The Chemistry of Nitroxyl-Releasing Compounds

Nitroxyl (HNO) demonstrates a diverse and unique biological profile compared to nitric oxide, a redox-related compound. Although numerous studies support the use of HNO as a therapeutic agent, the inherent chemical reactivity of HNO requires the use of donor molecules. Two general chemical strategies currently exist for HNO generation from nitrogen-containing molecules: (i) the disproportionation of hydroxylamine derivatives containing good leaving groups attached to the nitrogen atom and (ii) the decomposition of nitroso compounds (X-N=O, where X represents a good leaving group). This review summarizes the synthesis and structure, the HNO-releasing mechanisms, kinetics and by-product formation, and alternative reactions of six major groups of HNO donors: Angeli's salt, Piloty's acid and its derivatives, cyanamide, diazenium diolate-derived compounds, acyl nitroso compounds, and acyloxy nitroso compounds. A large body of work exists defining these six groups of HNO donors and the overall chemistry of each donor requires consideration in light of its ability to produce HNO. The increasing interest in HNO biology and the potential of HNO-based therapeutics presents exciting opportunities to further develop HNO donors as both research tools and potential treatments. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 14, 1637–1648

Isoindole Linkages Provide a Pathway for DOPAL-Mediated Cross-Linking of α‑Synuclein

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL) is a toxic and reactive product of dopamine catabolism. In the catecholaldehyde hypothesis for Parkinson’s disease, it is a critical driver of the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons that characterizes the disease. DOPAL also cross-links α-synuclein, the main component of Lewy bodies, which are a pathological hallmark of the disease. We previously described the initial adduct formed in reactions between DOPAL and α-synuclein, a dicatechol pyrrole lysine (DCPL). Here, we examine the chemical basis for DOPAL-based cross-linking. We find that autoxidation of DCPL’s catechol rings spurs its decomposition, yielding an intermediate dicatechol isoindole lysine (DCIL) product formed by an intramolecular reaction of the two catechol rings to give an unstable tetracyclic structure. DCIL then reacts with a second DCIL to give a dimeric, di-DCIL. This product is formed by an intermolecular carbon-carbon bond between the isoindole rings of the two DCILs that generates two structurally nonequivalent and separable atropisomers. Using α-synuclein, we demonstrate that the DOPAL-catalyzed formation of oligomers can be separated into two steps. The initial adduct formation occurs robustly within an hour, with DCPL as the main product, and the second step cross-links α-synuclein molecules. Exploiting this two-stage reaction, we use an isotopic labeling approach to show the predominant cross-linking mechanism is an interadduct reaction. Finally, we confirm that a mass consistent with a di-DCIL linkage can be observed in dimeric α-synuclein by mass spectrometry. Our work elucidates previously unknown pathways of catechol-based oxidative protein damage and will facilitate efforts to detect DOPAL-based cross-links in disease-state neurons

Nitroxyl-mediated disulfide bond formation between cardiac myofilament cysteines enhances contractile function

RATIONALE: In the myocardium, redox/cysteine modification of proteins regulating Ca(2+) cycling can affect contraction and may have therapeutic value. Nitroxyl (HNO), the one electron reduced form of nitric oxide, enhances cardiac function in a manner that suggests reversible cysteine modifications of the contractile machinery. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of HNO modification in cardiac myofilament proteins. METHODS AND RESULTS: The HNO-donor, 1-nitrosocyclohexyl acetate (NCA), was found to act directly on the myofilament proteins increasing maximum force (F(max)) and reducing the concentration of Ca(2+) for 50% activation (Ca(50)) in intact and skinned cardiac muscles. The effects of NCA are reversible by reducing agents and distinct from those of another HNO-donor Angeli’s salt (AS), which was previously reported to increase F(max) without affecting Ca(50). Using a new mass spectrometry capture technique based on the biotin switch assay, we identified and characterized the formation by HNO of a disulfide linked actin-tropomyosin and myosin heavy chain (MHC)-myosin light chain 1 (MLC1). Comparison of the NCA and AS effects with the modifications induced by each donor indicated the actin-tropomyosin and MHC-MLC1 interactions independently correlated with increased Ca(2+) sensitivity and force generation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: HNO exerts a direct effect on cardiac myofilament proteins increasing myofilament Ca(2+) responsiveness by promoting disulfide bond formation between critical cysteine residues. These findings indicate a novel, redox-based modulation of the contractile apparatus which positively impacts myocardial function, providing further mechanistic insight for HNO as a therapeutic agent

Direct and Nitroxyl (HNO)-Mediated Reactions of Acyloxy Nitroso Compounds with the Thiol-Containing Proteins Glyceraldehyde 3‑Phosphate Dehydrogenase and Alkyl Hydroperoxide Reductase Subunit C

Nitroxyl (HNO) reacts with thiols, and this reactivity requires the use of donors with 1-nitrosocyclohexyl acetate, pivalate, and trifluoroacetate, forming a new group. These acyloxy nitroso compounds inhibit glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) by forming a reduction reversible active site disulfide and a reduction irreversible sulfinic acid or sulfinamide modification at Cys244. Addition of these acyloxy nitroso compounds to AhpC C165S yields a sulfinic acid and sulfinamide modification. A potential mechanism for these transformations includes nucleophilic addition of the protein thiol to a nitroso compound to yield an <i>N</i>-hydroxysulfenamide, which reacts with thiol to give disulfide or rearranges to sulfinamides. Known HNO donors produce the unsubstituted protein sulfinamide as the major product, while the acetate and pivalate give substituted sulfinamides that hydrolyze to sulfinic acids. These results suggest that nitroso compounds form a general class of thiol-modifying compounds, allowing their further exploration