Synthesis and DNA cleavage properties of ternary Cu(II) complexes containing histamine and amino acids

The ternary complexes of [Cu^II(Hist)(Tyr)]⁺1 and [Cu^II(Hist)(Trp)]⁺2 have been synthesized, structurally characterized and their DNA binding and cleavage abilities probed. The intrinsic binding constants (K_b) for complexes/CT-DNA were also determined (K_b = 2.7 × 10² for complex 1 and K_b = 2.2 × 10² for complex 2). These complexes exhibit their nuclease activity on plasmid DNA, which seems to depend on the nature of the aromatic moiety. The DNA hydrolytic cleavage rate constants were also determined for complexes 1 and 2, which are 0.91 and 0.79 h⁻¹, respectively.     

DNA binding and cleavage behaviors of copper(II) complexes with amidino-O-methylurea and N-methylphenyl-amidino-O-methylurea,and their antibacterial activities

The two designed copper(II) complexes, [Cu(L^1m)₂]Cl₂ (1) (L^1m = amidino-O-methylurea) and [Cu(L^2m)₂]Cl₂ (2) (L^2m = N-methylphenyl-amidino-O-methylurea), have been investigated for their interaction with calf thymus DNA by utilizing the absorption titration method, viscometric studies and thermal denaturation. The cleavage reaction on pBR322 DNA has been monitored by agarose gel electrophoresis. The results suggest that the two complexes can bind to DNA by non-intercalative modes and exhibit nuclease activities in which supercoiled plasmid DNA is converted to the linear form. Complex 2, with an intrinsic binding constant (K_b) of 1.16 × 10⁵ M⁻¹, shows a higher binding efficiency and a better nuclease activity than complex 1, with a K_b value of 5.67 × 10⁴ M⁻¹. Their DNA cleavage potential can be significantly enhanced by hydrogen peroxide, indicating an oxidative cleavage process. Further examination of the antibacterial activities against Campylobacter has revealed inhibition zones of 9.0 (for 1) and 14.5 mm (for 2), which are in agreement with their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 1.56 and 0.78 mg mL⁻¹, respectively. The substantially better reactivity of 2 results from the aromatic moieties on the side chain of the L^2m ligand which act as an additional binding site.     

Cobalt complexes of terpyridine ligands: Crystal structure and nuclease activity

Cobalt(II) (1) and cobalt(III) (2) complexes of tridentate ligand, imidazole terpyridine (Itpy), have been synthesized and characterized by both spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies of complexes 1 and 2 shows that the complexes belong to monoclinic crystal system, with the two Itpy ligands coordinated to the central metal ion. The binding behavior of both the cobalt complexes to calf thymus DNA has been investigated by UV–Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, viscosity and electrochemical measurements. The results suggest that complexes 1 and 2 bind to DNA through intercalation. The intrinsic DNA binding constant values obtained from absorption spectral titration studies were found to be (5.07 ± 0.12) × 10³ M⁻¹ and (7.46 ± 0.16) × 10³ M⁻¹, respectively, for complexes 1 and 2. Gel electrophoresis studies with the cobalt complexes show that while complex 1 cleaves DNA in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, complex 2 cleaves DNA in the presence of ascorbic acid and hydrogen peroxide.     

New Cu(II)4 and Zn(II)4 complexes: Synthesis, characterization and magnetic and biological studies

Two new isomorphous tetranuclear complexes [Cu₄L₂(4,4′-bipy)₂]·(ClO₄)₄·2CH₃CN·2H₂O (1) and [Zn₄L₂(4,4′-bipy)₂]·(ClO₄)₃·CH₃O·4H₂O (2) have been obtained and fully characterized (where bipy = bipyridine, H₂L = macrocycle is the [2+2] condensation product of 2,6-diformyl-4-fluoro-phenol and 1,4-diaminobutane). They exhibit wheel-like configuration in which two 4,4′-bipy molecules connect two dinuclear [M₂L]²⁺ units. The interactions of the complexes with calf thymus DNA were studied by UV-Vis and CD spectroscopic techniques. The binding constants of 1 and 2 are 2.27 × 10⁶ and 3.89 × 10⁵ M⁻¹, respectively. The magnetic measurement of 1 reveals that there are strong antiferromagnetic coupling (J = -272.6 cm⁻¹) between two Cu(II) ions in the macrocyclic unit and ferromagnetic interaction (j′ = 41.7) between the Cu(II) ions in two adjacent macrocyclic units. Furthermore, the cyclic voltammogram of 1 shows that it undergoes two quasi-reversible processes with the half wave potentials -0.232 and -0.606 V, respectively.     

Copper(II) complexes of N4 tetradentate ligands with flexible alkyl spacers: Crystal structure,DNA binding and cleavage studies

Mononuclear copper(II) complexes, [Cu L1] (ClO₄)₂ (1), [Cu L2] (ClO₄)₂ (2) and [Cu L3] (ClO₄)₂ (3) with quadridentate Schiff base ligands L1 (N,N′-bis-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-butane-1,4-diimine), L2 (N,N′-bis-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-pentane-1,5-diimine) and L3 (N,N′-bis-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-hexane-1,6-diimine) have been synthesized and characterized. The crystal structure data of 1 reveals the existence of the complex in two different geometries, namely a square pyramid and a distorted octahedron, which eventually leads to the packing of the molecule into helical and anti-parallel structures respectively. Absorption titration studies with calf thymus DNA for all three complexes are suggestive of groove binding with binding constant values for 1, 2 and 3 being 2.6 ± 0.2 × 10⁴ M⁻¹, 11.5 ± 0.2 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ and 1.83 ± 0.2 × 10⁴ M⁻¹ respectively. Control cleavage experiments using pBR 322 plasmid DNA and distamycin suggest minor groove binding for these complexes. In the presence of ascorbic acid, the complexes show efficient DNA cleavage, the order of efficiency being 1 > 2 ≅ 3.     

Synthesis,crystal structures,DNA binding and oxidative cleavage studies of copper(II) complexes of N2S2 tetradentate ligands

Two new copper(II) complexes with aminothioether ligands, [Cu(L¹)(ClO₄)](ClO₄) · 0.5H₂O (1) and [Cu(L²)(H₂O)](ClO₄)₂ · H₂O (2) (L¹ = 2-benzyl-1,3-bis(aminoethylthio)propane and L² = 2-(4-butylbenzyl)-1,3-bis(aminoethylthio)propane), have been synthesized and characterized. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that both 1 and 2 adopt distorted square pyramidal geometries. The binding modes of both complexes with calf thymus DNA were investigated by UV–Vis and CD spectroscopies. The results show that both complexes mainly adopt an electrostatic attraction binding mode with DNA and the binding constants are (1.62 ± 0.02) × 10³ and (2.02 ± 0.02) × 10³ M⁻¹, respectively. Both complexes are able to cleave pBR322 plasmid DNA efficiently in the presence of ascorbic acid and the activity of 2 is higher than that of 1. The DNA cleavage by 1 and 2 were inhibited strongly in the presence of DMSO and tert-butyl alcohol, which suggests that hydroxyl radicals are the reactive oxygen species for the cleavage.     

Substituted lithiumtrimethylsiloxysilanides LiSiRR′(OSiMe3) - Investigations of their synthesis, stability and reactivity

The reactions of the trimethylsiloxychlorosilanes (Me₃SiO)RR′SiCl (1a-h: R′ = Ph, 1a: R = H, 1b: R = Me, 1c: R = Et, 1d: R = ⁱPr, 1e: R = ^tBu, 1f: R = Ph, 1g: R = 2,4,6-Me₃C₆H₂ (Mes), 1h: R = 2,4,6-(Me₂CH)₃C₆H₂ (Tip); 1i: R = R′ = Mes) with lithium metal in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at −78 °C and in a mixture of THF/diethyl ether/n-pentane in a volume ratio 4:1:1 at −110 °C lead to mixtures of numerous compounds. Dependent on the substituents silyllithium derivatives (Me₃SiO)RR′SiLi (2b-i), Me₃SiO(RR′Si)₂Li (3a-g), Me₃SiRR′SiLi (4a-h), (LiO)RR′SiLi (12e, 12g-i), trisiloxanes (Me₃SiO)₂SiRR′ (5a-i) and trimethylsiloxydisilanes (6f^∗, 6h^∗, 6i^∗) are formed. All silyllithium compounds were trapped with Me₃SiCl or HMe₂SiCl resulting in the following products: (Me₃SiO)RR′SiSiMe₂R″ (6b-i: R″ = Me, 7c-i: R″ = H), Me₃SiO(RR′Si)₂SiMe₂R″ (8a-g: R″ = Me, 9a-g: R″ = H), Me₃SiRR′SiSiMe₂R″ (10a-h: R″ = Me, 11a-h: R″ = H) and (HMe₂SiO)RR′SiSiMe₂H (13e, 13g-i). The stability of trimethylsiloxysilyllithiums 2 depends on the substituents and on the temperature. (Me₃SiO)Mes₂SiLi (2i) is the most stable compound due to the high steric shielding of the silicon centre. The trimethylsiloxysilyllithiums 2a-g undergo partially self-condensation to afford the corresponding trimethylsiloxydisilanyllithiums Me₃SiO(RR′Si)₂Li (3a-g). (Me₃)Si-O bond cleavage was observed for 2e and 2g-i. The relatively stable trimethylsiloxysilyllithiums 2f, 2g and 2i react with n-butyllithium under nucleophilic butylation to give the n-butyl-substituted silyllithiums ⁿBuRR′SiLi (15g, 15f, 15i), which were trapped with Me₃SiCl. By reaction of 2g and 2i with 2,3-dimethylbuta-1,3-diene the corresponding 1,1-diarylsilacyclopentenes 17g and 17i are obtained.X-ray studies of 17g revealed a folded silacyclopentene ring with the silicon atom located 0.5 Å above the mean plane formed by the four carbon ring atoms.     

Synthesis and characterization of para-nitro substituted 2,6-bis(phenylimino)pyridyl Fe(II) and Co(II) complexes and their ethylene polymerization properties

Four iron(II) and cobalt(II) complexes ligated by 2,6-bis(4-nitro-2,6-R₂-phenylimino)pyridines, LMCl₂ (1: R = Me, M = Fe; 2: R = iPr, M = Fe; 3: R = Me, M = Co; 4: R = iPr, M = Co) have been synthesized and fully characterized, and their catalytic ethylene polymerization properties have been investigated. Among these complexes, the iron(II) pre-catalyst bearing the ortho-isopropyl groups (complex 2) exhibited higher activities and produced higher molecular weight polymers than the other complexes in the presence of methylaluminoxane (MAO). A comparison of 2 with the reference non-nitro-substituted catalyst (2,6-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenylimino)pyridyl)FeCl₂ (FeCat 5) revealed a modest increase of the catalytic activity and longer lifetime upon substitution of the para-positions with nitro groups (activity up to 6.0 × 10³ kg mol⁻¹ h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ for 2 and 4.8 × 10³ kg mol⁻¹ h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ for 5), converting ethylene to highly linear polyethylenes with a unimodal molecular weight distribution around 456.4 kg mol⁻¹. However, the iron(II) pre-catalyst 1 on changing from ortho-isopropyl to methyl groups displayed much lower activities (over an order of magnitude) than 2 under mild conditions. As expected, the cobalt analogues showed relatively low polymerization activities.     

Nickel (II) complexes bearing 2-ethylcarboxylate-6-iminopyridyl ligands: synthesis, structures and their catalytic behavior for ethylene oligomerization and polymerization

A series of nickel (II) complexes (L)NiCl₂ (7-9) and (L)NiBr₂ (10-12) were prepared by the reactions of the corresponding 2-carboxylate-6-iminopyridine ligands 1-6 with NiCl₂ · 6H₂O or (DME)NiBr₂ (DME = 1,2-dimethoxyethane), respectively. All the complexes were characterized by IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Solid-state structures of 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12 were determined by X-ray diffraction. In the cases of 7, 8 and 10, the ligands chelate with the nickel centers in tridentate fashion in which the carbonyl oxygen atoms coordinate with the metal centers, while the carbonyl oxygen atoms are free from coordinating with the nickel centers in 11 and 12. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO), these complexes are active for ethylene oligomerization (up to 7.97 × 10⁵ g mol⁻¹ (Ni) h⁻¹ for 11 with 2 equivalents of PPh₃ as auxiliary ligand) and/or polymerization (1.37 × 10⁴ g mol⁻¹ (Ni) h⁻¹ for 9). The ethylene oligomerization activities of 7-12 were significantly improved in the presence of PPh₃ as auxiliary ligands. The effects of the coordination environment and reaction conditions on the ethylene catalytic behaviors have been discussed.     

2-Oxazoline/benzoxazole-1,10-phenanthrolinylmetal (iron, cobalt or nickel) dichloride: Synthesis, characterization and their catalytic reactivity for the ethylene oligomerization

Series of 2-benzoxazole-1,10-phenanthrolines (L1-L4) and 2-oxazoline-1,10-phenanthrolines (L5-L8) were synthesized and used as tridentate N^N^N ligands in coordinating with metal (nickel, cobalt or iron) chlorides. Their metal complexes, nickel(II) (Ni1-Ni8), cobalt(II) (Co1-Co8) and iron(II) (Fe1-Fe8), were characterized by elemental and IR spectroscopic analyses. The molecular structures of the ligand L2 and the complexes Ni3, Co1, Co3 and Fe2 have been determined by the single-crystal crystallography. The nickel complex Ni3 and iron complex Fe2 display an octahedral geometry, whereas cobalt complex Co1 is with a distorted bipyramidal geometry and Co3 as square pyramidal geometry. At 10 atm ethylene, all the complexes showed good activities in ethylene dimerization upon activation with appropriate aluminum cocatalysts; the nickel complexes gave the activity up to 3.11 × 10⁶ g mol⁻¹(Ni) h⁻¹ upon activation with diethylaluminum chloride (Et₂AlCl), meanwhile the cobalt and iron complexes showed activities up to 1.51 × 10⁶ g mol⁻¹(Co) h⁻¹ and 1.89 × 10⁶ g mol⁻¹(Fe) h⁻¹, individually, upon activation with modified methylaluminoxane (MMAO).     

Cu(II), Ni(II), Zn(II) and Fe(III) complexes containing a N2O2 donor ligand: Synthesis, characterization, DNA cleavage studies and crystal structure of [Cu(HL)Cl]

A polydentate ligand, H₂L “[1-(5-isopropyl-2-methyl phenoxy)-3-(N-2-hydroxy benzyl-N-((pyridine-2-yl)amino) propan-2-ol]”, containing a N₂O₂ donor moiety was synthesized by refluxing 2-((5-isopropyl-2-methylphenoxy)methyl)oxirane and HBPA (N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)amine). This synthesized ligand was used for the preparation of complexes with different metal ions, viz. [Cu(HL)Cl] (1), [Ni(HL)Cl] (2), [Zn(HL)Cl] (3) and [Fe(HL)Cl₂] (4). The ligand and metal complexes were characterized by ¹H NMR, mass, ESI-MS, elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The crystal structure for one of the complexes, [Cu(HL)Cl], was solved from the X-ray crystallography data. The structure of the complex, based on the trigonality index tau, suggests an intermediate geometry between square pyramidal (sp) and trigonal bipyramidal (tb). Both the ligand and the metal complexes show oxidative cleavage of plasmid DNA (pBR322) without addition of any exogenous agent, even at a concentration of 5 μM. The binding constants for these compounds were found to be in the range 5.33-0.065 × 10⁵ M⁻¹.     

Methyl-oxygen bond cleavage in hemilabile phosphine-ether ligand of ruthenium(II) complexes

The preparation and characterization are described for four ruthenium(II) complexes containing hemilabile phosphine-ether ligand o-(diphenylphosphino)anisole (Ph₂PC₆H₄OMe-o) and/or bidentate ligand diphenylphosphino-phenolate ([Ph₂PC₆H₄O-o]⁻) Ru(RCN)₂(κ²-Ph₂PC₆H₄O-o)₂ (1a: R = Me; 1b: R = Et) and [Ru(RCN)₂(κ²-Ph₂PC₆H₄O-o)(κ²-Ph₂PC₆H₄OMe-o)](PF₆) (2a: R = Me; 2b: R = Et). The ruthenium(II) phosphine-ether complexes undergo mild methyl-oxygen bond cleavage. Two different kinds reaction mechanism are proposed to describe the methyl-oxygen bond cleavage, one involving attack of anionic nucleophiles and another involving the phosphine. The new reactions define novel routes to phosphine-phenolate complexes. The structures of complexes 1a, 1b and 2a were confirmed by X-ray crystallography.     

Synthesis and characterization of phosphorous-bridged bisphenoxy titanium complexes and their application to ethylene polymerization

Phosphorous-bridged bisphenoxy titanium complexes were synthesized and their ethylene polymerization behavior was investigated. Bis[3-tert-butyl-5-methyl-2-phenoxy](phenyl)phosphine tetrahydrofuran titanium dichloride (4a) was obtained by treatment of 3 equiv of n-BuLi with bis[3-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl](phenyl)phosphine hydrochloride salt (3a) followed by TiCl₄(THF)₂ in THF. THF-free complexes 5a-5d were synthesized more conveniently by the direct reaction of MOM-protected ligands (2a-2d) with TiCl₄ in toluene. X-ray analysis of 4a revealed that the ligand is bonded to the octahedral titanium (IV) center in a facial fashion and two chlorine atoms possess cis-geometry. Complexes 4a and 5a-5d were utilized as catalyst precursors for ethylene polymerization. Complex 5c gave high molecular weight polyethylene (M_w = 1,170,000, M_w/M_n = 2.0) upon activation with Al(ⁱBu)₃/[Ph₃C][B(C₆F₅)₄] (TB). Ethylene polymerization activity of 5d activated with Al(ⁱBu)₃/TB reached 49.0 × 10⁶ g mol (cat) ⁻¹ h⁻¹.     

Cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, antioxidant activity and DNA binding of polypyridyl ruthenium(II) complexes

Ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes [Ru(phen)₂(APIP)](ClO₄)₂1 and [Ru(phen)₂(HAPIP)](ClO₄)₂2 have been synthesized and characterized. The DNA-binding behaviors were investigated by electronic absorption titration, luminescence spectra, viscosity measurements, thermal denaturation and photoactivated cleavage. The DNA-binding constants K_b for complexes 1 and 2 were determined to be 3.38 (±0.42) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ (s = 1.48) and 3.93 (±0.60) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ (s = 3.14), respectively. The studies on the photocleavage demonstrated that the effects of cleavage are concentration-dependent. The results showed that complexes 1 and 2 interact with CT-DNA by intercalative mode. The cytotoxicity of complexes 1 and 2 has been evaluated by MTT method. The apoptosis assay was carried out with acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining methods. The cellular uptake showed that complexes can enter into the cytoplasm and accumulate in the nuclei. The antioxidant activity studies suggested that the ligands and complexes may be potential drugs to eliminate the radical.     

Synthesis,crystal structure and DNA-binding properties of ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes with dicationic 2,2′-dipyridyl derivatives as ligands

New Ru(II) complexes with dicationic ligand, [Ru(phen)₂L¹]⁴⁺(1) and [Ru(phen)₂L²]⁴⁺(2) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline; L: L¹ = 5,5′-di(1-(triethylammonio)methyl)-2,2′-dipyridyl cation; L² = 5,5′-di(1-(tributylammonio)methyl)-2,2′-dipyridyl cation) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The interaction of these complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) has been investigated. The intrinsic binding constants (K_b: 1, 7.73 × 10⁴ M⁻¹; 2, 2.50 × 10⁴ M⁻¹) determined by absorption spectral titrations of these complexes with CT-DNA indicate the DNA-binding affinity of 1 is stronger than that of 2. Both complexes can display luminescence either alone in aqueous solution or in the presence of DNA. Equilibrium dialysis experiments monitored by CD spectroscopy reveal the preferential binding of the Δ-enantiomer to the right-handed CT-DNA. DNA-viscosity studies suggest that the binding modes are different, 1 may partially intercalate between DNA base-pairs while 2 most likely interact with DNA in an electrostatic binding mode.     

Synthesis, characterization and ethylene oligomerization studies of nickel complexes bearing 2-imino-1,10-phenanthrolines

A series of nickel (II) complexes ligated by 2-imino-1,10-phenanthrolines were synthesized and characterized by elemental and spectroscopic analysis as well as by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. X-ray crystallographic analysis reveals complexes 3, 5, 7 and 11 as the five-coordinated distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. Upon activation with Et₂AlCl, these complexes exhibited considerably high activity for ethylene oligomerization (up to 3.76 × 10⁷ g mol⁻¹(Ni) h⁻¹ for 12 with 10 equiv. of PPh₃). The ligand environment and reaction conditions significantly affect the catalytic activity of their nickel complexes.