Steady-State and Time-Resolved Fluorescence Study of Selected Tryptophan-Containing Peptides in an AOT Reverse Micelle Environment.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the utility of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy in the detection of subtle changes in the local microenvironment of a tryptophan chromophore in a confined and crowded medium of AOT reverse micelles, which mimic biological membranes and cell compartmentalization. For this purpose, fluorescence properties of L-tryptophan and several newly synthesized tryptophan-containing peptides in buffer and in an AOT reverse micelle medium were determined. It was shown that insertion of tryptophan and its short di- and tripeptides inside micelles led to evident changes in both the steady-state emission spectra and in fluorescence decay kinetics. The observed differences in spectral characteristics, such as a blue shift in the emission maxima, changes in the average fluorescence lifetime, and the appearance of environmental-dependent fluorescent species, showed the utility of time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy as a sensitive tool for detecting subtle conformational modifications in tryptophan and its peptides induced by changes in polarity, viscosity, and specific interactions between chromophores and water molecules/polar groups/ions that occur inside reverse micelles.

In Vitro Inhibitory Effects of Viburnum opulus Bark and Flower Extracts on Digestion of Potato Starch and Carbohydrate Hydrolases Activity.

One of the effective treatments for diabetes is to reduce and delay the absorption of glucose by inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase in the digestive tract. Currently, there is a great interest in natural inhibitors from various part of plants. In the present study, the phenolic compounds composition of V. opulus bark and flower, and their inhibitory effects on in vitro potato starch digestion as well as on α-amylase and α-glucosidase, have been studied. Bark and flower phenolic extracts reduced the amount of glucose released from potato starch during tree-stage simulated digestion, with IC50 value equal to 87.77 µg/mL and 148.87 µg/mL, respectively. Phenolic bark extract showed 34.9% and 38.4% more potent inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively, but the activity of plant extracts was lower than that of acarbose. Chlorogenic acid (27.26% of total phenolics) and (+)-catechin (30.48% of total phenolics) were the most prominent phenolics in the flower and bark extracts, respectively. Procyanidins may be responsible for the strongest V. opulus bark inhibitory activity against α-amylase, while (+)-catechin relative to α-glucosidase. This preliminary study provides the basis of further examination of the suitability of V. opulus bark compounds as components of nutraceuticals and functional foods with antidiabetic activity.

Structural and Spectral Investigation of a Series of Flavanone Derivatives.

Four flavanone Schiff bases (E)-1-(2-phenylchroman-4-ylidene)thiosemicarbazide (FTSC) (1), N',2-bis((E)-2-phenylchroman-4-ylidene)hydrazine-1-carbothiohydrazide (FTCH) (2), (E)-N'-(2-phenylchroman-4-ylidene)benzohydrazide (FHSB) (3) and (E)-N'-(2-phenylchroman-4-ylidene)isonicotinohydrazide (FIN) (4) were synthesized and evaluated for their electronic and physicochemical properties using experimental and theoretical methods. One of them, (2), consists of two flavanone moieties and one substituent, the rest of the compounds (1, 3, 4) comprises of a flavanone-substituent system in relation to 1:1. To uncover the structural and electronic properties of flavanone Schiff bases, computational simulations and absorption spectroscopy were applied. Additionally, binding efficiencies of the studied compounds to serum albumins were evaluated using fluorescence spectroscopy. Spectral profiles of flavanone Schiff bases showed differences related to the presence of substituent groups in system B of the Schiff base molecules. Based on the theoretically predicted chemical descriptors, FTSC is the most chemically reactive among the studied compounds. Binding regions within human and bovine serum albumins of the ligands studied are in the vicinity of the Trp residue and a static mechanism dominates in fluorescence quenching.

Phenolics-Rich Extracts of Dietary Plants as Regulators of Fructose Uptake in Caco-2 Cells via GLUT5 Involvement.

The latest data link the chronic consumption of large amounts of fructose present in food with the generation of hypertension and disturbances in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, which promote the development of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. This effect is possible after fructose is absorbed by the small intestine cells and, to a lesser extent, by hepatocytes. Fructose transport is dependent on proteins from the family of glucose transporters (GLUTs), among which GLUT5 selectively absorbs fructose from the intestine. In this study, we examined the effect of four phenolic-rich extracts obtained from A. graveolens, B. juncea, and M. chamomilla on fructose uptake by Caco-2 cells. Extracts from B. juncea and M. chamomilla most effectively reduced fluorescent fructose analogue (NBDF) accumulation in Caco-2, as well as downregulated GLUT5 protein levels. These preparations were able to decrease the mRNA level of genes encoding transcription factors regulating GLUT5 expression-thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP). Active extracts contained large amounts of apigenin and flavonols. The molecular docking simulation suggested that some of identified phenolic constituents can play an important role in the inhibition of GLUT5-mediated fructose transport.

Position Impact of Hydroxy Groups on Spectral, Acid-Base Profiles and DNA Interactions of Several Monohydroxy Flavanones.

Structure-related biological activities of flavanones are still considered largely unexplored. Since they exhibit various medicinal activities, it is intriguing to enter deeper into their chemical structures, electronic transitions or interactions with some biomolecules in order to find properties that allow us to better understand their effects. Little information is available on biological activity of flavanone and its monohydroxy derivatives in relation to their physicochemical properties as spectral profiles, existence of protonated/deprotonated species under pH changes or interaction with Calf Thymus DNA. We devoted this work to research demonstrating differences in the physicochemical properties of the four flavanones: flavanone, 2'-hydroxyflavanone, 6-hydroxyflavanone and 7-hydroxyflavanone and linking them to their biological activity. Potentiometric titration, UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to investigate influence of pH on acid-base and spectral profiles and to propose the mode of interaction with DNA. Cyclic voltammetry was applied to evaluate antioxidant potentiality and additionally, theoretical DFT(B3LYP) method to disclose electronic structure and properties of the compounds. Molecular geometries, proton affinities and pKa values have been determined. According to computational and cyclic voltammetry results we could predict higher antioxidant activity of 6-hydroxyflavanone with respect to other compounds. The values of Kb intrinsic binding constants of the flavanones indicated weak interactions with DNA. Structure-activity relationships observed for antioxidant activity and DNA interactions suggest that 6-hydroxyflavanone can protect DNA against oxidative damage most effectively than flavanone, 2'-hydroxyflavanone or 7-hydroxyflavanone.

Glycoside Hydrolases and Non-Enzymatic Glycation Inhibitory Potential of Viburnum opulus L. Fruit-In Vitro Studies.

Phytochemicals of various origins are of great interest for their antidiabetic potential. In the present study, the inhibitory effects against carbohydrate digestive enzymes and non-enzymatic glycation, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic compounds composition of Viburnum opulus L. fruits have been studied. Crude extract (CE), purified extract (PE), and ethyl acetate (PEAF) and water (PEWF) fractions of PE were used in enzymatic assays to evaluate their inhibitory potential against α-amylase with potato and rice starch as substrate, α-glucosidase using maltose and sucrose as substrate, the antioxidant capacity (ABTS, ORAC and FRAP assays), antiglycation (BSA-fructose and BSA-glucose model) properties. Among four tested samples, PEAF not only had the highest content of total phenolics, but also possessed the strongest α-glucosidase inhibition, antiglycation and antioxidant activities. UPLC analysis revealed that this fraction contained mainly chlorogenic acid, proanthocyanidin oligomers and flavalignans. Contrary, the anti-amylase activity of V. opulus fruits probably occurs due to the presence of proanthocyanidin polymers and chlorogenic acids, especially dicaffeoylquinic acids present in PEWF. All V. opulus samples have an uncompetitive and mixed type inhibition against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, respectively. Considering strong anti-glucosidase, antioxidant and antiglycation activities, V. opulus fruits may find promising applications in nutraceuticals and functional foods with antidiabetic activity.

Evaluation of Viburnum opulus L. Fruit Phenolics Cytoprotective Potential on Insulinoma MIN6 Cells Relevant for Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity.

In this study, the influence of guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) fruit fresh juice (FJ) and a phenolic-rich fraction (PRF) isolated from juice on mice insulinoma MIN6 cells activities was investigated. Extracts were able to decrease intracellular oxidative stress at the highest non-cytotoxic concentrations. They induced glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretion in the presence of an elevated glucose concentration, and they inhibited in vitro activity of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) enzyme. Nonetheless, inhibition of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was detected, which was accompanied by a decrease of cellular membrane fluidity and hyperpolarization effect. In addition, the increase of free fatty acid uptake and accumulation of lipid droplets in MIN6 cells were observed. Elevated extract concentrations induced cell apoptosis through the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway with activation of initiatory caspase-9 and downstream caspases-3/7. The fluorescence-quenching studies indicated that PRF extract has binding affinity to human serum albumin, which is one of the factors determining drug bioavailability. Taken together, despite the cytoprotective activity against generated intracellular oxidative stress, V. opulus revealed potential toxic effects as well as decreased insulin secretion from MIN6 cells. These findings are relevant in understanding V. opulus limitations in developing diet supplements designed for the prevention and treatment of postprandial glucose elevation.

Theoretical and experimental study on the effects of pH and surfactant on the internal charge transfer process in distyrylnaphthalene-based conjugated oligoelectrolytes.

In this study we have investigated the effects of pH and surfactant on the internal charge transfer (ICT) process in the DSNN derivative, DSNN-NMe+3 (4,4'-bis(4'-(N,N-bis(6″-(N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl)amino)-styryl) naphthalene tetraiodide) with the aim to show that environmentally-induced changes in the degree of ICT process determine the spectral response of the DSNN chromophore. Obtained results showed that DSNN chromophore exhibits evident changes in linear optical properties (absorption/emission wavelengths, quantum yield) upon protonation. These changes are a manifestation of the attenuation of the internal charge transfer processes, which accompanies binding of proton to the nitrogen atoms of the dialkylamino groups at the termini of DSNN chromophore. The results obtained in this study clearly demonstrated the sensitivity of the ICT process in DSNN upon protonation, which, together with the affinity of DSNN towards biological and artificial membranes, may open new perspectives for its utility in fluorescence-based sensing. Moreover, the studied compound showed substantial surfactochromic effects in the ionic and non-ionic surfactant solutions, which indicate the formation of various self-organized DSNN-surfactant aggregates. The structure of these aggregates is determined by the type of specific intermolecular interactions between the chromophore and surfactant molecules. The knowledge of the nature of these interactions may be substantial in the future development of DSNN-based sensing platforms with suitable optical properties.

Room temperature fluorescence and phosphorescence study on the interactions of iodide ions with single tryptophan containing serum albumins.

In this study, the influence of heavy-atom perturbation, induced by the addition of iodide ions, on the fluorescence and phosphorescence decay parameters of some single tryptophan containing serum albumins isolated from: human (HSA), equine (ESA) and leporine (LSA) has been studied. The obtained results indicated that, there exist two distinct conformations of the proteins with different exposure to the quencher. In addition, the Stern-Volmer plots indicated saturation of iodide ions in the binding region. Therefore, to determine quenching parameter, we proposed alternative quenching model and we have performed a global analysis of each conformer to define the effect of iodide ions in the cavity by determining the value of the association constant. The possible quenching mechanism may be based on long-range through-space interactions between the buried chromophore and quencher in the aqueous phase. The discrepancies of the decay parameters between the albumins studied may be related with the accumulation of positive charge at the main and the back entrance to the Drug Site 1 where tryptophan residue is located.

Room temperature phosphorescence study on the structural flexibility of single tryptophan containing proteins.

In this study, we have undertaken efforts to find correlation between phosphorescence lifetimes of single tryptophan containing proteins and some structural indicators of protein flexibility/rigidity, such as the degree of tryptophan burial or its exposure to solvent, protein secondary and tertiary structure of the region of localization of tryptophan as well as B factors for tryptophan residue and its immediate surroundings. Bearing in mind that, apart from effective local viscosity of the protein/solvent matrix, the other factor that concur in determining room temperature tryptophan phosphorescence (RTTP) lifetime in proteins is the extent of intramolecular quenching by His, Cys, Tyr and Trp side chains, the crystallographic structures derived from the Brookhaven Protein Data Bank were also analyzed concentrating on the presence of potentially quenching amino acid side chains in the close proximity of the indole chromophore. The obtained results indicated that, in most cases, the phosphorescence lifetimes of tryptophan containing proteins studied tend to correlate with the above mentioned structural indicators of protein rigidity/flexibility. This correlation is expected to provide guidelines for the future development of phosphorescence lifetime-based method for the prediction of structural flexibility of proteins, which is directly linked to their biological function.

Heavy atom induced phosphorescence study on the influence of internal structural factors on the photophysics of tryptophan in aqueous solutions.

In this study the effect of alanyl residue insertion into tryptophan and to some extent the effect of peptide bond on the photophysics of tryptophan chromophore has been studied. The photophysical parameters crucial in triplet state decay mechanism of aqueous AW, WA and AWA peptides have been determined applying our previously proposed methodology based on the heavy atom effect and compared with the previously reported values for tryptophan (Kowalska-Baron et al., 2012). The obtained results clearly indicated that the presence of alanyl residue and the peptide bond results in the changes in the fluorescence and phosphorescence decay kinetics of tryptophan. The fluorescence decays of the oligopeptides studied at pH 7 were biexponential. The longer lifetime component of WA arises from anionic form of this dipeptide, while the shorter one may be assigned to the zwitterionic form of WA. The observed invariance of the lifetimes of anionic and zwitterionic forms of WA throughout the pH studied supports the idea that these two components of WA fluorescence decay correspond to nearly independent species, possibly interconverting but at a rate slower than the fluorescence decay rates. Comparing the determined phosphorescence spectra of the oligopeptides studied with that of tryptophan, a slight blue-shift and more evident red-shift was observed in the spectrum of AW and WA, respectively. On the basis of the results of the phosphorescence measurements performed at pH 10, the 170 µs lifetime of WA, observed even at pH 7, may be assigned to the anionic form of the compound. It may be suggested that at pH 7 during the excited triplet state lifetime of WA there is a shift in the equilibrium towards the anionic form of this dipeptide. In the case of AW and AWA at pH 7 the obtained monoexponential decay kinetics, most probably, arise from zwitterionic forms of these peptides. The determined triplet quantum yield of AWA is slightly lower than that of tryptophan, while the quantum yield of AW is twofold lower than that of tryptophan. The highest value of the determined triplet quantum yield of WA confirms the presence of anionic form of this dipeptide at pH 7.

Temperature study of indole, tryptophan and N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA) triplet-state quenching by iodide in aqueous solution.

In this study, the temperature dependence of the measured phosphorescence lifetimes of aqueous indole, tryptophan and N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA) between 6 and 55 °C in the absence and in the presence of iodide, a suitable intersystem crossing enhancer, has been determined. The obtained results suggest the existence of one process for the temperature-dependent, non-radiative deactivation of triplet states of the aqueous indoles in the absence of iodide. This process may be associated with the high sensitivity of indole triplet state lifetime to the subtle changes in the local viscosity of the surrounding aqueous environment or may be attributed to diffusional quenching by solvent molecules and/or by possible impurities present in water. However, the steep decrease in the measured phosphorescence lifetimes of indole and tryptophan with temperature suggests that diffusion-mediated quenching processes are not prevailing. Upon increasing concentration of iodide (up to 0.1 M), the obtained Arrhenius plots for the deactivation rate (1/τph) of the triplet states of the studied indoles were linear, which provided strong support for the hypothesis of the existence of one temperature dependent non-radiative process for the de-excitation of indoles triplet state. Our results showed that this process is attributed to the diffusion-controlled solute-quenching by iodide and, most probably, proceeds via reversibly formed exciplex. At concentration of iodide higher than 0.1M highly curved Arrhenius plots were obtained, which may indicate a change in the rate determining step with a change in temperature. This change most probably is associated with a transition from diffusion-controlled exciplex formation followed by rate-determining exciplex deactivation at high temperature.

Photophysics of indole-2-carboxylic acid (I2C) and indole-5-carboxylic acid (I5C): heavy atom effect.

In this study the effect of carboxylic group substitution in the 2 and 5 position of indole ring on the photophysics of the parent indole chromophore has been studied. The photophysical parameters crucial in triplet state decay mechanism of aqueous indole-2-carboxylic acid (I2C) and indole-5-carboxylic acid (I5C) have been determined applying our previously proposed methodology based on the heavy atom effect and fluorescence and phosphorescence decay kinetics [Kowalska-Baron et al., 2012]. The determined time-resolved phosphorescence spectra of I2C and I5C are red-shifted as compared to that of the parent indole. This red-shift was especially evident in the case of I2C and may indicate the possibility of hydrogen bonded complex formation incorporating carbonyl CO, the NH group of I2C and, possibly, surrounding water molecules. The possibility of the excited state charge transfer process and the subsequent electronic charge redistribution in such a hydrogen bonded complex may also be postulated. The resulting stabilization of the I2C triplet state is manifested by its relatively long phosphorescence lifetime in aqueous solution (912 µs). The relatively short phosphorescence lifetime of I5C (56 µs) may be the consequence of more effective ground-state quenching of I5 C triplet state. This hypothesis may be strengthened by the significantly larger value of the determined rate constant of I5C triplet state quenching by its ground-state (4.4 × 10(8)M(-1)s(-1)) as compared to that for indole (6.8 × 10(7)M(-1)s(-1)) and I2C (2.3 × 10(7)M(-1)s(-1)). The determined bimolecular rate constant for triplet state quenching by iodide [Formula: see text] is equal to 1 × 10(4)M(-1)s(-1); 6 × 10(3)M(-1)s(-1) and 2.7 × 10(4)M(-1)s(-1) for indole, I2 C and I5 C, respectively. In order to obtain a better insight into iodide quenching of I2C and I5C triplet states in aqueous solution, the temperature dependence of the bimolecular rate constants for iodide quenching of the triplet states has been expressed in Arrhenius form. The linearity of the obtained Arrhenius plots clearly indicated the existence of one temperature-dependent non-radiative process for the de-excitation of I2C and I5C triplet state in the presence of iodide. This process may be attributed to the solute-quenching by iodide and, most probably, proceeds via reversibly formed exciplex. The activation energies obtained from linear Arrhenius plots (1.89 kcal/mol for I5 C; 2.55 kcal/mol for I2 C) are smaller as compared to that for diffusion controlled reactions in aqueous solution (about 4 kcal/mol), which may indicate the great importance of the electrostatic interactions between solute and iodide ions in lowering the energy barrier needed for the formation of the triplet-quencher complex. Based on the theoretical predictions (at the DFT(CAM-B3LYP)/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory) and careful analysis of the obtained FTIR spectra it may be concluded that in the solid state I2 C and I5 C molecules form associates by intermolecular NH · · · OC and OH · · · OC hydrogen bonding interactions, whereas the existence of intramolecular NH · · · OC interactions in the solid state of I2C and I5C is highly unlikely.

Photophysics of indole, tryptophan and N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA): heavy atom effect.

Previously reported flash photolysis studies showed that the triplet state lifetime of aqueous indoles is µs long (12.5 µs for tryptophan [10]), while other recently reported phosphorescence lifetimes of aqueous indoles, determined from photon counting phosphorescence techniques, vary from µs (approximately 40 µs [11]) to ms (5 ms for indole [12]). This study was motivated to explain the discrepancy regarding the intrinsic triplet state lifetime of aqueous indole and its derivatives: tryptophan and N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA). For this purpose, a new methodology based on both fluorescence and phosphorescence decay kinetics incorporating the heavy atom effect have been applied in order to determine some quantitative parameters of the photophysics of indole and its derivatives. Additionally, we have also determined the triplet state lifetimes of the studied indoles using flash photolysis in which contributions from both a first order component and a second order component (from triplet-triplet annihilation) have been taken into account in the triplet state depopulation. The measured phosphorescence lifetime of the indoles examined measures between the values reported by Fischer and Strambini and is consistent with the triplet state lifetime determined from flash photolysis. We hope that the results obtained in this paper would be helpful for deriving structural and dynamical information from phosphorescence data of tryptophan residues in proteins.