Copper, dityrosine cross-links and amyloid-ß aggregation.

Copper is involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) where it appears to affect the aggregation of amyloid-ß (Aß) and to catalyze the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Oxidative stress apparently produces Aß dimers that are covalently linked through two tyrosine residues. Such dityrosine cross-links are considered as potential markers of the disease and seem to be implicated in the pathological disorder. In the present study, pure o,o'-dityrosine (diY) was prepared enzymatically (with horseradish peroxidase; HRP), which was subsequently used to construct calibration lines aimed at quantifying nanomolar amounts of diY in reaction mixtures by fluorescence spectroscopy. Hence, diY concentrations down to 67 nM could be determined, which allowed to find that ca. 3% of dityrosine-bridged dimers of Aß(1-40) were produced after 3 days at 37 °C in the presence of copper and dihydrogen peroxide. These cross-linked dimers in the presence of copper(II) ions completely inhibit the typical aggregation of Aß, since ß sheets could not be detected applying the usual Thioflavin T (ThT) method. Furthermore, the use of a potent Cu(II) chelator, such as the ATCUN tripeptide, L-histidyl-L-alanyl-L-histidine (HAH), efficiently prevented the copper-mediated generation of ROS and the associated dityrosine-bridged Aß dimers, suggesting that such metal chelators may find future applications in the field of anti-AD drug design.

Photoactivation of the Cytotoxic Properties of Platinum(II) Complexes through Ligand Photoswitching.

The development of photoactivatable metal complexes with potential anticancer properties is a topical area of current investigation. Photoactivated chemotherapy using coordination compounds is typically based on photochemical processes occurring at the metal center. In the present study, an innovative approach is applied that takes advantage of the remarkable photochemical properties of diarylethenes. Following a proof-of-concept study with two complexes, namely, C1 and C2, a series of additional platinum(II) complexes from dithienylcyclopentene-based ligands was designed and prepared. Like C1 and C2, these new coordination compounds exhibit two thermally stable, interconvertible photoisomers that display distinct properties. The photochemical behavior of ligands L3-L7 has been analyzed by 1H NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies. Subsequently, the corresponding platinum(II) complexes C3-C7 were synthesized and fully characterized, including by single-crystal X-ray diffraction for some of them. Next, the interaction of each photoisomer (i.e., containing the open or closed ligand) of the metal complexes with DNA was examined thoroughly using various techniques, revealing their distinct DNA-binding modes and affinities, as observed for the earlier compounds C1 and C2. The antiproliferative activity of the two forms of the complexes was then assessed with five cancer cell lines and compared with that of C1 and C2, which supported the use of such diarylethene-based systems for the generation of a new class of potential photochemotherapeutic metallodrugs.

Histidine-Rich Oligopeptides To Lessen Copper-Mediated Amyloid-ß Toxicity.

Brain copper imbalance plays an important role in amyloid-ß aggregation, tau hyperphosphorylation, and neurotoxicity observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, the administration of biocompatible metal-binding agents may offer a potential therapeutic solution to target mislocalized copper ions and restore metallostasis. Histidine-containing peptides and proteins are excellent metal binders and are found in many natural systems. The design of short peptides showing optimal binding properties represents a promising approach to capture and redistribute mislocalized metal ions, mainly due to their biocompatibility, ease of synthesis, and the possibility of fine-tuning their metal-binding affinities in order to suppress unwanted competitive binding with copper-containing proteins. In the present study, three peptides, namely HWH, HK(C) H, and HAH, have been designed with the objective of reducing copper toxicity in AD. These tripeptides form highly stable albumin-like complexes, showing higher affinity for Cu(II) than that of Aß(1-40). Furthermore, HWH, HK(C) H, and HAH act as very efficient inhibitors of copper-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and prevent the copper-induced overproduction of toxic oligomers in the initial steps of amyloid aggregation in the presence of Cu(II) ions. These tripeptides, and more generally small peptides including the sequence His-Xaa-His at the N-terminus, may therefore be considered as promising motifs for the future development of new and efficient anti-Alzheimer drugs.