Photo-triggered construction of nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycles under physiological conditions

Abstract Precise spatiotemporal control of molecular function is essential for probing biological systems and developing safer therapeutics. Herein, we review photoinducible intramolecular cyclization reactions developed in-house for generating nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocycles. These photoreactions exploit the unique photoreactivity of o-nitrobenzyl oxime ethers, producing iminyl radicals as key intermediates. Notably, these reactions occur under physiological conditions and in cellulo, thereby expanding the design space for photocontrollable molecules in biological environments.