Global QSAR models of skin sensitisers for regulatory purposes

Background

The new European Regulation on chemical safety, REACH, (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of CHemical substances), is in the process of being implemented. Many chemicals used in industry require additional testing to comply with the REACH regulations. At the same time EU member states are attempting to reduce the number of animals used in experiments under the 3 Rs policy, (refining, reducing, and replacing the use of animals in laboratory procedures). Computational techniques such as QSAR have the potential to offer an alternative for generating REACH data. The FP6 project CAESAR was aimed at developing QSAR models for 5 key toxicological endpoints of which skin sensitisation was one.

Results

This paper reports the development of two global QSAR models using two different computational approaches, which contribute to the hybrid model freely available online.

Conclusions

The QSAR models for assessing skin sensitisation have been developed and tested under stringent quality criteria to fulfil the principles laid down by the OECD. The final models, accessible from CAESAR website, offer a robust and reliable method of assessing skin sensitisation for regulatory use.

     

Ultrafast Decay of the Excited Singlet States of Thioxanthone by Internal Conversion and Intersystem Crossing

The experimental ultrafast photophysics of thioxanthone in several aprotic organic solvents at room temperature is presented, measured using femtosecond transient absorption together with high‐level ab initio CASPT2 calculations of the singlet‐ and triplet‐state manifolds in the gas phase, including computed state minima and conical intersections, transition energies, oscillator strengths, and spin–orbit coupling terms. The initially populated singlet ππ* state is shown to decay through internal conversion and intersystem crossing processes via intermediate nπ* singlet and triplet states, respectively. Two easily accessible conical intersections explain the favorable internal conversion rates and low fluorescence quantum yields in nonpolar media. The presence of a singlet–triplet crossing near the singlet ππ* minimum and the large spin–orbit coupling terms also rationalize the high intersystem crossing rates. A phenomenological kinetic scheme is proposed that accounts for the decrease in internal conversion and intersystem crossing (i.e. the very large experimental crescendo of the fluorescence quantum yield) with the increase of solvent polarity.     

Toward the Rational Design of Galactosylated Glycoclusters That Target Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lectin A (LecA): Influence of Linker Arms That Lead to Low‐Nanomolar Multivalent Ligands

Anti‐infectious strategies against pathogen infections can be achieved through antiadhesive strategies by using multivalent ligands of bacterial virulence factors. LecA and LecB are lectins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa implicated in biofilm formation. A series of 27 LecA‐targeting glycoclusters have been synthesized. Nine aromatic galactose aglycons were investigated with three different linker arms that connect the central mannopyranoside core. A low‐nanomolar (K_d=19 nm , microarray) ligand with a tyrosine‐based linker arm could be identified in a structure–activity relationship study. Molecular modeling of the glycoclusters bound to the lectin tetramer was also used to rationalize the binding properties observed.     

Synthesis of tripodal aza crown ether calix[4]arenes and their supramolecular chemistry with transition-, alkali metal ions and anions

Tripodal aza crown ether calix[4]arenes, 5a, 5b, 6a and 6b, have been synthesized. The structure of protonated 5a was elucidated by X-ray crystallography to be a self-threaded rotaxane. Complexation studies of 5a and 5b towards anions using Na⁺ as countercation were carried out by ¹H NMR titration in dimethylsulfoxide-d₆ and the mixture of chloroform-d and methanol-d₄, respectively. Ligands 5a and 5b were able to form 1:1 complexes with Br⁻, I⁻ and NO₃⁻ and the complexation stability varied as follows: NO₃⁻>I⁻>Br⁻. The effect of countercation on anion complexation was also investigated. The results showed that the association constants of 5a towards Br⁻ in the presence of various cations varied as K⁺>Bu₄N⁺>Na⁺. The enhancement in anion complexation ability of 5a may result from the rearrangement of the tripodal ammonium unit in the presence of K⁺. The neutral forms, 6a and 6b, were able to form complexes with transition metal ions such as Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺. The stability of the complexes followed the sequence: Ni²⁺2+Cu²⁺Zn²⁺. Compounds 6a and 6b may, therefore, potentially be used as either transition metal ion or anion receptors that can be controlled by pH of the solution.     

Crystal Structure and Complexing Properties of p-tert-butylcalix[6]-1,4-2,5-bis(crown-4)

The X-ray structure of the alreadypublished p-tert-butylcalix[6]-1,4-2,5-bis(crown-4)1 is reported. Extraction of solid ammoniumpicrate in chloroform-d indicates thecation to be located outside of the calixcrown andforming a 1:2 (metal-ligand) complex.     

Firsts lysidinyl- and lysidinium-triphosphines Pd(II) complexes

The preparation of first lysidinyl-triphosphine ligand (named Triphosline) is described in three steps which are first a Michael type addition of imidazolidine (or lysidine) to diethylvinylphosphonate, second a phosphonate reduction with LiAlH₄ and third an anti-Markovnikov radical addition of the primary phosphine to diphenylvinylphosphine. The Triphosline behaves as a tridentate P-coordinating ligand in palladium(II) complexes. The dangling lysidine function is then cleanly and totally alkylated by methyl iodide to lead to a new kind of lysidinium-triphosphine complexes. Subsequent anion exchange with TlPF₆ affords the first example of a chloride free lysidinium-triphosphine palladium complex which has been fully characterized by spectroscopic and analytical methods.     

A theoretical investigation of the enantioselective hydrogenation mechanism of α-ketoesters

The enantioselective hydrogenation of α-ketoesters to α-hydroxyesters over Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts modified by cinchona alkaloids is an interesting model reaction for the investigation of heterogeneous catalysis capable of producing optically active products. The aim of the present theoretical study is to rationalize the interaction between protonated cinchona alkaloids (modifiers) and methyl pyruvate (substrate) by investigating the possible weak complexes formed by these two species. For this purpose we use molecular mechanics and the AM1 semiempirical method. The optimization leads to two stable forms of the complexes, where the substrate is bound to the modifier via hydrogen bonding between the oxygen of the α-carbonyl of pyruvate and the quinuclidine nitrogen of the alkaloid. In such complexes the methyl pyruvate is transformed into a half-hydrogenated species which can be adsorbed on the platinum surface and, after hydrogenation, leads to methyl lactate product. The results show that adsorption of the complex leading to (R)-methyl lactate is more favorable than that of the corresponding system yielding (S)-methyl lactate, which may be the key for the enantio-differentiation.     

Stereochimie de la des benzoates d'argent sur des diesters iododesoxy ns: I- Action des benzoates d'argent sur des di-o-aroyl-1,2 iododesoxy-3 ns-glycerols

The stereochemistry of the reaction of silver benzoates on chiral di-O-aroyl-1,2 iododeoxy-3-sn-glycerols has been reinvestigated. The reaction proceeds either with or without neighbouring group participation, depending on : - possible electrophilic assistance by the silver ion to the ionisation of the substrate (occuring only with dissociated silver salts), - ability of substituants R¹ and R² on the substrates to stabilize a positive charge. Rearrangements are at minimum with R¹ and R² electronreleasing groups in the substrate, silver salts un-or weakly dissociated and bearing a good nucleophile. For one case, a regio- and stereo specific reaction is observed.