Assistant Professor

Dr Balaji Babu

Department of Chemistry

Interests

  1. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT)
  2. Porphyrinoids – Porphyrin, N-Confused porphyrin, Corrole, Chlorin
  3. Ferrocene conjugates

Faculty Details

Education

2007

Presidency College,
Chennai
BSc

2009

College of Engineering
(Guindy Campus),
Anna University – Chennai
MSc

2015

Indian Institute of Science (IISC),
Bengaluru
PhD

Experience

  • Oct 2020 to Jun 2021 – Postdoctoral fellow – Rhodes University, South Africa.
  • Sep 2019 to Sep 2020 – Postdoctoral fellow – Rhodes University, South Africa.
  • May 2017 to May 2019 – Postdoctoral fellow – Rhodes University, South Africa.
  • Sep 2016 to May 2017 – Assistant Professor – PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore.
  • Jul 2015 to Sep 2016 – Assistant Professor (contract) – Gandhigram Rural Institute, Dindigul.
  • Jul 2014 to Jul 2015 – Research Associate – Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bengaluru.

Research Interest

  • Design and synthesis of novel porphyrin and other macrocyclic photosensitizers for its potential application in near-IR activated photodynamic therapy (PDT).
  • Ferrocene-baseded molecules for biomedical and chemical sensing applications.

Publications

  • (1) Nagarajan, T.; Gayathri, M. P.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T.; Govindarajan, S.; Babu, B. Blue-Light-Activated Water-Soluble Sn(IV)-Porphyrins for Antibacterial Photodynamic Therapy (APDT) against Drug-Resistant Bacterial Pathogens. Mol. Pharm. 2024, 21 (5), 2365–2374. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c01162.
  • (2) Soy, R.; Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. The Photodynamic Activity Properties of a Series of Structurally Analogous Tetraarylporphyrin, Chlorin and N-Confused Porphyrin Dyes and Their Sn(IV) Complexes. Photodiagnosis Photodyn. Ther. 2023, 44, 103815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdpdt.2023.103815.
  • (3) Dingiswayo, S.; Babu, B.; Burgess, K.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Photodynamic Anticancer and Antibacterial Activities of Sn(IV) N-Confused Meso-Tetra(Methylthiophenyl)Porphyrin. Photochem. 2023, pp 313–326. https://doi.org/10.3390/photochem3030019.
  • (4) Soy, R.; Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. The Photodynamic Anticancer and Antibacterial Activity Properties of a Series of Meso-Tetraarylchlorin Dyes and Their Sn(IV) Complexes. Molecules. 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28104030.
  • (5) Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Sn(Iv)-Porphyrinoids for Photodynamic Anticancer and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Dalt. Trans. 2023, 52 (16), 5000–5018. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3DT00603D.
  • (6) Niu, Y.; Wang, L.; Guo, Y.; Zhu, W.; Soy, R. C.; Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T.; Xu, H.; Liang, X. GaIIItriarylcorroles with Push-Pull Substitutions: Synthesis, Electronic Structure and Biomedical Applications. Dalt. Trans. 2022, 51 (27), 10543–10551. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2dt01262f.
  • (7) Dingiswayo, S.; Burgess, K.; Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Photodynamic Antitumor and Antimicrobial Activities of Free-Base Tetra(4-Methylthiolphenyl)Chlorin and Its Tin(IV) Complex. Chempluschem 2022, 87 (5), e202200115. https://doi.org/10.1002/cplu.202200115.
  • (8) Openda, Y. I.; Babu, B.; Nyokong, T. Novel Cationic-Chalcone Phthalocyanines for Photodynamic Therapy Eradication of S. Aureus and E. Coli Bacterial Biofilms and MCF-7 Breast Cancer. Photodiagnosis Photodyn. Ther. 2022, 38, 102863. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdpdt.2022.102863.
  • (9) Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. A Sn(Iv) Porphyrin with Mitochondria Targeting Properties for Enhanced Photodynamic Activity against MCF-7 Cells. New J. Chem. 2022, 46 (11), 5288–5295. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2nj00350c.
  • (10) Magaela, N. B.; Matshitse, R.; Babu, B.; Managa, M.; Prinsloo, E.; Nyokong, T. Sn(IV) Porphyrin-Biotin Decorated Nitrogen Doped Graphene Quantum Dots Nanohybrids for Photodynamic Therapy. Polyhedron 2022, 213, 115624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2021.115624.
  • (11) Soy, R. C.; Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. The Photodynamic Activities of the Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates of Phosphorus(V) and Gallium(III) A3 Meso-Triarylcorroles. Dye. Pigment. 2021, 194, 109631. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dyepig.2021.109631.
  • (12) Magadla, A.; Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Positively Charged Styryl Pyridine Substituted Zn(Ii) Phthalocyanines for Photodynamic Therapy and Photoantimicrobial Chemotherapy: Effect of the Number of Charges. Dalt. Trans. 2021, 50 (26), 9129–9136. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1dt01047f.
  • (13) Magadla, A.; Babu, B.; Sen, P.; Nyokong, T. The Photophysicochemical Properties and Photodynamic Therapy Activity of Schiff Base Substituted Phthalocyanines Doped into Silica Nanoparticles and Conjugated to Folic Acid. Polyhedron 2021, 203, 115227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2021.115227.
  • (14) Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. A Heavy-Atom-Free π-Extended N-Confused Porphyrin as a Photosensitizer for Photodynamic Therapy. New J. Chem. 2021, 45 (12), 5654–5658. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1nj00112d.
  • (15) Babu, B.; Ochappan, T.; Asraf Ali, T.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T.; Gopalakrishnan Sethuraman, M. Photodynamic Activity and Photoantimicrobial Chemotherapy Studies of Ferrocene-Substituted 2-Thiobarbituric Acid. Bioorganic Med. Chem. Lett. 2021, 40, 127922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2021.127922.
  • (16) Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Naked Eye and Colorimetric Detection of Cyanide with a 1,3-Diethyl-2-Thiobarbituric Acid Substituted Ferrocene Chemosensor. ChemistrySelect 2021, 6 (7), 1448–1452. https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202100163.
  • (17) Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Photodynamic Activity of Sn(Iv) Tetrathien-2-Ylchlorin against MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells. Dalt. Trans. 2021, 50 (6), 2177–2182. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0dt03958f.
  • (18) Babu, B.; Ali, T. A.; Ochappan, T.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T.; Sethuraman, M. G. Photocytotoxicity of Heavy-Atom-Free Thiobarbituric Acid Functionalized Pyrene Derivatives against MCF-7 Cancer Cells. Photodiagnosis Photodyn. Ther. 2021, 33, 102102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdpdt.2020.102102.
  • (19) Kubheka, G.; Babu, B.; Prinsloo, E.; Kobayashi, N.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Photodynamic Activity of 2,6-Dibrominated Dimethylaminophenylbuta-1,3-DienylBODIPY Dyes. J. Porphyr. Phthalocyanines 2020, 25 (01), 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424620500509.
  • (20) Babu, B.; Sindelo, A.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Thien-2-Yl Substituted Chlorins as Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy and Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Dye. Pigment. 2021, 185, 108886. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dyepig.2020.108886.
  • (21) Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Sn(Iv) N -Confused Porphyrins as Photosensitizer Dyes for Photodynamic Therapy in the near IR Region. Dalt. Trans. 2020, 49 (43), 15180–15183. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0dt03296d.
  • (22) Babu, B.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. An Octabrominated Sn(IV) Tetraisopropylporphyrin as a Photosensitizer Dye for Singlet Oxygen Biomedical Applications. Dalt. Trans. 2020, 49 (28), 9568–9573. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0DT01915A.
  • (23) Babu, B.; Soy, R. C.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Non-Aggregated Lipophilic Water-Soluble Tin Porphyrins as Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy and Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. New J. Chem. 2020, 44 (26), 11006–11012. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NJ01564D.
  • (24) Molupe, N.; Babu, B.; Oluwole, D. O.; Prinsloo, E.; Gai, L.; Shen, Z.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Photodynamic Activity of 2,6-Diiodo-3,5-DithienylvinyleneBODIPYs and Their Folate-Functionalized Chitosan-Coated Pluronic ® F-127 Micelles on MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells. J. Porphyr. Phthalocyanines 2020, 24 (5–7). https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424619501773.
  • (25) Mike Motloung, B.; Babu, B.; Prinsloo, E.; Nyokong, T. The Photophysicochemical Properties and Photodynamic Therapy Activity of In and Zn Phthalocyanines When Incorporated into Individual or Mixed Pluronic® Micelles. Polyhedron 2020, 188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2020.114683.
  • (26) Dingiswayo, S.; Babu, B.; Prinsloo, E.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. A Comparative Study of the Photophysicochemical and Photodynamic Activity Properties of Meso-4-Methylthiophenyl Functionalized Sn(IV) Tetraarylporphyrins and Triarylcorroles. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424620500273 2020, 24 (9), 1138–1145. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424620500273.
  • (27) Shabangu, S. M.; Babu, B.; Soy, R. C.; Oyim, J.; Amuhaya, E.; Nyokong, T. Susceptibility of Staphylococcus Aureus to Porphyrin-Silver Nanoparticle Mediated Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. J. Lumin. 2020, 222, 117158. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2020.117158.
  • (28) Shabangu, S. M.; Babu, B.; Soy, R. C.; Managa, M.; Sekhosana, K. E.; Nyokong, T. Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy of Asymmetric Porphyrin-Silver Conjugates towards Photoinactivation of Staphylococcus Aureus. J. Coord. Chem. 2020, 73 (4). https://doi.org/10.1080/00958972.2020.1739273.
  • (29) Molupe, N.; Babu, B.; Prinsloo, E.; Kaassis, A. Y. A.; Edkins, K.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Photodynamic Activity of Sn(IV) Meso-Tetraacenaphthylporphyrin and Its Methyl-β-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes on MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424619501633 2020, 376–384. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424619501633.
  • (30) Soy, R. C.; Babu, B.; Oluwole, D. O.; Nwaji, N.; Oyim, J.; Amuhaya, E.; Prinsloo, E.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Photophysicochemical Properties and Photodynamic Therapy Activity of Chloroindium(III) Tetraarylporphyrins and Their Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates. J. Porphyr. Phthalocyanines 2019, 23 (01n02), 34–45. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424618501146.
  • 31) Photodynamic Activity of Sn(IV) Triarylcorroles with Red-Shifted Q Bands. New J. Chem. 2019, 43 (47), 18805–18812. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NJ03391B.
  • (32) Babu, B.; Amuhaya, E.; Oluwole, D.; Prinsloo, E.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. Preparation of NIR Absorbing Axial Substituted Tin(IV) Porphyrins and Their Photocytotoxic Properties. Medchemcomm 2019, 10 (1), 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8MD00373D.
  • (33) Molupe, N.; Babu, B.; Oluwole, D. O.; Prinsloo, E.; Mack, J.; Nyokong, T. The Investigation of in Vitro Dark Cytotoxicity and Photodynamic Therapy Effect of a 2,6-Dibromo-3,5-Distyryl BODIPY Dye Encapsulated in Pluronic ® F-127 Micelles. J. Coord. Chem. 2018, 71 (21). https://doi.org/10.1080/00958972.2018.1522536.
  • (34) Balaji, B.; Balakrishnan, B.; Perumalla, S.; Karande, A. A.; Chakravarty, A. R. Mitochondria-Targeting Photocytotoxic Ferrocenyl Conjugates of N-Alkylpyridinium Salts. Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2015, 2015 (8), 1398–1407. https://doi.org/doi:10.1002/ejic.201403118.
  • (35) Balaji, B.; Balakrishnan, B.; Perumalla, S.; Karande, A. A.; Chakravarty, A. R. Photocytotoxic Oxovanadium(IV) Complexes of Ferrocenyl-Terpyridine and Acetylacetonate Derivatives. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2015, 92, 332–341. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2015.01.003.
  • (36) Balaji, B.; Balakrishnan, B.; Perumalla, S.; Karande, A. A.; Chakravarty, A. R. Photoactivated Cytotoxicity of Ferrocenyl-Terpyridine Oxovanadium(IV) Complexes of Curcuminoids. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2014, 85, 458–467. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2014.07.098.
  • (37) Goswami, T. K.; Gadadhar, S.; Balaji, B.; Gole, B.; Karande, A. A.; Chakravarty, A. R. Ferrocenyl-l-Amino Acid Copper(Ii) Complexes Showing Remarkable Photo-Induced Anticancer Activity in Visible Light. Dalt. Trans. 2014, 43 (31), 11988–11999. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4DT01348D.
  • (38) Balaji, B.; Somyajit, K.; Banik, B.; Nagaraju, G.; Chakravarty, A. R. Photoactivated DNA Cleavage and Anticancer Activity of Oxovanadium(IV) Complexes of Curcumin. Inorganica Chim. Acta 2013, 400, 142–150. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2013.02.025.
  • (39) Balaji, B.; Banik, B.; Sasmal, P. K.; Maity, B.; Majumdar, R.; Dighe, R. R.; Chakravarty, A. R. Ferrocene-Conjugated Oxidovanadium(IV) Complexes as Potent Near-IR Light Photocytotoxic Agents. Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2012, 2012 (1), 126–135. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/ejic.201100836.

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