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Antal Rockenbauer

Publications and source records attributed to Antal Rockenbauer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Theoretical and experimental studies of the spin trapping of inorganic radicals by 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO). 2. Carbonate radical anion.

Previous studies have shown that the enzyme-mediated generation of carbonate radical anion (CO(3)(.-)) may play an important role in the initiation of oxidative damage in cells. This study explored the thermodynamics of CO(3)(.-) addition to 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31+G(**)//B3LYP/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-311+G* levels with the polarizable continuum model to simulate the effect of the bulk dielectric effect of water on the calculated energetics. Theoretical data reveal that the addition of CO(3)(.-) to DMPO yields an O-centered radical adduct (DMPO-OCO2) as governed by the spin (density) population on the CO(3)(.-). Electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping with the commonly used spin trap, DMPO, has been employed in the detection of CO(3)(.-). UV photolysis of H(2)O(2) and DMPO in the presence of sodium carbonate (Na(2)CO(3)) or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO(3)) gave two species (i.e., DMPO-OCO(2) and DMPO-OH) in which the former has hyperfine splitting constant values of a(N) = 14.32 G, a(beta)-Eta = 10.68 G, and a(gamma-H) = 1.37 G and with a shorter half-life compared to DMPO-OH. The origin of the DMPO-OH formed was experimentally confirmed using isotopically enriched H(2)(17)O(2) that indicates direct addition of HO(.) to DMPO. Theoretical studies on other possible pathways for the formation of DMPO-OH from DMPO-OCO(2) in aqueous solution and in the absence of free HO(.) such as in the case of enzymatically generated CO(3)(.-), show that the preferred pathway is via nucleophilc substitution of the carbonate moiety by H(2)O or HO(-). Nitrite formation has been observed as the end product of CO(3)(.-) trapping by DMPO and is partly dependent on the basicity of solution. The thermodynamic behavior of CO(3)(.-) in the aqueous phase is predicted to be similar to that of the hydroperoxyl (HO(2)(.)) radical.

Anions↗

Theoretical and experimental studies of the spin trapping of inorganic radicals by 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO). 1. Carbon dioxide radical anion.

The carbon dioxide radical anion (CO2*-) is known to be generated in vivo through various chemical and biochemical pathways. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping with the commonly used spin trap, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO), has been employed in the detection of CO2*-. The thermodynamics of CO2*- addition to DMPO was predicted using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31++G**//B3LYP/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-311+G* levels with the polarizable continuum model (PCM) to simulate the effect of the bulk dielectric effect of water on the calculated energetics. Three possible products of CO2*- addition to DMPO were predicted: (1) a carboxylate adduct, (2) pyrroline-alcohol and (3) DMPO-OH. Experimentally, UV photolysis of H2O2 in the presence of sodium formate (NaHCO2) and DMPO gave an EPR spectrum characteristic of a C-centered carboxylate adduct and is consistent with the theoretically derived hyperfine coupling constants (hfcc). The pKa of the carboxylate adduct was estimated computationally to be 6.4. The mode of CO2*- addition to DMPO is predicted to be governed predominantly by the spin (density) population on the radical, whereas electrostatic effects are not the dominant factor for the formation of the persistent adduct. The thermodynamic behavior of CO2*- in the aqueous phase is predicted to be similar to that of mercapto radical (*SH), indicating that formation of CO2*- in biological systems may have an important role in the initiation of oxidative damage in cells.

Algorithms↗

Early specific free radical-related cytotoxicity of gas phase cigarette smoke and its paradoxical temporary inhibition by tar: An electron paramagnetic resonance study with the spin trap DEPMPO.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping studies demonstrated aqueous tar particulate matter (TPM) and gas phase cigarette smoke (GPCS) to behave as different sources of free radicals in cigarette smoke (CS) but their cytotoxic implications have been only assessed in CS due to its relevance to the natural smoking process. Using a sensitive spin trapping detection with 5-(diethoxyphosphoryl)-5-methyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DEPMPO), this study compared the respective roles of CS- and GPCS-derived free radicals on smoke-induced cytotoxicity and lipid peroxidation of filtered and unfiltered, machine-smoked experimental and reference cigarettes yielding a wide range of TPM yields. In buffer bubbled with CS the DEPMPO/superoxide spin adduct was the major detected nitroxide. Use of appropriate control experiments with nitric oxide radical (NO*) or carbonyl sulfide, and a computer analysis of spin adduct diastereoisomery showed that the hydroxyl radical (HO*) adduct of DEPMPO seen in GPCS-bubbled was rather related to metal-catalyzed nucleophilic synthesis than to direct HO* trapping. Unexpectedly a protective effect of TPM on murine 3T3 fibroblasts was observed in early (<3h) free radical-, GPCS-induced cell death, and carbon filtering decreased free radical formation, toxicity and lipid peroxidation in three cell lines (including human epithelial lung cells) challenged with GPCS. These results highlight an acute, free radical-dependent, harmful mechanism specific to the GPCS phase, possibly involving NO* chemistry, whose physical or chemical control may be of great interest with the aim of reducing the toxicity of smoke.

Animals↗

Nitroxide bound beta-cyclodextrin: is there an inclusion complex?

236CDTIPNO, a derivative of the persistent free radical TIPNO (1,1-dimethylethyl 2-methyl-1-phenylpropyl nitroxide) covalently bound to a permethylated-beta-cyclodextrin, was prepared. Self-association of 236CDTIPNO in water was proved by solvent- and competition-dependent EPR spectroscopy experiments with 2,6-di-O-Me-beta-cyclodextrin (DIMEB) and permethylated-beta-cyclodextrin (TRIMEB) as external hosts competing for accommodation of the TIPNO moiety. Temperature-dependent EPR spectra were simulated with a novel two-dimensional (field-temperature) EPR simulation program that afforded a full determination of the thermodynamic parameters characterizing the rate constants of the self-inclusion reaction derived from Arrhenius and Eyring models. This method allows separating the line broadening effects due to relaxation from a chemical exchange, even if only the fast exchange regime is accessible experimentally. The activation parameters for the forward and backward steps were consistent with an equilibrium between a nonassociated form and a weakly associated form, with activation free enthalpies for each reaction of around 34 kJ.mol(-)(1).

Journal Article↗

Thermodynamic analysis of the chemical exchange of beta-phosphorylated cyclic nitroxides by using two-dimensional (temperature versus magnetic field) simulation of ESR spectra: the impact of labile solvent-solute interactions on molecular dynamics.

A complete thermodynamic characterization of the chair-to-chair interconversion in beta-diphosphorylated piperidine-N-oxyl radicals was achieved by means of the analysis of temperature-dependent ESR spectra. A new two-dimensional simulation method was developed with the coordinates temperature and magnetic field, in which the entire set of spectra was simulated simultaneously by adjusting the coefficients in the power expansion, giving the temperature-dependent ESR parameters and the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters determining the site populations and exchange rates, respectively. The new method promotes elimination of the ambiguities inherent in the spectroscopic determination of thermodynamic parameters. Labile solvent-solute interactions can strongly influence the chemical exchange, producing a complex network of symmetric and asymmetric interconversions. The solvent dependence of magnetic relaxation was also analyzed.

Journal Article↗

Inclusion complexes of EMPO derivatives with 2,6-di-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin: synthesis, NMR and EPR investigations for enhanced superoxide detection.

The free radical trapping properties of eight 5-alkoxycarbonyl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (EMPO) type nitrones and those of 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) were evaluated for trapping of superoxide anion radicals in the presence of 2,6-di-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DM-beta-CD). (1)H-NMR titrations were performed to determine both stoichiometries and binding constants for the diamagnetic nitrone-DM-beta-CD equilibria. EPR titrations were then performed and analyzed using a two-dimensional EPR simulation program affording 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 stoichiometries for the nitroxide spin adducts with DM-beta-CD and the associated binding constants after spin trapping. The nitroxide spin adducts associate more strongly with DM-beta-CD than the nitrones. The ability of the nitrones to trap superoxide, the enhancement of the EPR signal intensity and the supramolecular protection by DM-beta-CD against sodium L-ascorbate reduction were evaluated.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy↗

The line asymmetry of electron spin resonance spectra as a tool to determine the cis:trans ratio for spin-trapping adducts of chiral pyrrolines N-oxides: the mechanism of formation of hydroxyl radical adducts of EMPO, DEPMPO, and DIPPMPO in the ischemic-reperfused rat liver.

Nonstereospecific addition of free radicals to chiral nitrones yields cis/trans diastereoisomeric nitroxides often displaying different electron spin resonance (ESR) characteristics. Glutathione peroxidase-glutathione (GPx-GSH) reaction was applied to reduce the superoxide adducts (nitrone/*OOH) to the corresponding hydroxyl radical (HO*) adducts (nitrone/*OH) of two nitrones increasingly used in biological spin trapping, namely 5-diethoxyphosphoryl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DEPMPO) and 5-ethoxycarbonyl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide, and of 5-diisopropoxyphosphoryl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DIPPMPO), a sterically hindered DEPMPO analogue. The method offered improved conditions to record highly resolved ESR spectra and by accurate simulation of line asymmetry we obtained clear evidence for the existence of previously unrecognized isomer pairs of cis- and trans-[DEPMPO/*OH] and [DIPPMPO/*OH]. Additional nitrone/*OH generation methods were used, i.e. photolysis of hydrogen peroxide and the Fenton reaction. We developed a kinetic model involving first- and second-order decay and a secondary conversion of trans to cis isomer to fully account for the strongly configuration-dependent behavior of nitrone/*OH. In the reductive system and, to a lower extent, in the Fenton or photolytic systems cis-nitrone/*OH was the more stable diastereoisomer. In various biologically relevant milieu, we found that the cis:trans-nitrone/*OH ratio determined right after the spin adduct formation significantly differed upon the GPx-GSH vs (Fenton or photolytic) systems of formation. This new mechanistic ESR index consistently showed for all nitrones that nitrone/*OH signals detected in the postischemic effluents of ischemic isolated rat livers are the reduction products of primary nitrone/*OOH. Thus, ESR deconvolution of cis/trans diastereoisomers is of great interest in the study of HO* formation in biological systems.

Animals↗

Synthesis and spin-trapping behavior of 5-ChEPMPO, a cholesteryl ester analogue of the spin trap DEPMPO.

[structure: see text] 5-(Cholesteryloxyethoxyphosphoryl)-5-methylpyrroline N-oxide (5-ChEPMPO), a DEPMPO analogue bearing a cholesterol group on the phosphorus atom, has been prepared and used to trap peroxyl-, alkoxyl-, thiyl-, and carbon-centered radicals in organic solvent. The important steric hindrance in 5-ChEPMPO does not affect the properties of 5-ChEPMPO in comparison to DEPMPO for the spin trapping of an enantiopure linoleic acid hydroperoxide. The 5-ChEPMPO-OOL spin adduct was observed by ESR and confirmed by ESI-MS/MS experiments. The relaxation terms of the 5-ChEPMPO-lipid peroxyl spin adduct were compared with those of other peroxyl spin adducts, and it was shown that the cholesteryl group has only a weak influence on the exchange rate between adduct conformers.

Cholesterol↗

Inclusion complexes of PBN-type nitrone spin traps and their superoxide spin adducts with cyclodextrin derivatives: parallel determination of the association constants by NMR titrations and 2D-EPR simulations.

(1)H NMR and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) titrations were used to determine the association constants of the complexes of alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) analogues and their superoxide spin adducts, respectively, with methylated beta-cyclodextrins. A 1:1 stoichiometry for the nitrones with randomly methylated beta-cyclodextrin and 2,6-di-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin and 1:1 and 1:2 stoichiometries for the corresponding cyclodextrin-nitroxide complexes were observed. After the superoxide radical spin trapping reaction, EPR titrations afforded the association constants of the corresponding cyclodextrin-nitroxide complexes. Two-dimensional EPR simulations indicated a bimodal inclusion of the nitroxide free radical spin adducts into the cyclodextrins. For all the nitrone-cyclodextrin and nitroxide-cyclodextrin complexes, the association constants were always higher for the nitroxide complexes than for the nitrone complexes. A cooperative system concerning the complexation of the nitroxide spin adduct with a cyclodextrin was evidenced by EPR titrations. The efficiency of the cyclodextrin inclusion technique to trap superoxide and to resist bioreduction by sodium l-ascorbate was also investigated.

Cyclodextrins↗

Coordination modes between copper(II) and N-acetylneuraminic (sialic) acid from a 2D-simulation analysis of EPR spectra. Implications for copper mediation of sialoglycoconjugate chemistry relevant to human biology.

The equilibrium distribution of species formed between Cu(II) and N-acetylneuraminic (sialic) acid (I, LH) at 298 K has been determined using a two-dimensional (2D) simulation analysis of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. In acidic solutions (pH values < 4), the major species present are Cu(2+), [CuL]+ [logbeta = 1.64(4)], and [CuL2] [logbeta = 2.77(5)]. At intermediate pH values (4.0 < pH < 7.5), [CuL2H-1]- [logbeta = -2.72(7)] and two isomers of [CuLH-1] [logbeta (overall) = -3.37(2)] are present. At alkaline pH values (7.5 < pH < 11), the major species present is [CuL2H-2]2-, modeled as three isomers with unique giso and Aiso values [logbeta (overall) = -8.68(3)]. Two further species ([CuLH-3]2- and [CuL2H-3]3-) appear at pH values > 11. It is proposed that [CuL]+ most likely features I coordinated via the deprotonated carboxylic acid group (O1) and the endocyclic oxygen atom (OR) forming a five-membered chelate ring. Select Cu(II)-I species of the form [CuLH-1] may feature I acting as a dianionic tridentate chelate, via oxygen atoms derived from O1, OR, and one deprotonated hydroxy group (O7 or O8) from the glycerol tail. Alternatively, I may coordinate Cu(II) in a bidentate fashion as the tert-2-hydroxycarboxylato (O1,O2) dianion. Spectra predicted for Cu(II)-I complexes in which I is coordinated in either a O1,OR {I1-} or O1,O2 {I2-} bidentate fashion {e.g., [CuL]+ (O1,O R), [CuL2] (bis-O1,O R), [CuLH-1] (isomer: O1, O2), [CuL2H-1]- (O1, O R; O1, O2), and [CuL2H-2]2- (isomer: bis-O1, O2)} have "irregular" EPR spectra that are ascribed to the existence of Cu(II)-I(monomer) <==> Cu(II)-I(polymer) equilibria. The formation of polymeric Cu(II)-I species will be favored in these complexes because the glycerol-derived hydroxyl groups at the complex periphery (O, 7O, 8O9) are available for further Cu(II) binding. The presence of polymeric Cu(II)-I species is supported by EPR spectral data from solutions of Cu(II) and the homopolymer of I, colominic acid (Ipoly). Conversely, spectra predicted for Cu(II)-I complexes where I is coordinated in a {I2-} tridentate {e.g., [CuLH-1] (isomer: O1, O R, O7, or O8) and [CuL2H-2]2- (isomer: bis-O1,O R,O7, or O8)} or tetradentate fashion {I3-} {e.g., [CuLH-3]2- (O1, O R, O, 8O9)} are typical for mononuclear tetragonally elongated Cu(II) octahedra. In this latter series of complexes, the tendency toward the formation of polymeric Cu(II)-I analogues is small because the polydentate I effectively wraps up the mononuclear Cu(II) center. This work shows that Cu(II) could potentially mediate the chemistry of sialoglycoconjugate-containing proteins in human biology, such as the sialylated amyloid precursor protein of relevance to Alzheimer's disease.

Computer Simulation↗

Diastereoselective synthesis and ESR study of 4-phenylDEPMPO spin traps.

[reaction: see text] The cis and trans diastereoisomers of 5-(diethoxyphosphoryl)-5-methyl-4-phenylpyrroline N-oxide (4-PhDEPMPOt 8 and 4-PhDEPMPOc 9) were prepared stereoselectively and used as spin traps for hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. The spin adduct formed by reaction of the cis stereoisomer 9with superoxide radical anion exhibited an 8-line ESR spectrum, showing only a reduced alternating line width phenomenon. This spectrum is simpler than the 12-line spectrum of DEPMPO-OOH, which exhibits a strong alternating line width phenomenon. The half-life times of the 4-PhDEPMPOc-OOH and DEPMPO-OOH adducts were of the same order: 14.5 and 15.5 min, respectively.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy↗

Assignment of the EPR spectrum of 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) superoxide spin adduct.

[structure: see text] Spin trapping consists of using a nitrone or a nitroso compound to "trap" an unstable free radical as a long-lived nitroxide that can be characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The formation of DMPO-OOH, the spin adduct resulting from trapping superoxide (O(2)(*)(-)) with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO), has been exploited to detect the generation of superoxide in a wide variety of biological and chemical systems. The 12-line EPR spectrum of DMPO-OOH has been either reported or mentioned in more than a thousand papers. It has been interpreted as resulting from the following couplings: A(N) approximately 1.42 mT, A(H)beta approximately 1.134 mT, and A(H)gamma(1H) approximately 0.125 mT. However, the DMPO-OOH EPR spectrum has an asymmetry that cannot be reproduced when the spectrum is calculated considering a single species. Recently, it was proposed that the 0.125 mT splitting was misassigned and actually results from the superimposition of two individual EPR spectra associated with different conformers of DMPO-OOH. We have prepared 5,5-dimethyl-[3,3-(2)H(2)]-1-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO-d(2)), and we showed that the EPR spectrum of the corresponding superoxide spin adduct is composed of only six lines, in agreement with the assignment of the 0.125 mT splitting to a gamma-splitting from a hydrogen atom bonded to carbon 3 of DMPO. This result was supported by DFT calculations including water solvation, and the asymmetry of the DMPO-OOH EPR spectrum was nicely reproduced assuming a chemical exchange between two conformers.

Journal Article↗

Iron(III)- and copper(II) complexes of an asymmetric, pentadentate salen-like ligand bearing a pendant carboxylate group.

The equilibrium and solution structural properties of the iron(III) and copper(II) complexes of an asymmetric salen-like ligand (N,N'-bis(2-hydroxybenzyl)-2,3-diamino-propionic acid, H(3)bhbdpa) bearing a pendant carboxylate group were characterized in aqueous solution by potentiometric, pH-dependent electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and UV-Vis (UV-Visible) measurements. In the equimolar systems the pentadentate ligand forms very stable, differently protonated mononuclear complexes with both metal ions. In the presence of iron(III) {NH, PhO(-), COO(-)}, {2NH, 2PhO(-), COO(-)} and {2NH, 2PhO(-), COO(-), OH(-)} coordinated complexes are dominant. The EPR titrations reflected the presence of microscopic complex formation pathways, leading to the formation of binding isomers in case of Cu(H(2)bhbdpa)(+), Cu(Hbhbdpa) and Cu(bhbdpa)(-). The {2NH, 2PhO(-)+COO(-)/H(2)O} coordinated Cu(bhbdpa) is the only species between pH 6-11. At twofold excess of metal ion dinuclear complexes were detected with both iron(III) and copper(II). In presence of iron(III) a mu-carboxylato-mu-hydroxo-bridged dinuclear complex (Fe(2)(bhbdpa)(OH)(3)) is formed from Fe(H(2)bhbdpa)(2+) through overlapping proton release processes, providing one of the rare examples for the stabilization of an endogenous carboxylate bridged diiron core in aqueous solution. The complex Cu(2)(bhbdpa)(+) detected in the presence of copper(II) is a paramagnetic (S=1) species with relatively weakly coupled metal ions.

Carboxylic Acids↗

Spin trapping by 5-carbamoyl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (AMPO): theoretical and experimental studies.

The nitrone 5-carbamoyl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (AMPO) was synthesized and characterized. Spin trapping of various radicals by AMPO was demonstrated for the first time by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The resulting spin adducts for each of these radicals gave unique spectral profiles. The hyperfine splitting constants for the superoxide adduct are as follows: isomer I (80%), a(nitronyl)(-)(N) = 13.0 G and a(beta)(-)(H) = 10.8 G; isomer II (20%), a(nitronyl)(-)(N) = 13.1 G, a(beta)(-)(H) = 12.5 G, and a(gamma)(-)(H) = 1.75 G. The half-life of the AMPO-O(2)H was about 8 min, similar to that observed for EMPO but significantly shorter than that of the DEPMPO-O(2)H with t(1/2) approximately 16 min. However, the spectral profile of AMPO-O(2)H at high S/N ratio is distinguishable from the spectrum of the (*)OH adduct. Theoretical analyses using density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-31+G//B3LYP/6-31G level were performed on AMPO and its corresponding superoxide adduct. Calculations predicted the presence of intramolecular H-bonding in both AMPO and its superoxide adduct. The H-bonding interaction was further confirmed by an X-ray structure of AMPO, and of the novel and analogous amido nitrone 2-amino-5-carbamoyl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide (NH(2)-AMPO). The thermodynamic quantities for superoxide radical trapping by various nitrones have been found to predict favorable formation of certain isomers. The measured partition coefficient in an n-octanol/buffer system of AMPO was similar to those of DMPO and DEPMPO. This study demonstrates the suitability of the AMPO nitrone for use as a spin trap to study radical production in aqueous systems.

Crystallography, X-Ray↗

Kinetics and mechanism of the ferroxime(II)-catalysed biomimetic oxidation of 2-aminophenol by dioxygen. A functional phenoxazinone synthase model.

[Fe(Hdmg)(2)(MeIm)(2)](1), referred to as ferroxime(II), is the precursor of a selective catalyst for the oxidative dehydrogenation of 2-aminophenol (Hap) to 2-amino-3H-phenoxazine-3-one (apx) by dioxygen under ambient conditions. The superoxoferroxime(III) species has been detected by ES-MS, and a 4-substituted 2-aminophenoxyl free radical by the ESR technique. The kinetics of the reaction was followed spectrophotometrically and by monitoring dioxygen uptake at constant pressure. According to the proposed mechanism, solvolysis of 1 is followed by O(2) binding to afford a superoxoferroxime, which abstracts an H-atom from Hap in the rate-determining step via an H-bonded intermediate, generating the free radical. This is supported by the observed primary deuterium kinetic isotope effect of 2.63. The system studied is a functional phenoxazinone synthase model.

Aminophenols↗

Copper(II) complexes of some N-substituted bis(aminomethyl)phosphinate ligands. An integrated EPR study of microspeciation and coordination modes by the two-dimensional simulation method.

Copper(II) complexes of bis(aminomethyl)phosphinic acid (L1), bis(N-glycino-N-methyl)phosphinic acid (L2), bis(N-benzylglycino-N-methyl)phosphinic acid (L3), bis(l-prolino-N-methyl)phosphinic acid (L4) and bis(iminodicarboxymethyl-N-methyl)phosphinic acid (L5) were studied in aqueous solution by pH-potentiometric and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic methods. The EPR spectrum packages recorded at various ligand-to-metal concentration ratios and pH's were analyzed (after matrix rank analysis by the method of residual intensities as a complementary method) by the two-dimensional computer simulation method, which simultaneously determines the formation constants and the EPR parameters of the various (micro)species. L1 forms mono and bis complexes in different protonation states; for the other ligands, the mono complexes are always prevalent. For steric reasons, the formation of CuL is shifted to increasingly higher pH regions in the sequence L2, L3 and L4. CuLH was identified for L3, L4 and L5, and also CuLH(2) for L4 and L5. Cu(2)L(2) was found in small amounts for L3 and L4, while it predominates at pH>4 for L5. For L5, Cu(2)L(2)H(2) was also detected. For the ligands that form dimeric metal complexes in equimolar solution or at a ligand excess, Cu(2)L is formed at a metal ion excess. Ligation of the phosphinate O was suggested by indirect proofs in the protonated complexes of L1. For the ligands L2, L3 and L4, the copper(II) coordination in various species in different protonation states is reminiscent of that in the mono and bis complexes of simple amino acids. For the bis(aminomethyl)phosphinates, however, the cis positions of the amino groups in CuL are ensured by the structure of the ligand, and the isomers differ from each other in the (equatorial or axial) position of the second carboxylate group.

Journal Article↗

Reinvestigation of the copper(II)-carcinine equilibrium system: "two-dimensional" EPR simulation and NMR relaxation studies for determining the formation constants and coordination modes.

The equilibria and solution structure of complexes formed between copper(II) and carcinine (beta-alanyl-histamine) at 2< or = pH< or =11.2 have been studied by EPR and NMR relaxation methods. Beside the species that have already been described in the literature from pH-potentiometric measurements, several new complexes have been identified and/or structurally characterized. The singlet on the EPR spectrum detected in equimolar solutions at pH 7, indicates the formation of an oligomerized (CuL)n(2n+) complex, with [NH2,Nim] coordination. The oligomerization is probably associated with the low stability of the ten-membered macrochelate ring, which would form in the mononuclear complex CuL2+. In presence of moderate excess of ligand the formation of four new bis-complexes (CuL2Hn(2+n), n=2,1 and 0/-1) was detected with [Nim][Nim], [NH2,Nim][Nim] and [NH2,N-,Nim][Nim] type co-ordination modes, respectively. At higher excess of ligand ([L]/[Cu2+]>10) and at pH approximately 7, the predominant species is CuL4H2(4+). The 1H and 13C relaxation measurements of carcinine solutions (0.6 M) in presence of 0 mM< or = [Cu2+](tot)< or = 5 mM at pH=6.8, allowed us to extract the carbon-to-metal distances, the electronic relaxation and tumbling correlation times, as well as the ligand exchange rate for the species CuL4H2(4+). According to these results, the metal ion is [4Nim] co-ordinated in the equatorial plane, while the neutral amino groups are unbounded. Since naturally occurring carcinine shows in vivo antioxidant property, the SOD-like activity of the copper(II)-carcinine system has also been investigated and the complex CuLH(-1) was found to be highly active.

Carnosine↗