Functional Mimics of Glutathione Peroxidase: Bioinspired Synthetic Antioxidants

Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the biological system's ability to detoxify these reactive intermediates. Mammalian cells have elaborate antioxidant defense mechanisms to control the damaging effects of ROS. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), a selenoenzyme, plays a key role in protecting the organism from oxidative damage by catalyzing the reduction of harmful hydroperoxides with thiol a ``catalytic triad'' with tryptophan and glutamine, which cofactors. The selenocysteine residue at the active site forms activates the selenium moiety for an efficient reduction of peroxides. After the discovery that ebselen, a synthetic organoselenium compound, mimics the catalytic activity of GPx both in vitro and in vivo, several research groups developed a number of small-molecule selenium compounds as functional mimics of GPx, either by modifying the basic structure of ebselen or by incorporating some structural features of the native enzyme. The synthetic mimics reported in the literature can be classified in three major categories: (i) cyclic selenenyl amides having a Se-N bond, (ii) diaryl diselenides, and (iii) aromatic or aliphatic monoselenides. Recent studies show that ebselen exhibits very poor GPx activity when aryl or benzylic thiols such as PhSH or BnSH are used as cosubstrates. Because the catalytic activity of each GPx mimic largely depends on the thiol cosubstrates used, the difference in the thiols causes the discrepancies observed in different studies. In this Account, we demonstrate the effect of amide and amine substituents on the GPx activity of various organoselenium compounds. The existence of strong Se ... O/N interactions in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates significantly reduces the GPx activity. These interactions facilitate an attack of thiol at selenium rather than at sulfur, leading to thiol exchange reactions that hamper the formation of catalytically active selenol. Therefore, any substituent capable of enhancing the nucleophilic attack of thiol at sulfur in the selenenyl sulfide state would enhance the antioxidant potency of organoselenium compounds. Interestingly, replacement of the sec-amide substituent by a tert-amide group leads to a weakening of Se ... 0 interactions in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates. This modification results in 10- to 20-fold enhancements in the catalytic activities. Another strategy involving the replacement of tert-amide moieties by tert-amino substituents further increases the activity by 3- to 4-fold. The most effective modification so far in benzylamine-based GPx mimics appears to be either the replacement of a tert-amino substituent by a sec-amino group or the introduction of an additional 6-methoxy group in the phenyl ring. These strategies can contribute to a remarkable enhancement in the GPx activity. In addition to enhancing catalytic activity, a change in the substituents near the selenium moiety alters the catalytic mechanisms. The mechanistic investigations of functional mimics are useful not only for understanding the complex chemistry at the active site of GPx but also for designing and synthesizing novel antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.

Bioinorganic and medicinal chemistry: aspects of gold(I)-protein complexes

Gold(I)-based drugs have been used successfully for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for several years. Although the exact mechanism of action of these gold(I) drugs for RA has not been clearly established, the interaction of these compounds with mammalian enzymes has been extensively studied. In this paper, we describe the interaction of therapeutic gold(I) compounds with mammalian proteins that contain cysteine (Cys) and selenocysteine (Sec) residues. Owing to the higher affinity of gold(I) towards sulfur and selenium, gold(I) drugs rapidly react with the activated cysteine or selenocysteine residues of the enzymes to form protein-gold(I)-thiolate or protein-gold(I)-selenolate complexes. The formation of stable gold(I)-thiolate/selenolate complexes generally lead to inhibition of the enzyme activity. The gold-thiolate/selenolate complexes undergo extensive ligand exchange reactions with other nucleophiles and such ligand exchange reactions alter the inhibitory effects of gold(I) complexes. Therefore, the effect of gold(I) compounds on the enzymatic activity of cysteine-or selenocysteine-containing proteins may play important roles in RA. The interaction of gold(I) compounds with different enzymes and the biochemical mechanism underlying the inhibition of enzymatic activities may have broad medicinal implications for the treatment of RA.

Tie lines and activities in the system NiO-MgO-SiO2 at 1373 K

The isothermal section of the phase diagram for the system NiO-MgO-SiO2 at 1373 K is established, The tie lines between (NiXMg1-X)O solid solution with rock salt structure and orthosilicate solid solution (NiYMg1-Y)Si0.5O2 and between orthosilicate and metasilicate (NiZMg1-Z)SiO3 crystalline solutions are determined using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and lattice parameter measurement on equilibrated samples, Although the monoxides and orthosilicates of Ni and Mg form a continuous range of solid solutions, the metasilicate phase exists only for 0 < Z < 0.096, The activity of NiO in the rock salt solid solution is determined as a function of composition and temperature in the range of 1023 to 1377 K using a solid state galvanic cell, The Gibbs energy of mixing of the monoxide solid solution can be expressed by a pseudo-subregular solution model: Delta G(ex) = X(1 - X)[(-2430 + 0.925T)X + (-5390 + 1.758T)(1 - X)] J/mol, The thermodynamic data for the rock salt phase are combined with information on interphase partitioning of Ni and Mg to generate the mixing properties for the orthosilicate and the metasilicate solid solutions, The regular solution model describes the orthosilicate and the metasilicate solid solutions at 1373 K within experimental uncertainties, The regular solution parameter Delta G(ex)/Y(1 - Y) is -820 (+/-70) J/mol for the orthosilicate solid solution, The corresponding value for the metasilicate solid solution is -220 (+/-150) J/mol, The derived activities for the orthosilicate solid solution are discussed in relation to the intracrystalline ion exchange equilibrium between M1 and M2 sites. The tie line information, in conjunction with the activity data for orthosilicate and metasilicate solid solutions, is used to calculate the Gibbs energy changes for the intercrystalline ion exchange reactions, Combining this with the known data for NiSi0.5O2, Gibbs energies of formation of MgSi0.5O2, MgSiO3, and metastable NiSiO3 are calculated, The Gibbs energy of formation of NiSiO3, from its component oxides, is equal to 7.67 (+/-0.6) kJ/mol at 1373 K.

Synthesis and characterization of some gold(I)-thiolate complexes having N-methylimidazole moiety

Antithyroid drugs inhibit the thyroid hormone synthesis by inactivating the thyroid peroxidase and/or iodothyronine deiodinase, which are involved in iodination and deiodination reactions. Gold(I) compounds also inhibit the thyroid hormone synthesis by interacting with the selenocysteine residue of iodothyronine deiodinase. However, the chemical reactions between these two different classes of compounds have not been studied. In this paper, we describe the interaction of therapeutic gold(I) compounds with the commonly used thiourea-based antithyroid drug, methimazole. It is observed that the gold(I) phosphine complexes (R(3)PAuCl, where R = Me, Et, Ph) react with methimazole only upon deprotonation to produce the corresponding gold(I)-thiolate complexes. Addition of PPh(3) to the gold(I)-thiolates produces (R(3)PAuPPh(3))(+) (R = Me or Et), indicating the possibility of ligand exchange reactions.

Accommodating Unwelcome Guests in Inorganic Layered Hosts: Inclusion of Chloranil in a Layered Double Hydroxide

The host-guest chemistry of most inorganic layered solids is limited to ion-exchange reactions. The guest species are either cations or anions to compensate for the charge deficit, either positive or negative, of the inorganic layers. Here, we outline a strategy to include neutral molecules like ortho- and para-chloranil, that are known to be good acceptors in donor-acceptor or charge-transfer complexes, within the galleries of a layered solid. We have succeeded in including neutral ortho- and para-chloranil molecules within the galleries of an Mg-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) by using charge-transfer interactions with preintercalated p-aminobenzoate ions as the driving force. The p-aminobenzoate ions are introduced in the Mg-Al LDH via ion exchange. The intercalated LDH can adsorb ortho- and para-chloranil from chloroform solutions by forming charge-transfer complexes with the p-aminobenzoate anions present in the galleries. We use X-ray diffraction, spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations to establish the nature of interactions and arrangement of the charge-transfer complex within the galleries of the layered double hydroxide.

Tertiary amine-based glutathione peroxidase mimics: some insights into the role of steric and electronic effects on antioxidant activity

In this work, several tertiary amine-based diaryl diselenides were synthesized and evaluated for their glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like antioxidant activities using hydrogen peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide and cumene hydroperoxide as substrates and thiophenol (PhSH) and glutathione (GSH) as co-substrates. A comparison of the GPx-like activity of 4-methoxy-substituted N,N-dialkylbenzylamine-based diselenides with that of the corresponding 6-methoxy-substituted compounds indicates that the activity highly depends on the position of the methoxy substituent. Although the methoxy group at 4- and 6-position alters the electronic properties of selenium, the substitution at the 6-position provides the required steric protection for some of the key intermediates in the catalytic cycle. A detailed experimental and theoretical investigation reveals that the 6-methoxy substituent prevents the undesired thiol exchange reactions at the selenium centers in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates. The 6-methoxy substituent also prevents the formation of seleninic and selenonic acids. When PhSH is used as the thiol co-substrate, the 4-methoxy-substituted diselenides exhibit GPx-like activity similar to that of the parent compounds as the 4-methoxy substituent does not block the selenium center in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates from thiol exchange reactions. In contrast, the 4-methoxy substituent significantly enhances the GPx-like activity of the diselenides when glutathione (GSH) is used as the co-substrate. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Refining sub-solidus phase relations in the systems CaO-RuO2-SiO2 and CaO-RuO2-V2O5

Sub-solidus phase relations in the ternary systems CaO-RuO2-SiO2 and CaO-RuO2-V2O5 have been refined using thermodynamic data on calcium ruthenates, silicates and vanadates. Tie lines are established by considering Gibbs energy change for exchange reactions. Quaternary oxides have not been detected in these systems. Because of the relatively large entropy associated with phase transition of Ca2SiO4 from olivine to alpha' structure at 1120 K, reversal of one tie line is seen in the system CaO-RuO2-SiO2 between 950 and 1230 K. There is no change in sub-solidus phase relation as a function of temperature in the system CaO-RuO2-V2O5. Since vanadium can exist in several lower oxidation states, the computed sub-solidus phase relations are valid only at high oxygen partial pressures. There is fair agreement between the computed phase diagram and the limited experimental information available for CaO-deficient compositions in the literature. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introduction of a catalytic triad increases the glutathione peroxidase-like activity of diaryl diselenides

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated diseased states are of major concern in modern day life. Under oxidative stress conditions, the cellular antioxidants deplete, leading to several biological disorders. Small molecule mimics of different antioxidant enzymes are found to be useful in supplementing the biological systems to detoxify ROS. In this study, we have synthesized a series of amine or amide-based diselenides containing an additional amino group as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) mimetics. These diselenides act as a catalytic triad model of the native GPx featuring two basic amino groups near the selenium centre. A comparison of the catalytic activities reveals that the additional amino group increases the activity significantly in the presence of aromatic thiols. Deprotonation of thiol by an additional amine either stabilizes the selenolate intermediate or facilitates the nucleophilic attack of thiol in other intermediates. The Se-77 NMR experiments and DFT calculations show that the amino group does not have any significant effect on the catalytic intermediates. Although the amino moiety increases the nucleophilicity of the thiol, it does not prevent the thiol exchange reactions that take place in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates.

Reactions of cyanogen radical with alkanes and an explanation for negative temperature dependence of rate constants

Reactions of cyanide radicals with alkanes have been investigated by ab initio methods. It is found that the potential energy surface for reaction of CN with a primary C-H bond in methane has a small positive barrier while reactions of CN with a secondary and a tertiary C-H bond in alkanes are barrierless at the correlated level. A simple explanation for the obtained negative temperature dependence of rate constants for reactions of CN with a secondary and a tertiary C-H bond in alkanes are given in terms of the collision theory of bimolecular reactions. It is shown that for barrierless reactions the negative temperature dependence of the rate constants is attributed to the variation of the pre-exponential factor with temperature.

The Origin of Regioselectivity in a-Cleavage Reactions of Cyclopropenethiones: Potential Role of Pseudo-Jahn-Teller Effect in Substituted Cyclopropenyl Systems

Arylalkylcyclopropenethiones undergo highly regioselective photochemical a-cleavage via thioketene carbene intermediates, giving rise to products derived from the less stabilized carbene. UHF MIND0/3 calculations provide an insight into this unexpected regioselectivity. The nx* triplet of cyclopropenethione is calculated to have a highly unsymmetrical geometry with an elongated C-C bond, a delocalized thiaaUyl fragment, and a pyramidal radicaloid carbon (which eventually becomes the carbene center). From this molecular electronic structure, aryl group stabilization is expected to be more effective at the thiaallyl group rather than at the pyramidal radical center. Thus, the stability of the substituted triplet thione rather than that of the thioketene carbene determines the preferred regiochemistry of cleavage. The unusual structure of the cyclopropenethione triplet is suggested to be related to one of the Jahn-Teller distorted forms of the cyclopropenyl radical. An alternative symmetrical structure is adopted by the corresponding triplet of cyclopropenone, partly accounting for its differing photobehavior. A similar structural dichotomy is demonstrated for the corresponding radical anions as well.

Photogenerated radical intermediates of vitamin K-1: a time-resolved resonance Raman study

Quinones play a vital role in the process of electron transfer in bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers. It is of interest to investigate the photochemical reactions involving quinones with a view to elucidating the structure-function relationships in the biological processes. Resonance Raman spectra of radical anions and the time-resolved resonance Raman spectra of vitamin K-1 (model compound for Q(A) in Rhodopseudomonas viridis, a bacterial photosynthetic reception center) are presented. The photochemical intermediates of vitamin K-1, viz. radical anion, ketyl radical and o-quinone methide have been identified. The vibrational assignments of all these intermediates are made on the basis of comparison with our earlier TR3 studies on radical anions of naphthoquinone and menaquinone. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrochemically deposited crystalline thin film of polyaniline on nickel for redox reactions at positive potentials

Redox reactions which occur at positive potentials such as ferrous/ferric, hydroquinone/quinone, ferrocyanide/ferricyanide etc. in aqueous acidic electrolytes cannot be studied on non-platinum metals, for example, a Ni electrode. On the contrary, these reactions occur on polyaniline (PANI) modified Ni electrodes, as evidenced from cyclic voltammetry, amperometry and steady-state polarization experiments. Under identical experimental conditions of scan rate (v) and concentration (C), the peak current density (i(p)) values of Fe2+/Fe3+ redox reaction are greater on the PANI modified Ni than on Pt. Additionally, the peak potential separation (DeltaE(p)) of the voltammogram is lesser on the PANI modified Ni. With an increase in thickness of the PANI, DeltaE(p) increases suggesting that the redox reactions tend to depart from the reversibility. Scanning electron micrographs reveal the presence of a crystalline deposit of PANI on Ni when the thickness of PANI is about 0.08 mum. However, the PANI becomes amorphous and porous at higher thickness values. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies corroborate the observations made out of scanning electron microscopy. Higher catalytic activity of PANI is attributed to crystalline nature of PANI on Ni. Exchange current density and standard rate constant of Fe2+/Fe(3+)redox reaction are evaluated. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

A New Tetrahydrofurannulation Via Tandem Radical Cyclization Reaction-Reductive Deoxygenation Sequence

Treatment of bromoketals 2, derived from allyl alcohols 1, with tributyltin chloride, sodium cyanoborohydride and AIBN furnishes the tetrahydrofurannulated products 3 via a 5-exo-trig radical cyclisation reaction followed by reductive cleavage of ketal 4.

Time-Resolved Resonance Raman Spectroscopic Studies on the Radical Anions of Menaquinone and Naphthoquinone

Quinones and their radical ion intermediates have been much studied by vibrational spectroscopy to understand their structure-function relationships in various biological processes. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of vibrational spectra in the structure-sensitive region of both the naphthoquinone (NQ) and 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (MQ, menaquinone) radical anions using time-resolved resonance Raman and ab initio studies. Specific vibrational mode assignments have been made to all the vibrational frequencies recorded in the experiment. It is observed that the carbonyl and C-C stretching frequencies show considerable coupling in NQ and MQ radical anions. Further, the asymmetric substitution present in MQ with respect to NQ shows important signatures in the radical anion spectrum. It is concluded that assignments of vibrational frequencies of asymmetrically substituted quinones must take into consideration the influence of asymmetry on structure and reactivity.

Formal total synthesis of 2-pupukeanone via radical mediated cyclisation of an enyne

Diels-Alder reaction of the dienone 12, obtained by C-alkylation of sodium 2,6-dimethylphenoxide, with acrylonitrile and phenyl vinyl sulfones generate the enynes 14 and 17. Tributyltin radical addition to the terminal acetylene in 14 and 17 lead to the vinylstannanes 15 and 18 via 5-exo trig cyclisation of the resulting vinyl radical, which on oxidative cleavage furnishes the isotwistane-diones 16 and 19. Reductive desulfonylation of the diketosulfone 19 furnishes the dione 11, constituting a formal total synthesis of 2-pupukeanone 5 and 2-isocyanopupukeanone 3.