Synthesis of Hemiindigoids As Photoswitchable Entities: a Spatiotemporal Handling of Inhibition For Tyrosinase

The project enabled the development of new series of hemi-indigoid compounds targeting two distinct applications. In the first line of research, three successive generations of human tyrosinase inhibitors were synthesized, yielding over one hun-dred distinct compounds. These inhibitors demonstrated sub-micromolar activity and exhibited enhanced efficacy in cellular models, highlighting their potential for therapeutic applica-tions. In the second line of work, eight photoswitchable hemi-indigoid derivatives were designed and synthesized as the first reported photopharmacological compounds of this class. These compounds functioned as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, of-fering a novel approach for visible-light-controlled modulation of enzyme activity. Together, these efforts underscore the versatility of hemiindigoid scaffolds for both enzymatic inhibi-tion and photopharmacological applications.