Selective superoxide generation within mitochondria by the targeted redox cycler MitoParaquat

Superoxide is the proximal reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the mitochondrial respiratory chain and plays a major role in pathological oxidative stress and redox signaling. While there are tools to detect or decrease mitochondrial superoxide, none can rapidly and specifically increase superoxide production within the mitochondrial matrix. This lack impedes progress, making it challenging to assess accurately the roles of mitochondrial superoxide in cells and in vivo. To address this unmet need, we synthesized and characterized a mitochondria-targeted redox cycler, MitoParaquat (MitoPQ) that comprises a triphenylphosphonium lipophilic cation conjugated to the redox cycler paraquat. MitoPQ accumulates selectively in the mitochondrial matrix driven by the membrane potential. Within the matrix, MitoPQ produces superoxide by redox cycling at the flavin site of complex I, selectively increasing superoxide production within mitochondria. MitoPQ increased mitochondrial superoxide in isolated mitochondria and cells in culture ~a thousand-fold more effectively than untargeted paraquat. MitoPQ was also more toxic than paraquat in the isolated perfused heart and in Drosophila in vivo. MitoPQ enables the selective generation of superoxide within mitochondria and is a useful tool to investigate the many roles of mitochondrial superoxide in pathology and redox signaling in cells and in vivo

Antiferromagnetic spin-coupling between MnII and amminium radical cation ligands: models for coordination polymer magnets

One and two electron oxidation of the manganese(II) complex [L2Mn(hfac)2] {L = 4'',4'''-di-tert-butyl-2',2'',2'''trimethoxy-{4-(4'-diphenylaminophenyl)pyridine} were studied by ultra violet/ visible/ near infra red spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and magnetometry. A one-electron oxidation converts the triarylamine ligand to its radical cation and gives a complex in which the antiferromagnetic coupling between the spin on the ligand and that on the metal J/kb is -1.5 K. In a dilute frozen matrix and at low temperature this behaves as an S = 2 system. A two electron oxidation gives [L2Mn(hfac)2]2.+ which at low enough temperatures behaves as an S = 3/2 system but the spin-coupling between the metal and the ligand is weaker (J/kb = -0.3 K). The weakness of these spin-couplings mean that MnII/amminium radical cation complexes are not promising systems on which to base coordination polymer magnets. The equivalent copper(II) complex [L2Cu(hfac)2] was also investigated but this decomposes when an attempt is made to oxidise the ligand to its amminium radical cation

Observation of gas-phase molecular dications formed from neutral organics in solution via the controlled-current electrolytic process inherent to electrospray

This article reports the first electrospray (ES) mass spectrometry observation of molecular dications that were formed in solution by sequential one-electron oxidation of the neutral molecules [viz., nickel(II) and cobalt(II) octaethylporphyrin] via the controlled-current electrolytic (CCE) process inherent to electrospray. Dication formation was found to require (1) the addition of electrolyte to the sample solution, which increased the magnitude of the ES current and, therefore, increased the extent of analyte electrolysis in the ES capillary, (2) a relatively low solution flow rate, which increased the electrolysis time (i.e., the time the analyte remained in the capillary), thereby providing more time for the analytes to diffuse to the metal-solution interface and react, and (3) the use of a platinum ES capillary, which, because it is difficult to oxidize, increased the proportion of the faradaic current that might be provided by electrolysis of solution species compared to that proportion available when the typical stainless steel capillary is used. These interpretations of the data are made on the basis of the known characteristics of the CCE process inherent to ES, supplementary data obtained from direct solution-phase observation of the metalloporphyrin redox products formed within the different metal ES capillaries by means of a novel ES ion source, and off-line cyclic voltammetry studies of the metalloporphyrins performed by using platinum and stainless steel working electrodes

LiSc(BH_4)_4 as a Hydrogen Storage Material: Multinuclear High-Resolution Solid-State NMR and First-Principles Density Functional Theory Studies

A lithium salt of anionic scandium tetraborohydride complex, LiSc(BH_4)_4, was studied both experimentally and theoretically as a potential hydrogen storage medium. Ball milling mixtures of LiBH_4 and ScCl_3 produced LiCl and a unique crystalline hydride, which has been unequivocally identified via multinuclear solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to be LiSc(BH_4)_4. Under the present reaction conditions, there was no evidence for the formation of binary Sc(BH_4)_3. These observations are in agreement with our first-principles calculations of the relative stabilities of these phases. A tetragonal structure in space group I (#82) is predicted to be the lowest energy state for LiSc(BH_4)_4, which does not correspond to structures obtained to date on the crystalline ternary borohydride phases made by ball milling. Perhaps reaction conditions are resulting in formation of other polymorphs, which should be investigated in future studies via neutron scattering on deuterides. Hydrogen desorption while heating these Li−Sc−B−H materials up to 400 °C yielded only amorphous phases (besides the virtually unchanged LiCl) that were determined by NMR to be primarily ScB_2 and [B_(12)H_(12)]^(−2) anion containing (e.g., Li_2B_(12)H_(12)) along with residual LiBH_4. Reaction of a desorbed LiSc(BH_4)_4 + 4LiCl mixture (from 4LiBH_4/ScCl_3 sample) with hydrogen gas at 70 bar resulted only in an increase in the contents of Li_2B_(12)H_(12) and LiBH_4. Full reversibility to reform the LiSc(BH_4)_4 was not found. Overall, the Li−Sc−B−H system is not a favorable candidate for hydrogen storage applications

Ca-dimers, solvent layering, and dominant electrochemically active species in Ca(BH4_4)2_2 in THF

Divalent ions, such as Mg, Ca, and Zn, are being considered as competitive, safe, and earth-abundant alternatives to Li-ion electrochemistry. However, the challenge remains to match electrode and electrolyte materials that stably cycle with these new formulations, based primarily on controlling interfacial phenomena. We explore the formation of electroactive species in the electrolyte Ca(BH$_4$)$_2$ in THF through molecular dynamics simulation. Free-energy analysis indicates that this electrolyte has a majority population of neutral Ca dimers and monomers, albeit with diverse molecular conformations as revealed by unsupervised learning techniques, but with an order of magnitude lower concentration of possibly electroactive charged species, such as the monocation, CaBH$_4^+$ , which we show is produced via disproportionation of neutral Ca(BH$_4$)$_2$ complexes. Dense layering of THF molecules within 1 nm of the electrode surface (modeled here using graphite) hinders the approach of reducible species to within 0.6 nm and instead enhances the local concetration of species in a narrow intermediate-density layer from 0.7-0.9 nm. A dramatic increase in the monocation population in this intermediate layer is induced at negative bias, supplied by local dimer disproportionation. We see no evidence to support any functional role of fully-solvated Ca$^{2+}$ in the electrochemical activity of this electrolyte. The consequences for performance and alternative formulations are discussed in light of this molecular-scale insight

Hydrogen Bond Dynamics of Histamine Monocation in Aqueous Solu-tion: How Geometric Parameters Influence the Hydrogen Bond Strength

Chemometric statistical approaches involving multiple linear regression (MLR) and principal compo-nent analysis (PCA) were employed on a set of 42 distinct snapshot structures of the physiological histamine monocation in aqueous solution along the Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics trajectory, in order to obtain a better insight into the relationship between the geometry parameters of the system and the resulting νNH stretching frequencies. A simple 2D linear regression of νNH with Namino•••Owater distances gave a very poor correlation (R2 = 0.42), but both MLR and PCA with the inclusion of four directly bonded water molecules offered a notably predictive model that is even able to distinguish two classes of structures based on the Cl– counterion position. Taking into account waters from the first, second and third solvation shells, sequentially diminished the overall predictive ability of the model, yet increased the number of useful predictors that, in the largest model with 51 solvent mole-cules, all correspond to bulk water, implying that both chemometric methods are consistent in suggest-ing that fundamental histamine N–H stretching vibrations are very complex in nature and strongly coupled to the fluctuating environ-ment