Chemistry Frontiers”

Cover of “Organic Chemistry Frontiers”