Mechanisms of nitric oxide generation in living systems.

In modern chemical and biochemical studies, special attention is paid to molecular systems capable of generating nitric oxide (NO), which is one of the most important signalling molecules in the body and can trigger a whole cascade of reactions. Despite the importance of this molecule, the mechanisms of its formation in living organisms remain a subject of debate. This review combines the most important methods of releasing NO from endogenous and exogenous sources. The history of endogenous NO donors dates back more than 150 years, since the synthesis of nitroglycerin, which remains the standard vasodilator today, even though it is known that it and many other similar compounds lead to the development of a nitrate tolerance. Particular awareness is devoted to the mechanisms of NO formation without the participation of enzymes, since these methods are most important for creating exogenous sources of NO as drugs. The study of NO formation methods is centred on both the creation of new NO donors and understanding the mechanisms of tolerance to them.

Lithium-Promoted Cycloaddition of Indole-2,3-dienolates and Carbon Disulfide as a One-Pot Route to Thiopyrano[4,3-b]indole-3(5H)-thiones.

A new approach for the annulation of a thiopyrane ring to an indole core under mild conditions was developed. Treating 2-methyl-3-acylindoles with lithium diisopropyl amide leads to the elimination of a proton from the 2-methyl group. The lithium indole-2,3-dienolates obtained were found to react with CS2 to give the corresponding thiopyrano[4,3-b]indole-3(5H)-thiones. The mechanism represents a stepwise addition through ion-pair formation, according to PCM/B3LYP/6-311++G**, PBE1PBE/6-311++G**, and MP2//HF/6-311++G** quantum chemical calculations. AIM calculations revealed the essential role of the Li atom at all stages of the process.

From 3-Acyl-2-methylindoles to γ-Carbolines: Li-Promoted Cycloaddition Reaction and Its Quantum Chemical Study.

A one-pot cycloaddition strategy for obtaining γ-carbolines under mild conditions was developed. The reaction represents a new approach to the annulation of a pyridine ring to an indole core. Treating 2-methyl-3-benzoylindoles with lithium diisopropyl amide leads to the elimination of a proton from the 2-methyl group. The organolithium compounds generated were found to react with nitriles. The resulting 4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrido[4,3-b]indol-1-ols undergo spontaneous water elimination to give the corresponding γ-carbolines. The applicability of this reaction for the synthesis of isoquinolines has been shown. For the first time, a lithium atom was found to be part of an eight-centered polycyclic transition state according to a detailed DFT PCM/DFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and ab initio PCM/MP2//HF/6-311++G(d,p) quantum chemical study.

Comprehensive study of nitrofuroxanoquinolines. New perspective donors of NO molecules.

The goal of present work is the study of NO releasing mechanisms in nitrofuroxanoquinoline (NFQ) derivatives. Mechanisms of their structural non-rigidity and pathways of NO donation - spontaneous or under the action of sulfanyl radicals or photoirradiation - were considered in details, both experimentally and quantum chemically. Furoxan-containing systems of the discussed type are not capable of spontaneous or photoinduced decomposition under mild conditions, and sulfanyl (radical) induced processes are the most preferable. It was shown that appropriate modification of NFQ through [3 + 2] cycloaddition and subsequent aromatization is a powerful tool to design new prospective donors of NO molecule. Two newly obtained NFQ derivatives were proven to have unusually high NO activity in full accordance with the theoretical model. We hope that these examples will encourage community to seek for new NO active molecules among cycloadducts and modified furoxanes.

Non-canonical DNA structures: Comparative quantum mechanical study.

A study of relative thermodynamic stability of non-canonical DNA structures (triplexes, G-quadruplexes, i-motifs) for the first time was conducted on the basis of quantum chemical DFT/B3LYP/6-31++G (d) calculations. Results of the calculations completely reproduce the experimental data on stability of G-quadruplexes comparatively Watson-Crick B-DNA. It was discovered that combinations of non-canonical DNA structures were energetically more favorable than separated nitrogenous bases. Supramolecular complexes of the non-canonical DNA structures (NSs) can be considered as a biological drug targets in gene regulation (for example in tumor therapy), in contrast to previous works, where NSs were studied independently.

Thiol-induced nitric oxide donation mechanisms in substituted dinitrobenzofuroxans.

The goal of present work is the quantum chemical study of NO donation mechanism in dinitrobenzofuroxan aryl derivative. Mechanisms of its structural non-rigidity (1,3-N-oxidic and Boulton-Katritzky rearrangements) and minimum energy pathways of NO donation under the action of sulfanyl radical SH· were considered in details. DFT calculations were performed using B3LYP and UB3LYP functionals in the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. Obtained results showed that a high experimentally proven NO-donor activity of dinitrobenzofuroxan aryl derivative is connected with its existence in the form of mixture of 1-N-oxide and 3-N-oxide, where the 3-N-oxide is more reactive towards SH·. The thiol-induced low-barrier mechanism of NO-donation is a result of para-aminophenyl substituent availability in position 7 of dinitrobenzofuroxan.

The stepwise Diels-Alder reaction of 4-nitrobenzodifuroxan with Danishefsky's diene.

The Diels-Alder reaction of 4-nitrobenzodifuroxan (NBDF) with 1-methoxy-3-trimethylsilyloxy-1,3-butadiene has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Treatment of NBDF with excess diene in chloroform at room temperature was found to afford a single product that contained a carbonyl functionality. Based on an X-ray structure and NMR spectroscopic data, the product appeared to be a result of the hydrolysis of the OSiMe(3) moiety of the thermodynamically more stable endo [2+4] cycloadduct, characterized by a cis arrangement of the MeO and NO(2) functionalities. In situ NMR investigations of the interaction were carried out at room temperature in CDCl(3) and at -40 °C in deuterated acetonitrile. Calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G* level in the gas phase and in acetonitrile were carried out under the assumption that the most stable cis conformation of the diene is also the most reactive in the interaction. The analysis revealed the NBDF/cis diene interaction involves the formation of a zwitterionic intermediate. Importantly, this intermediate is formed in two preferred conformations, which correspond to the endo and exo modes of approach of the reagents. Cyclization of these two identified conformations afforded the experimentally characterized endo and exo [2+4] cycloadducts. According to the calculations, the interconversion of the two conformers can either take place through a return to the pre-reaction complexes or it can occur by rotation through an intermediate conformation of lesser stability. In view of the stepwise character of the interaction, the possibility that the intermediate zwitterion is the result of the interaction between NBDF and the trans diene could not be excluded. Calculations carried out with the most stable and more populated s-trans conformer confirmed this idea and supported the role of the zwitterion in the overall interaction.

N-[2-[(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-oxocyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ylidene)amino]phenyl]-N-(5,7-dinitroquinolin-8-yl)-1-phenylmethanesulfonamide: the nature of intramolecular shortened contacts.

The title compound, C(36)H(35)N(5)O(7)S, is found to exist in a non-spirocyclic (ring-opened) form in the crystal, although equilibrium of ring-opened and ring-closed forms (or so-called ring-chain isomerization) is possible in solution. The 4-oxocyclohexa-2,5-diene ring has a flattened sofa conformation. The N.C intramolecular separation of the atoms which would be directly bonded in a ring-closed form is quite short [2.813 (5) A]. Topological analysis of charge density based on density-functional-theory calculations was used for consideration of shortened intramolecular contacts and indicates a strong attractive bonding interaction between these N and C atoms in the crystal structure.