Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts: versatile tools for advanced chemical and biological applications

Over the past three years, the research conducted during the Ph.D. period focused on a class of fascinating chemical structures known as Morita–Baylis–Hillman adducts (MBHA). These compounds are generated through the eponymous Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) reaction, a distinctive transformation that has attracted considerable attention within the scientific community. MBHAs are of particular interest due to their versatility, unique chemical properties, and high reactivity, which make them valuable tools in diverse areas of organic and pharmaceutical chemistry. In this context, my research has focused on the synthesis of new MBHA derivatives, which have proved particularly useful as potential fluorogenic probes for the detection of nucleophilic amino acids and more complex protein structures such as Human Serum Albumin. Furthermore, other MBHA derivatives have been shown to react in the presence of n-butylamine to yield hybrid macrocyclic compounds with a paracyclophane structure that exhibit remarkable cytotoxic properties.