The reversible and stereoselective N- to C-bonded rearrangement of tris(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononanecobalt(III)

The hexaaminecobalt(III) complex [Co(tmptacn)]3+ (tmptacn = 1,4,7-tris(2'-pyridylmethyl)-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) undergoes a novel base-catalyzed N- to C-bonded rearrangement in which a tacn nitrogen is displaced by the alpha-carbon which deprotonates and binds to the metal ion as a carbanion. The X-ray structure establishes the configuration for the regio- and stereoselectively (100%) formed product. The reaction involves both ring expansions and ring contraction. The carbanion is part of a strained four-membered ring. The kinetics are reported for the N- to C-rearrangement, shown to be retentive for the optically resolved (+)-[Co(tmptacn)]3+ reactant, and also the kinetics for a competitive and somewhat faster base-catalyzed racemization reaction of this complex. The reaction is completely but very slowly reversed in acid, also with retention, and in D2O/D+ there is 1:1 D-incorporation into the two sets of inequivalent tacn carbons. Extensive 1D and 2D NMR studies establish mechanistic details, and alternative mechanisms are proposed for the forward and reverse reactions. In neutral solution, there is a competitive oxidation reaction for the reverse C- to N-bonded process, involving the regio- and stereoselective (100%) incorporation of an alpha-OH substituent into the tacn ring.     

Metallodrug Profiling against SARS-CoV-2 Target Proteins Identifies Highly Potent Inhibitors of the S/ACE2 interaction and the Papain-like Protease PLpro

The global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has called for an urgent need for dedicated antiviral therapeutics. Metal complexes are commonly underrepresented in compound libraries that are used for screening in drug discovery campaigns, however, there is growing evidence for their role in medicinal chemistry. Based on previous results, we have selected more than 100 structurally diverse metal complexes for profiling as inhibitors of two relevant SARS-CoV-2 replication mechanisms, namely the interaction of the spike (S) protein with the ACE2 receptor and the papain-like protease PL^pro. In addition to many well-established types of mononuclear experimental metallodrugs, the pool of compounds tested was extended to approved metal-based therapeutics such as silver sulfadiazine and thiomersal, as well as polyoxometalates (POMs). Among the mononuclear metal complexes, only a small number of active inhibitors of the S/ACE2 interaction was identified, with titanocene dichloride as the only strong inhibitor. However, among the gold and silver containing complexes many turned out to be very potent inhibitors of PL^pro activity. Highly promising activity against both targets was noted for many POMs. Selected complexes were evaluated in antiviral SARS-CoV-2 assays confirming activity for gold complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) or dithiocarbamato ligands, a silver NHC complex, titanocene dichloride as well as a POM compound. These studies might provide starting points for the design of metal-based SARS-CoV-2 antiviral agents.     

Top-Down Proteomics and Direct Surface Sampling of Neonatal Dried Blood Spots: Diagnosis of Unknown Hemoglobin Variants

We have previously shown that liquid microjunction surface sampling of dried blood spots coupled with high resolution top-down mass spectrometry may be used for screening of common hemoglobin variants HbS, HbC, and HbD. In order to test the robustness of the approach, we have applied the approach to unknown hemoglobin variants. Six neonatal dried blood spot samples that had been identified as variants, but which could not be diagnosed by current screening methods, were analyzed by direct surface sampling top-down mass spectrometry. Both collision-induced dissociation and electron transfer dissociation mass spectrometry were employed. Four of the samples were identified as ??-chain variants: two were heterozygous Hb D-Iran, one was heterozygous Hb Headington, and one was heterozygous Hb J-Baltimore. The fifth sample was identified as the ??-chain variant heterozygous Hb Phnom Penh. Analysis of the sixth sample suggested that it did not in fact contain a variant. Adoption of the approach in the clinic would require speed in both data collection and interpretation. To address that issue, we have compared manual data analysis with freely available data analysis software (ProsightPTM). The results demonstrate the power of top-down proteomics for hemoglobin variant analysis in newborn samples.     

para-Nitroaniline is a Promising Matrix for MALDI-MS Imaging on Intermediate Pressure MS Systems

para-Nitroaniline (PNA) is presented as a promising matrix for matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) on an intermediate-pressure ion source (~1 Torr) QqTOF instrument using an Nd:YVO₄ laser operated at 5 kHz. An imaging study was carried out to determine the utility of PNA at this pressure by analyzing 14 tissue sections. We demonstrate acquisition of high-quality imaging data over a 6-h period in the ion source. In this study, comparisons were made between PNA and α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA) in positive ion mode to demonstrate the utility of PNA in these circumstances. PNA performed as well as or better than CHCA in terms of lipid ion intensities, resulting in lower levels of ion fragmentation and in lower incidences of analyte migration at the edges of the tissue sections when using airspray matrix deposition.      

New trends in fast and high-resolution liquid chromatography: a critical comparison of existing approaches

Recent developments in chromatographic supports and instrumentation for liquid chromatography (LC) are enabling rapid and highly efficient separations. Various analytical strategies have been proposed, for example the use of silica-based monolithic supports, elevated mobile phase temperatures, and columns packed with sub-3 μm superficially porous particles (fused core) or with sub-2 μm porous particles for use in ultra-high-pressure LC (UHPLC). The purpose of this review is to describe and compare these approaches in terms of throughput and resolving power, using kinetic data gathered for compounds with molecular weights ranging between 200 and 1300 g mol⁻¹ in isocratic and gradient modes. This study demonstrates that the best analytical strategy should be selected on the basis of the analytical problem (e.g., isocratic vs. gradient, throughput vs. efficiency) and the properties of the analyte. UHPLC and fused-core technologies are quite promising for small-molecular-weight compounds, but increasing the mobile phase temperature is useful for larger molecules, for example peptides.     

Synthesis and binding studies ofN-(2-Hydroxy-l-phenoxyacetyl) glycylglycine

The synthesis ofN-(2-hydroxy-l-phenoxyacetyl)glycylglycine3 from 2-acetoxyphenoxyacetic acid is described. Compound3, a simple model for the carboxy-containing ionophore, Lasalocid, binds cations in methanol in the order: Ca²⁺ Ba²⁺ > Sr²⁺ 2>> Li⁺ > Na⁺, K⁺.     

Photolytic production of Fe3+ in CaS

Calcium sulfide powder containing iron as an impurity was irradiated with 580, 366 or 254 nm light at 77 K. Irradiation enhanced a broad (16 G peak-to-trough) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) signal at g = 2.017 and caused six sharp (～1 G) lines to appear in the X-band EPR spectrum at 347, 529, 956, 1963, 3547 and 5376 G. Enrichment of CaS with Fe²⁺ produced samples with similar photochemistry. It is proposed that irradiation causes the reaction Fe²⁺ + trap → Fe³⁺ + trap^?, whose products give rise to six sharp EPR lines assigned to Fe³⁺ and a broad line associated with trap^?. Both hyperfine splitting by ⁵⁷Fe (13 G) and superhyperfine splitting by ³³S (11.4 G) are observed in the six line spectrum. The environment of the photo-generated Fe³⁺ has less than octahedral symmetry. V²⁺ was observed at octahedral sites in unirradiated CaS for the first time, and is characterized by the EPR parameters g = 1.961 and A (hyperfine coupling) = 74.6 × 10^?4 cm^?1. EPR signals due to Mn²⁺ and Cr³⁺ at octahedral sites and Fe³⁺ at a low symmetry site were also observed in unirradiated CaS.