A Glutathione Peroxidase Mimic 6,6′-Ditellurobis (6-Deoxy-β-Cyclodextrin) with High Substrate Specificity

Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is one of the most important antioxidative selenoenzymes in living organisms. The novel GPx mimic 6,6′-ditellurobis(6-deoxy-β-cyclodextrin) (6-TeCD) was prepared and evaluated for its capacity to catalyze the reduction of H₂O₂, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH), and cumene hydroperoxide (CuOOH) by glutathione (GSH) or 3-carboxy-4-nitrobenzenethiol (ArSH). Compared the ArSH assay with the coupled reductase assay, we found that 6-TeCD exhibited strong substrate specificity for aromatic thiol substrate. The specificity led to efficient peroxidase activity almost 100,000-fold than that for a well-known GPx mimic diphenyl diselenide (PhSeSePh). Furthermore, reduction of lipophilic CuOOH was proceeded ca. 30 times faster than the more hydrophilic H₂O₂, which cannot bind into the hydrophobic cavity of β-cyclodextrin. Thus, it seemed that catalytic activity of cyclodextrin-derived GPx models strongly depends on the structurally different both substrates hydroperoxides (ROOH) and thiols.     

Cyclodextrin-derived mimic of glutathione peroxidase exhibiting enzymatic specificity and high catalytic efficiency

To elucidate the relationships between molecular recognition and catalytic ability, we chose three assay systems using three different thiol substrates, glutathione (GSH), 3-carboxyl-4-nitrobenzenethiol (CNBSH), and 4-nitrobenzenethiol (NBSH), to investigate the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities of 2,2'-ditellurobis(2-deoxy-beta-cyclodextrin) (2-TeCD) in the presence of a variety of structurally distinct hydroperoxides (ROOH), H2O2, tert-butyl peroxide (tBuOOH), and cumene peroxide (CuOOH), as the oxidative reagent. A comparative study of the three assay systems revealed that the cyclodextrin moiety of the GPx mimic 2-TeCD endows the molecule with selectivity for ROOH and thiol substrates, and hydrophobic interactions are the most important driving forces in 2-TeCD complexation. Furthermore, in the novel NBSH assay system, 2-TeCD can catalyze the reduction of ROOH about 3.4 x 10(5) times more efficiently than diphenyl diselenide (PhSeSePh), and its second-order rate constants for thiol are similar to some of those of native GPx. This comparative study confirms that efficient binding of the substrate is essential for the catalytic ability of the GPx mimic, and that NBSH is the preferred thiol substrate of 2-TeCD among the chosen thiol substrates. Importantly, the proposed mode of action of 2-TeCD imitates the role played by several possible noncovalent interactions between enzymes and substrates in influencing catalysis and binding.     

Organotellurium-bridged cyclodextrin dimers as artificial glutathione peroxidase models

To elucidate the importance of the goodness of fit in complexes between substrates and glutathione peroxidise (GPX) mimics, we examined the decomposition of a variety of structurally distinct hydroperoxides at the expense of glutathione (GSH) catalyzed by 2,2′-ditellurobis(2-deoxy-γ-cyclodextrin) (2-Te-γ-CD), and by the corresponding derivatives of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and α-cyclodextrin. The good fit of the cumene group into the γ-CD binding cavity reflected the result of well-defined reaction geometry, leading to the most excellent peroxidase activity with high substrate specificity. Furthermore, the catalytic constant and the combination with the best binding also exhibited the highest regioselectivity in the substrate decomposition. Saturation kinetics were observed and the catalytic reaction agreed with a ping-pong mechanism, in analogy with natural GPX, and might exert its thiol peroxidase activity via tellurol, tellurenic acid, and tellurosulfide. The stoichiometry of the inclusion complex was determined to be of 2:1 host-to-guest. The value of stability constant K _c for (2-Te-γ-CD)₂/GSH at room temperature was calculated to be 3.815?×?10⁴?M^?2, which suggested that 2-Te-γ-CD had a moderate ability to bind GSH. Importantly, the proposed mode of the (2-TeCD)₂/GSH complex was the possible important noncovalent interactions between enzymes and substrates in influencing catalysis and binding.     

Selenium-mediated micellar catalyst: an efficient enzyme model for glutathione peroxidase-like catalysis

Mimicking the properties of the selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx) has inspired great interest. In this report, a selenium-containing micellar catalyst was successfully constructed by the self-assembly of the cationic surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) with benzeneseleninic acid (PhSeO2H) through hydrophobic and electrostatic interaction in water. The selenium-containing micellar catalyst demonstrated substrate specificity for both 3-carboxy-4-nitrobenzenethiol (ArSH, 2) and cumene hydroperoxide (CUOOH), and their complexation was confirmed by UV and fluorescence spectra. More importantly, it demonstrated high GPx activity in two assay systems. It is about 126 times more effective than the well-known GPx mimic ebselen in the classical coupled reductase assay system; however, by using hydrophobic substrate ArSH (2) as an alternative of glutathione (GSH, 1), the micellar catalyst exhibited remarkable 500-fold and 94 500-fold rate enhancements compared with that of PhSeO2H and PhSeSePh.     

Glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like antioxidant activity of the organoselenium drug ebselen: unexpected complications with thiol exchange reactions

The factors that are responsible for the relatively low glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like antioxidant activity of organoselenium compounds such as ebselen (1, 2-phenyl-1,2-benzisoselenazol-3(2H)-one) in the reduction of hydroperoxides with aromatic thiols such as benzenethiol and 4-methylbenzenethiol as cosubstrates are described. Experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the relatively poor GPx-like catalytic activity of organoselenium compounds is due to the undesired thiol exchange reactions that take place at the selenium center in the selenenyl sulfide intermediate. This study suggests that any substituent that is capable of enhancing the nucleophilic attack of thiol at sulfur in the selenenyl sulfide state would enhance the antioxidant potency of organoselenium compounds such as ebselen. It is proved that the use of thiol having an intramolecularly coordinating group would enhance the biological activity of ebselen and other organoselenium compounds. The presence of strong S...N or S...O interactions in the selenenyl sulfide state can modulate the attack of an incoming nucleophile (thiol) at the sulfur atom of the -Se-S- bridge and enhance the GPx activity by reducing the barrier for the formation of the active species selenol.     

Evaluating substrate specificity of glutathione peroxidase mimic by molecular dynamics simulations and kinetics

The substrate specificities of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) mimic, 6,6′-ditellurobis(6-deoxy-β-cyclodextrin) (6-TeCD), for three hydroperoxides (ROOH), H₂O₂, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH) and cumene hydroperoxide (CuOOH), are investigated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The most stable conformations and the total interaction energies of complex of 6-TeCD with ROOH are used to evaluate the substrate specificity of 6-TeCD. The steady-state kinetics of 6-TeCD is studied and the Michaelis-Menten constant (K _m) and second-order rate constant k _max/K _ROOH show that 6-TeCD displays different affinity and specificity to ROOH. These results of experiments are well consistent with ones obtained by MD simulations, indicating that MD simulations could be applied to evaluation substrate specificity of small-molecule enzyme mimics.     

Tellurium‐Based Polymeric Surfactants as a Novel Seleno‐Enzyme Model with High Activity

Summary: A tellurium‐based polymeric sufactant as a seleno‐enzyme model has been constructed by employing 11‐acryloyloxyundecyltriethylammonium bromide (AUTEAB, 4 ) and a tellurium‐containing compound ( 1 ). It demonstrates strong substrate binding ability for thiols and high glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity about 6 orders of magnitude more efficient than the well‐known GPx mimic PhSeSePh in an ArSH assay system. More importantly, a series of tellurium‐based polymeric micelle catalysts with the catalytic tellurium center located at various positions in the micelle have been constructed, and the dramatic difference in activity indicates that the exact match of the catalytic center and binding site plays a key role in enzyme catalytic efficiency.

Schematic representation of the proposed mode of the telluro‐micelle catalysts.     

Glutathione peroxidase-like antioxidant activity of diaryl diselenides: a mechanistic study.

The synthesis, structure, and thiol peroxidase-like antioxidant activities of several diaryl diselenides having intramolecularly coordinating amino groups are described. The diselenides derived from enantiomerically pure R-(+)- and S-(-)-N,N-dimethyl(1-ferrocenylethyl)amine show excellent peroxidase activity. To investigate the mechanistic role of various organoselenium intermediates, a detailed in situ characterization of the intermediates has been carried out by (77)Se NMR spectroscopy. While most of the diselenides exert their peroxidase activity via selenol, selenenic acid, and selenenyl sulfide intermediates, the differences in the relative activities of the diselenides are due to the varying degree of intramolecular Se.N interaction. The diselenides having strong Se.N interactions are found to be inactive due to the ability of their selenenyl sulfide derivatives to enhance the reverse GPx cycle (RSeSR + H(2)O(2) = RSeOH). In these cases, the nucleophilic attack of thiol takes place preferentially at selenium rather than sulfur and this reduces the formation of selenol by terminating the forward reaction. On the other hand, the diselenides having weak Se.N interactions are found to be more active due to the fast reaction of the selenenyl sulfide derivatives with thiol to produce diphenyl disulfide and the expected selenol (RSeSR + PhSH = PhSSPh + RSeH). The unsubstituted diaryl diselenides are found to be less active due to the slow reactions of these diselenides with thiol and hydrogen peroxide and also due to the instability of the intermediates. The catalytic cycles of 18 and 19 strongly resemble the mechanism by which the natural enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, catalyzes the reduction of hydroperoxides.     

Structure-activity correlation between natural glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and mimics: a biomimetic concept for the design and synthesis of more efficient GPx mimics

Among the organoselenium compounds that mimic the action of the natural enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx), there are certain basic differences in the activity, substrate specificity and mechanism. These differences arise mainly from the nature of the substituents near the reaction center, and stability and reactivity of the intermediates. As an attempt to draw some general concepts for the development of new mimics, a structure - activity correlation between natural GPx and some existing mimics is described.     

Diselenides and allyl selenides as glutathione peroxidase mimetics. Remarkable activity of cyclic seleninates produced in situ by the oxidation of allyl omega-hydroxyalkyl selenides

A series of aliphatic diselenides and selenides containing coordinating substituents was tested for glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like catalytic activity in a model system in which the reduction of tert-butyl hydroperoxide with benzyl thiol to afford dibenzyl disulfide and tert-butyl alcohol was performed under standard conditions and monitored by HPLC. Although the diselenides showed generally poor catalytic activity, allyl selenides proved more effective. In particular, allyl 3-hydroxypropyl selenide (25) rapidly generated 1,2-oxaselenolane Se-oxide (31) in situ by a series of oxidation and [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement steps. The remarkably active cyclic seleninate 31 proved to be the true catalyst, reacting with the thiol via a postulated mechanism in which the thioseleninate 32 is first produced, followed by further thiolysis to selenenic acid 33 and oxidation-dehydration to regenerate 31. In contrast to catalysis with GPx, formation of the corresponding selenenyl sulfide 34 comprises a competing deactivation pathway in the catalytic cycle of 31, as a separate experiment revealed that authentic 34 was a much less effective catalyst than 31. 1,2-Oxaselenane Se-oxide (37), the six-membered homologue of 31, was formed similarly from allyl 4-hydroxybutyl selenide (26), but proved a less effective catalyst than 31. Compounds 31 and 37 are the first examples of unsubstituted monocyclic seleninate esters.     

Synthesis, characterization and structures of 2-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethylseleno derivatives and their probable glutathione peroxidase (GPx) like activity

A series of 2-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)ethylseleno derivatives has been synthesized. The glutathione peroxidase like catalytic activity of these compounds has been studied in a model system, in which reduction of hydrogen peroxide with dithiothreitol (DTT(red)), in the presence of an organoselenium compound was investigated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. All these compounds exhibit GPx like catalytic activities and the catalytic reaction proceeds through a selenoxide intermediate, identified by (77)Se{(1)H} NMR spectroscopy.     

Mimetics of the Selenoenzyme Glutathione Peroxidase: Novel Structures and Unusual Catalytic Mechanisms

Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) mimetics comprise an important class of selenium-containing antioxidants that catalyze the destruction of biologically harmful peroxides in the presence of stoichiometric thiol reductants. The synthesis of two novel cyclic selenium compounds and their evaluation as GPx mimetics was achieved. The first is a cyclic seleninate ester that is formed in situ from the oxidation of allyl 3-hydroxypropyl selenide. The second is a spirodioxyselenurane that is similarly formed from di(3-hydroxypropyl) selenide. Both compounds were shown to be remarkably active catalysts in an assay based on the reduction of t-butyl hydroperoxide with benzyl thiol. The mechanisms of the catalytic cycles of the two novel selenium compounds were elucidated and were found to be distinct from each other and from that of GPx.     

1H NMR Study on the Inclusion Complex of Glutathione with a Glutathione Peroxidase Mimic, 2,2′-ditelluro-bridged β-cyclodextrins

The complex formation of 2, 2′-ditelluro-bis(β-cyclodextrin) (2-TeCD) with glutathione (GSH) was investigated in D₂O at room temperature by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance(¹H NMR) technique. The association constant and stoichiometry between GSH and 2-TeCD was determined from the chemical shifts dependence of the H5 proton in GSH on the concentration of 2-TeCD. The stoichiometry of the inclusion complex was determined by the molar method to be of 2:1 host-to-guest. 2-TeCD showed higher affinity toward GSH than β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). This may be attributed the reason that 2-TeCD which possesses dual hydrophobic cavities in a close vicinity enhances GSH binding ability through the cooperative binding of two cavities. The formation of the (2-TeCD)₂/GSH complex was one of the reason that 2-TeCD showed higher glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity than Ebselen.     

Remarkable activity of a novel cyclic seleninate ester as a glutathione peroxidase mimetic and its facile in situ generation from allyl 3-hydroxypropyl selenide

1,2-Oxaselenolane Se-oxide is a novel cyclic seleninate ester that functions as a remarkably efficient glutathione peroxidase mimetic by catalyzing the reduction of tert-butyl hydroperoxide to tert-butyl alcohol in the presence of benzyl thiol. The seleninate ester can be conveniently generated in situ by oxidation of allyl 3-hydroxypropyl selenide with tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Its catalytic activity surpasses that of several other known GPx mimetics containing cyclic selenenamide structures, which were also tested for comparison.     

2-位碲桥联环糊精的制备、表征及其谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶活性的研究

该文以三种母体环糊精(CD),即α-、β-和γ-CD为修饰模板,将功能性基团有机碲引入到环糊精次面的2位羟基上,制备得到了三种具有谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPX)活性的GPX模拟物。采用元素分析、红外光谱、核磁共振等手段对三种环糊精衍生物的结构进行了表征。运用GPX经典双酶体系法测定了三种环糊精衍生物的GPX活性,实验结果表明三者均具有很高的催化活性,其中2-位碲桥联γ-环糊精(2-Te-γ-CD)具有最高的GPX活性,其催化谷胱甘肽(GSH)还原过氧化氢(H2O2),叔丁基过氧化氢(t-BuOOH)和枯烯过氧化氢(CuOOH)的活力分别是传统"小分子硒酶"Ebselen的80.5,333.3和118.3倍。     

Modeling the mechanism of the glutathione peroxidase mimic ebselen

Ebselen (1), the quintessential mimic of the antioxidant selenoenzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx), is a potential chemopreventative for various diseases associated with oxidative stress. Density-functional theory (DFT) and solvent-assisted proton exchange (SAPE) are used to model the complex mechanism for scavenging of reactive oxygen species by 1. SAPE is a microsolvation method designed to approximate the role of bulk solvent in chemical processes involving proton transfer. Consistent with experimental studies, SAPE studies predict the reaction of 1 with thiol (RSH) to form a selenenyl sulfide 2 to be preferred under most conditions, with an alternate pathway through a selenoxide 3 possible at high reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations ([ROS] ? [RSH]). The reduction of 2 to the selenol 4, known to be rate-determining in the protein, has a high SAPE activation barrier due to a strong Se···O interaction which reduces the electrophilicity of the sulfur center of the -SeS- bond of 2. Thiols, such as dithiols and peptide-based thiols, are expected to overcome this barrier through structural features that increase the probability of attack at this sulfur. Thus, in vivo, the GPx-like pathway is the most likely mechanism for 1 under most circumstances, except, perhaps, under extreme oxidative stress where initial oxidation to 3 could compete with formation of 2. Simple thiols, used in various in vitro studies, are predicted by SAPE modeling to proceed through oxidation of 2 to a seleninyl sulfide intermediate. Overall, SAPE modeling provides a realistic interpretation of the redox mechanism of 1 and holds promise for further exploration of complex aqueous-phase reaction mechanisms.     

Characterization of G-quadruplex/hemin peroxidase: substrate specificity and inactivation kinetics

Recently, G-quadruplex/hemin (G4/hemin) complexes have been found to exhibit peroxidase activity, and this feature has been extensively exploited for colorimetric detection of various targets. To further understand and characterize this important DNAzyme, its substrate specificity, inactivation mechanism, and kinetics have been examined by comparison with horseradish peroxidase (HRP). G4/hemin DNAzyme exhibits broader substrate specificity and much higher inactivation rate than HRP because of the exposure of the catalytic hemin center. The inactivation of G4/hemin DNAzyme is mainly attributed to the degradation of hemin by H(2)O(2) rather than the destruction of G4. Both the inactivation rate and catalytic oxidation rate of G4/hemin DNAzyme depend on the concentration of H(2)O(2), which suggests that active intermediates formed by G4/hemin and H(2)O(2) are the branch point of catalysis and inactivation. Reducing substrates greatly inhibit the inactivation of G4/hemin DNAzyme by rapidly reacting with the active intermediates. A possible catalytic and inactivation process of G4/hemin has been proposed. These results imply a potential cause for the hemin-mediated cellular injury and provide insightful information for the future application of G4/hemin DNAzyme.     

Cyclodextrin-derived chalcogenides as glutathione peroxidase mimics and their protection of mitochondria against oxidative damage

A series of novel glutathione peroxidase (GPx) mimics based on organochalcogen cyclodextrin (CD) dimer were synthesized. Their GPx-like antioxidant activities were studied using hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂, tert-butylhydroperoxide (BHP), and cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) as substrates and glutathione as thiol co-substrate. The results showed that 6A,6B-ditelluronic acid-A,6B′-tellurium bridged γ-cyclodextrin (6-diTe-γ-CD) had the highest peroxidase activity, which was ~670-fold higher than ebselen, a well-known GPx mimic. Reduction of lipophilic CHP often proceeded much faster than reduction of the more hydrophilic H₂O₂ or BHP, which cannot bind into the hydrophobic interior of the CD. The biological activities were also evaluated for their capacity to protect mitochondria against ferrous sulfate/ascorbate-induced oxidative damage. 6-diTe-γ-CD was the best inhibitor which significantly suppressed ferrous sulfate/ascorbate-induced cytotoxicity as determined by swelling of mitochondria, lipid peroxidation and cytochrome c oxidase activity. Our data suggests that 6-diTe-γ-CD has potential pharmaceutical application in the treatment of ROS-mediated diseases.     

A novel application of horseradish peroxidase: Oxidation of alcohol ethoxylate to alkylether carboxylic acid

A novel application of horseradish peroxidase （HRP） in the oxidation of alcohol ethoxylate to alkylether carboxylic acid in the present of H2O2 was reported in this paper. We propose the mechanism for the catalytic oxidation reaction is that the hydrogen transfers from the substrate to the ferryl oxygen to form the α-hydroxy carbon radical intermediate. The reaction offers a new approach for further research structure and catalytic mechanism of HRP and production of alkylether carboxylic acid.     

Thiol cofactors for selenoenzymes and their synthetic mimics

The importance of selenium as an essential trace element is now well recognized. In proteins, the redox-active selenium moiety is incorporated as selenocysteine (Sec), the 21st amino acid. In mammals, selenium exerts its redox activities through several selenocysteine-containing enzymes, which include glutathione peroxidase (GPx), iodothyronine deiodinase (ID), and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). Although these enzymes have Sec in their active sites, they catalyze completely different reactions and their substrate specificity and cofactor or co-substrate systems are significantly different. The antioxidant enzyme GPx uses the tripeptide glutathione (GSH) for the catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide and organic peroxides, whereas the larger and more advanced mammalian TrxRs have cysteine moieties in different subunits and prefer to utilize these internal cysteines as thiol cofactors for their catalytic activity. On the other hand, the nature of in vivo cofactor for the deiodinating enzyme ID is not known, although the use of thiols as reducing agents has been well-documented. Recent studies suggest that molecular recognition and effective binding of the thiol cofactors at the active site of the selenoenzymes and their mimics play crucial roles in the catalytic activity. The aim of this perspective is to present an overview of the thiol cofactor systems used by different selenoenzymes and their mimics.