Bleomycin-induced trans lipid formation in cell membranes and in liposome models

Cell cultures of NTera-2 cells incubated with bleomycin and liposomes as biomimetic models of cell membranes were used for examining some novel aspects of drug-metal induced reactivity with unsaturated lipids under oxidative conditions. In cell cultures, bleomycin was found for the first time to cause the formation of trans fatty acids. The chemical basis of this transformation was ascertained by liposome experiments, using bleomycin-iron complexes in the presence of thiol as a reducing agent that by incubation at 37 °C gave rise to the thiyl radical-catalysed double bond isomerisation of membrane phospholipids. The effect of oxygen and reagent concentrations on the reaction outcome was studied. An interesting scenario of free radical reactivity is proposed, which can be relevant for understanding the role of membrane lipids in antitumoral treatments and drug carrier interaction.Fil: Cort, Aysegul. Akdeniz University. Faculty of Medicine; Turquía. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Ozben, Tomris. Akdeniz University. Faculty of Medicine; TurquíaFil: Sansone, Anna. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Barata Vallejo, Sebastian. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Italia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Chatgilialoglu, Chryssostomos. Demokritos National Centre For Scientific Research; GreciaFil: Ferreri, Carla. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Itali

The influence of antioxidants in the thiyl radical induced lipid peroxidation and geometrical isomerization in micelles of linoleic acid

The biomimetic model of micelles of linoleic acid containing 2-mercaptoethanol and the antioxidant was examined under gamma irradiation up to 400 Gy in aerobic or deoxygenated conditions where thiyl radicals are the main reactive species. Lipid peroxidation was retarded by ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol, whereas this process was strongly inhibited by resveratrol as effectively as the ascorbic acid/α-tocopherol mixture. Furthermore, antioxidants have a much stronger inhibitory effect on the peroxidation in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol, and at the same time show protective properties of the double bond, decreasing the cis–trans isomerization. Under anaerobic conditions cis–trans isomerization occurred and antioxidants efficiency increased along the series: resveratrol α-tocopherol ascorbic acid. This result is explained taking into account the double bond localization in the hydrophobic core of the micelle and the need of co- localization of the antioxidant in order to get an anti-isomerizing activity and protection of the natural lipid geometry

A combined "electrochemical-frustrated Lewis pair" approach to hydrogen activation: surface catalytic effects at platinum electrodes

Herein, we extend our “combined electrochemical–frustrated Lewis pair” approach to include Pt electrode surfaces for the first time. We found that the voltammetric response of an electrochemical–frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) system involving the B(C6F5)3/[HB(C6F5)3]− redox couple exhibits a strong surface electrocatalytic effect at Pt electrodes. Using a combination of kinetic competition studies in the presence of a H atom scavenger, 6-bromohexene, and by changing the steric bulk of the Lewis acid borane catalyst from B(C6F5)3 to B(C6Cl5)3, the mechanism of electrochemical–FLP reactions on Pt surfaces was shown to be dominated by hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) between Pt, [Pt[BOND]H] adatoms and transient [HB(C6F5)3]⋅ electrooxidation intermediates. These findings provide further insight into this new area of combining electrochemical and FLP reactions, and proffers additional avenues for exploration beyond energy generation, such as in electrosynthesis

Biomimetic Radical Chemistry and Applications

The enormous importance of free radical chemistry for a variety of biological events, including ageing and inflammation, has attracted a strong interest in understanding the related mechanistic steps at the molecular level. Modelling the free radical chemical reactivity of biological systems is an important research area. When studying free-radical-based chemical mechanisms, biomimetic chemistry and the design of established biomimetic models come into play to perform experiments in a controlled environment that is suitably designed to be in strict connection with cellular conditions. This Special Issue gives the reader a wide overview of biomimetic radical chemistry, where molecular mechanisms have been defined and molecular libraries of products are developed to also be used as traces for the discovery of some relevant biological processes. Several subjects are presented, with 12 articles and 6 reviews written by specialists in the fields of DNA, proteins, lipids, biotechnological applications, and bioinspired synthesis, having “free radicals” as a common denominator

Radical hydrodehalogenation of aryl bromides and chlorides with sodium hydride and 1,4-Dioxane

A practical method for radical chain reduction of various aryl bromides and chlorides is introduced. The thermal process uses NaH and 1,4‐dioxane as reagents and 1,10‐phenanthroline as an initiator. Hydrodehalogenation can be combined with typical cyclization reactions, proving the nature of the radical mechanism. These chain reactions proceed by electron catalysis. DFT calculations and mechanistic studies support the suggested mechanism

Combined Raman and IR spectroscopic study on the radical-based modifications of methionine

Among damages reported to occur on proteins, radical-based changes of methionine (Met) residues are one of the most important convalent post-translational modifications. The combined application of Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopies for the characterisation of the radical-induced modifications of Met is described here. Gamma-irradiation was used to simulate the endogenous formation of reactive species such as hydrogen atoms ( •H), hydroxyl radicals ( •OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2). These spectroscopic techniques coupled to mass experiments are suitable tools in detecting almost all the main radical-induced degradation products of Met that depend on the nature of the reactive species. In particular, Raman spectroscopy is useful in revealing the radical-induced modifications in the sulphur-containing moiety, whereas the IR spectra allow decarboxylation and deamination processes to be detected, as well as the formation of other degradation products. Thus, some band patterns useful for building a library of spectra-structure correlation for radical-based degradation of Met were identified. In particular, the bands due to the formation of methionine sulfoxide, the main oxidation product of Met, have been identified. All together, these results combine to produce a set of spectroscopic markers of the main processes occurring as a consequence of radical stress exposure, which can be used in a spectroscopic protocol for providing a first assessment of Met modifications in more complex systems such as peptides and proteins, and monitoring their impact on protein structure.Fil: Torreggiani, A.. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; ItaliaFil: Barata Vallejo, Sebastian. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Italia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Chatgilialoglu, C.. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche; Itali

Radical reaction control in the AdoMet radical enzyme CDG Synthase (QueE): consolidate, destabilize, accelerate

Controlling radical intermediates and thus catalysing and directing complex radical reactions is a central feature of S-adensosylmethionine (SAM)-dependent radical enzymes. We report ab initio and DFT calculations highlighting the specific influence of ion complexation, including Mg2+, identified as a key catalytic component on radical stability and reaction control in 7-carboxy-7-deazaguanine synthase (QueE). Radical stabilisation energies (RSEs) of key intermediates and radical clock-like model systems of the enzyme-catalysed rearrangement of 6-carboxytetrahydropterin (CPH4), reveals a directing role of Mg2+ in destabilising both the substrate-derived radical and corresponding side reactions, with the effect that the experimentally-observed rearrangement becomes dominant over possible alternatives. Importantly, this is achieved with minimal disruption of the thermodynamics of the substrate itself, affording a novel mechanism for an enzyme to both maintain binding potential and accelerate the rearrangement step. Other mono and divalent ions were probed with only dicationic species achieving the necessary radical conformation to facilitate the reaction

Lipid geometrical isomerism: from chemistry to biology and diagnostics.

Lipidomics, the discipline regarding chemical and metabolic lipid fates in living organisms, has brought about a successful innovation to lipid research. Expansion of trans lipid research can be easily foreseen in analytics, chemical mechanisms, liposome and oil technology, lipidomics, and diagnostics. Innovative fields can also include the design of molecular switches, taking advantage of the different sensitivity of trans- and cis-containing membranes to physical and chemical stimuli, as well as the determination of biological and pharmacological strategies based on the tunable molecular interactions produced by the exchange of the natural cis with the unnatural trans geometry. The presence of trans lipids in membranes also has a profound influence on temperature sensitivity as tested by insertion of a probe sensitive to the lipid environment, such as cis-parinaric acid, using accurate stopped-flow fluorescence measurements