Revealing the Photophysical and Photochemical Reaction Processes of Carprofen in Different Solutions via Ultrafast Femtosecond to Nanosecond Transient Absorption

Carprofen (CP), one kind of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, exhibits phototoxic side effects in physiology, while its phototoxic mechanism is ambiguous. To uncover CP’s photophysical and photochemical reaction processes, femtosecond to nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopies were employed to directly detect excited states and transient intermediates of CP upon UV irradiation in pure acetonitrile (MeCN), MeCN/water 1:1, and acid/alkaline buffer solutions. The transient absorption data together with DFT calculations were integrated to elucidate mechanisms for photochemical reactions of CP in different solutions. The associated photophysical and photochemical reaction pathways are dependent on various solution environments. In a pure MeCN solvent, CP is excited to a singlet state (S 1 ) and rapidly interacts with the solvent to proceed solvent rearrangement (SR). It then undergoes vibrational cooling (VC) and proceeds intersystem crossing (ISC) to produce the lowest triplet state ( 3 CP). 3 CP finally decays to the ground state. While in a MeCN/water 1:1 solution, deprotonated S 1 of CP experiences SR and VC processes, and then it is promoted to a deprotonated triplet state ( 3 CP – ). 3 CP – undergoes the parallel reactions: dechlorination to a phenyl radical ( 2 CP – ) and decarboxylation to a T 1 anion ( 3 CP – (de-CO 2 )). Finally, both intermediates produce the radical anion species 2 CP – (de-CO 2 ). In a pH = 7.4 (MeCN/PBS 1:1) solution, 3 CP – can be converted into 2 CP – (de-CO 2 ) more quickly. Interestingly, we found that the dechlorination step can be promoted in an alkaline solution. Phenyl and chlorine radicals produced in an aqueous solution may be the root cause of the drug’s harmful side effects on the human body. This may be useful to guide the design of related CP drugs with minimal phototoxicity in the pharmaceutical process.