Remarkable substituent effects found in the base-catalyzed reaction of 5-methyl-2-(4′-substituted-phenyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-ones

Remarkable substituent effects found in the base-catalyzed reaction of 5-methyl-4-(1-methylethylidene)-2-(4′-substituted-phenyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-ones ( 2 ) with acetone at reflux are described.     

Kinetic comparisons of anthocyanin reactivities towards 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) (AAPH) radicals, hydrogen peroxide and tert-buthylhydroperoxide by capillary zone electrophoresis

Twelve major anthocyanins identified in bilberry extracts were studied in vitro using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for their reactions towards 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) (AAPH) radicals, hydrogen peroxides (H(2)O(2)) and tert-buthylhydroperoxides (t-BuOOH). Reactivity towards AAPH radicals was primarily determined by the aglycon structure, not by the type of sugar moiety. Delphinidins carrying three-hydroxyl groups on the B ring were most reactive followed by cyanidins, with two-hydroxyl groups. Further, methylation of the hydroxyl groups reduced reactivity towards AAPH radicals. However, reactivity of anthocyanins towards H(2)O(2) was not significantly affected by aglycon structure or by the type of sugar moiety; there being no marked difference in reaction rates among the anthocyanins. Reactivity towards t-BuOOH was essentially the same as towards H(2)O(2), although the reaction rate was several times smaller. Also, the reaction rate of anthocyanin towards peroxide was relatively high compared to that of (+)-catechin (approximately 30 times larger) measured as a reference antioxidant, whereas the reactivities of anthocyanins and (+)-catechin towards AAPH radicals were similar.     

PHOTOINDUCED REDUCTION OF CYTOCHROME c IN THE PRESENCE OF HYDROPEROXIDE DERIVATIVE OF BIPHENYL

Abstract The photosensitive hydroperoxide derivative of biphenyl (BPP) was synthesized by the ozonolysis of phenanthrene in methanol. When cytochrome c (cyt c ) was illuminated by UVB light in the presence of BPP (BPPUV), it was reduced both under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The action spectrum of the reduction was consistent with that of photolytic decomposition of BPP. Both gave maximum reactions at wavelengths around 300–310 nm. Electron spin resonance studies, using 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N -oxide as a spin-trapping reagent, revealed the generation of hydroxyl radicals in the BPPUV system. Product analysis of adamantane oxidation by BPPW also suggested the generation of hydroxyl radicals rather than singlet oxygen. However, the effects of scavengers were complicated. Singlet oxygen scavengers significantly inhibit the reaction while none of the hydroxyl radical scavengers tested was effective in inhibiting the BPPUV-mediated cyt c reduction. Deuterium oxide, which extends the lifetime of singlet oxygen, inhibited rather than enhanced the reaction. Reduction of cyt c was inhibited by salts, and their activities were correlated to the electron-donating nature of the anions. These results suggest that reduction of cyt c is mediated by electron transfer from a light-induced product of BPP, rather than by free hydroxyl radicals or singlet oxygen.     

Novel glycosylated mycosporine-like amino acids with radical scavenging activity from the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune

Mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) are UV absorbing pigments, and structurally distinct MAAs have been identified in taxonomically diverse organisms. Two novel MAAs were purified from the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune, and their chemical structures were characterized. An MAA with an absorption maximum at 335 nm was identified as a pentose-bound porphyra-334 derivative with a molecular mass of 478 Da. Another identified MAA had double absorption maxima at 312 and 340 nm and a molecular mass of 1,050 Da. Its unique structure consisted of two distinct chromophores of 3-aminocyclohexen-1-one and 1,3-diaminocyclohexen and two pentose and hexose sugars. These MAAs had radical scavenging activity in vitro; the 1050-Da MAA contributed approximately 27% of the total radical scavenging activities in a water extract of N. commune. These results suggest that these glycosylated MAAs have multiple roles as a UV protectant and an antioxidant relevant to anhydrobiosis in N. commune.     

Mechanism of decomposition of cyclic peroxides, 4-alkoxy-1,4-dihydro-2,3-benzodioxin-1-ols, to afford hydroxyl radical.

The decomposition of 4-alkoxy-1,4-dihydro-2,3-benzodioxin-1-ols (1, Bd) in aqueous media was examined. Increasing the water content of the medium accelerated the decomposition of 1 and increased the formation of the corresponding 2-formyl benzoic acid ester (2) as the decomposition product. Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies using dimethylpyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) as a spin trapping reagent had revealed that hydroxyl radicals are formed during the decomposition of 1 (Matsugo et al., FEBS Lett., 184, 25 (1985)). Thus, water-mediated decomposition of 1 was suggested to occur, affording the ester 2 and hydroxyl radical. Direct involvement of water was confirmed by an 18O isotopic tracer experiment which revealed that 18O was incorporated exclusively into the formyl position of the ester 2. It is plausible that a hydrated hydroperoxide (5) is formed by the addition of water at the formyl position of the ring-opened structure of 1 at the initial stage of the decomposition of 1. Preliminary studies on the antibacterial activities of 1 showed moderate cell-killing activity, especially to Pseudomonas strains, and the activity was found to be related to the decomposition of 1.     

Hydroperoxynaphthalimide Derivative-mediated Oxidation of Heme Proteins on Photoirradiation: Horseradish Peroxidase

Abstract— Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was photoirradiated in the presence of organic peroxide (1, hydroperoxynaphthalimide derivative) at around 353 nm and 0°C. This compound bound to a heme pocket of HRP as shown by its inhibitory effect on catalysis by HRP ( K _i= 5.5 times 10⁻⁵ M) and subsequently it formed an intermediate in the same way as H202. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) suggested cleavage of the peptide chain of HRP on photoirradiation with 1. From CD spectra and SDS-PAGE, it was presumed that the destruction of both secondary structure and heme of the enzyme occurred to some extent upon photoirradiation, which resulted in a decrease in the catalytic activity. The absorption spectra also suggested that the heme group of the enzyme was destroyed, and the fluorescence spectra showed that the Trp residue in the photoirradiated HRP was oxidized to N -formylkynurenine by a hydroxyl radical generated from 1. Energy transfer from the excited naphthalimide moiety or hydrogen abstraction also seemed to make some contribution to the alteration of the heme group.     

HYDROPEROXYNAPHTHALIMIDE DERIVATIVE-MEDIATED OXIDATION OF LYSOZYME

Abstract— Lysozyme was photoirradiated in the presence of photo-Fenton reagents (hydroperoxynaph-thalimide derivatives) at 366 nm. Enzymatic activities of photoirradiated lysozymes were lower than that of native lysozyme. Taking account of the results of amino acid analysis and of fluorescence spectra, it was probably that Trp residues in the photoirradiated lysozyme were oxidized with hydroxyl radicals. The reagents formed complexes with lysozyme as proved by the inhibitory effects of the reagents on the enzymatic activities ( K ₁= 4.7 ± 1.2 × 10⁴ M for HPO II, a hydroperoxide derivative of naphthalimide), which suggested that these reagents were bound to the active site cleft of lysozyme, and the Trp residues located in or near the active site cleft were photooxidized. Fluorescence-difference spectra of photoirradiated lysozymes showed that Trp 62 was preferentially photooxidized. Furthermore, sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and circular dichroism spectra showed that the photooxidation examined here induced no significant change in the molecular size but a slight change in the conformation of lysozyme, which suggests the usefulness of the reagents in the site-selective oxidation of biopolymers.