Remote Stereoelectronic Effects in Pyrrolidone- and Caprolactam-Substituted Phenols: Discrepancies in Antioxidant Properties Evaluated by Electrochemical Oxidation and H-Atom Transfer Reactivity.

New antioxidants are commonly evaluated via two main approaches, i.e., the ability to donate an electron and the ability to intercept free radicals. We compared these approaches by evaluating the properties of 11 compounds containing both antioxidant moieties (mono- and polyphenols) and auxiliary pharmacophores (pyrrolidone and caprolactam). Several common antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), 2,3,5-trimethylphenol (TMP), quercetin, and dihydroquercetin, were added for comparison. The antioxidant properties of these compounds were determined by their rates of reaction with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and their oxidation potentials from cyclic voltammetry. Although these methods test different chemical properties, their results correlate reasonably well. However, several exceptions exist where the two methods give opposite predictions! One of them is the different behavior of mono- and polyphenols: polyphenols can react with DPPH more than an order of magnitude faster than monophenols of a similar oxidation potential. The second exception stems from the size of a "bystander" lactam ring at the benzylic position. Although the phenols with a seven-membered lactam ring are harder to oxidize, the sterically nonhindered compounds react with DPPH about 2× faster than the analogous five-membered lactams. The limitations of computational methods, especially those based on a single parameter, are also evaluated and discussed.

Cascade Transformations of 1-R-Ethynyl-9,10-anthraquinones with Amidines: Expanding Access to Isoaporphinoid Alkaloids.

The interaction of acetamidine and phenylamidine with peri-R-ethynyl-9,10-anthraquinones in refluxing n-butanol leads to the formation of cascade transformations products: addition/elimination/cyclization-2-R-7H-dibenzo[de,h]quinolin-7-ones and(or) 2-R-3-aroyl-7H-dibenzo[de,h]quinolin-7-ones. The anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties of the new 2-R-7H-dibenzo[de,h]quinolin-7-ones were investigated in vivo, in vitro, and in silico. The synthesized compounds exhibit high anti-inflammatory activity at dose 20 mg/kg (intraperitoneal injection) in the models of exudative (histamine-induced) and immunogenic (concanavalin A-induced) inflammation. Molecular docking data demonstrate that quinolinones can potentially intercalate into DNA similarly to the antitumor drug doxorubicin.

Photochemical Activation of Enediyne Warheads: A Potential Tool for Targeted Antitumor Therapy.

Spatial and temporal control over DNA cleavage by photoactivated enediynes can be complemented by additional factors such as the release of internal strain, chelation, pH changes, intramolecular H-bonds, and substituent effects. This review presents design and reactivity of photoactivated enediynes/enynes and analyses the chemical, biological, and photophysical challenges in their applications.

Optimizing Protonation States for Selective Double-Strand DNA Photocleavage in Hypoxic Tumors: pH-Gated Transitions of Lysine Dipeptides.

We report pH-switching properties of the new family of dipeptide-acetylene conjugates where pH-gated light-activated double-strand (ds) DNA cleavage is controlled by variations in electronic and geometric parameters. The conjugates have higher activities at the slightly acidic pH values that separate normal and cancerous tissue (pH < 7). This favorable pH dependence originates from several elements of structural design. Basicities of the two amines determine the threshold pH range where the changes in binding and reactivity are observed, whereas the distance between the two amino groups and the hydrophobic aryl alkyne moiety can further modulate DNA binding. The changes of the protonation state from a neutral molecule to a dication results in dramatically increased efficiency of ds DNA photocleavage, the most therapeutically valuable type of DNA cleavage.

The Missing C1-C5 Cycloaromatization Reaction: Triplet State Antiaromaticity Relief and Self-Terminating Photorelease of Formaldehyde for Synthesis of Fulvenes from Enynes.

The last missing example of the four archetypical cycloaromatizations of enediynes and enynes was discovered by combining a twisted alkene excited state with a new self-terminating path for intramolecular conversion of diradicals into closed-shell products. Photoexcitation of aromatic enynes to a twisted alkene triplet state creates a unique stereoelectronic situation, which is facilitated by the relief of excited state antiaromaticity of the benzene ring. This enables the usually unfavorable 5-endo-trig cyclization and merges it with 5-exo-dig closure. The 1,4-diradical product of the C1-C5 cyclization undergoes internal H atom transfer that is coupled with the fragmentation of an exocyclic C-C bond. This sequence provides efficient access to benzofulvenes from enynes and expands the utility of self-terminating aromatizing enyne cascades to photochemical reactions. The key feature of this self-terminating reaction is that, despite the involvement of radical species in the key cyclization step, no external radical sources or quenchers are needed to provide the products. In these cascades, both radical centers are formed transiently and converted to the closed-shell products via intramolecular H-transfer and C-C bond fragmentation. Furthermore, incorporating C-C bond cleavage into the photochemical self-terminating cyclizations of enynes opens a new way for the use of alkenes as alkyne equivalents in organic synthesis.

Hybrids of amino acids and acetylenic DNA-photocleavers: optimising efficiency and selectivity for cancer phototherapy.

Hybrid agents which combine potent DNA-photocleavers with tunable amino acids or small peptides were designed to improve selectivity of Nature's most potent class of antibiotics towards cancer cells. The ability of these compounds to photocleave DNA is controlled by their incorporation into hybrid architectures with functional elements derived from natural amino acids. These conjugates are highly effective at inducing double-strand DNA cleavage and, in some cases, rival or even surpass both naturally occurring DNA cleavers and anticancer agents that are currently in clinical use. The possibility of triggering their activity in a photochemical and pH-sensitive fashion allows for a high degree of selectivity over activation. The conjugates were shown to penetrate cell membranes and induce efficient intracellular DNA cleavage. Initial in vitro tests against a variety of cancer cell lines confirm the potential of these compounds as anticancer agents at low nanomolar concentrations.

Engineering pH-gated transitions for selective and efficient double-strand DNA photocleavage in hypoxic tumors.

We describe a family of hybrid compounds for the most efficient light-activated double-strand (ds) DNA cleavage known to date. This family represents the second generation of "switchable" molecular systems for pH-gated ds DNA-cleavage which combine a potent DNA-photocleaver and a pH-regulated part derived from a dipeptide. Design of the pH-switchable part utilizes amino groups of different basicity. Whereas the basic amino groups are protonated throughout the biologically relevant pH range, the pH-gating amines undergo protonation at the pH threshold which separates cancer and normal cells. Control over the reactivity and selectivity is achieved via transformation of the initial protonation state (a monocation or a dication) into a trication at the acidic pH. This change leads to an extraordinary increase in the efficiency of ds DNA cleavage leading to the ds:ss ratios comparable with the most efficient nonenzymatic ds DNA cleavers. Statistical analysis reveals that these high ds:ss ratios result from the combination of several factors: (a) true double-stranded cleavage, and (b) conversion of single-stranded (ss)-scission into ds cleavage. Considerable part of ds cleavage is also produced via the combination of ss cleavage events.

Fine-tuning alkyne cycloadditions: Insights into photochemistry responsible for the double-strand DNA cleavage via structural perturbations in diaryl alkyne conjugates.

Hybrid molecules combining photoactivated aryl acetylenes and a dicationic lysine moiety cause the most efficient double-strand (ds) DNA cleavage known to date for a small molecule. In order to test the connection between the alkylating ability and the DNA-damaging properties of these compounds, we investigated the photoreactivity of three isomeric aryl-tetrafluoropyridinyl (TFP) alkynes with amide substituents in different positions (o-, m-, and p-) toward a model π-system. Reactions with 1,4-cyclohexadiene (1,4-CHD) were used to probe the alkylating properties of the triplet excited states in these three isomers whilst Stern-Volmer quenching experiments were used to investigate the kinetics of photoinduced electron transfer (PET). The three analogous isomeric lysine conjugates cleaved DNA with different efficiencies (34, 15, and 0% of ds DNA cleavage for p-, m-, and o-substituted lysine conjugates, respectively) consistent with the alkylating ability of the respective acetamides. The significant protecting effect of the hydroxyl radical and singlet oxygen scavengers to DNA cleavage was shown only with m-lysine conjugate. All three isomeric lysine conjugates inhibited human melanoma cell growth under photoactivation: The p-conjugate had the lowest CC(50) (50% cell cytotoxicity) value of 1.49 × 10(-7) M.

Rapid access to new bioconjugates of betulonic acid via click chemistry.

Plant-derived pentacyclic triterpenoids of lupane and oleanane families provide a versatile structural platform for the discovery of new biologically active compounds. A number of semisynthetic derivatives of these molecules, possess high medical efficiency including antiviral (HIV-1), anticancer and immunomodulating activity. Even small structural changes in these triterpenoid derivatives were reported to lead to significant changes in their activity, making a convincing case for a systematic study of structure-activity relationships in this class of compounds. Our earlier work opened synthetic access to alkynes derived from the betulonic scaffold and enabled the development of a new family of biohybrids using Click Chemistry (CC). The computer-aided prediction of several types of biological activity were performed with program PASS (Prediction Activity Spectra of Substances. Experimental studies based on mouse models verified the SAR predictions obtained by the PASS program. The observed correlation between the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity indicates substantial contribution of the latter in the mechanism of anti-inflammatory effect of the triazole derivatives of betulonic acid.

Intracellular DNA damage by lysine-acetylene conjugates.

Previously, we reported the design and properties of alkyne C-lysine conjugates, a powerful and tunable family of DNA cleaving reagents. We also reported that, upon photoactivation, these molecules are capable of inducing cancer cells death. To prove that the cell death stems from DNA cleavage by the conjugates, we investigated intracellular DNA damage induced by these molecules in LNCap cancer cells using single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assays. The observation of highly efficient DNA damage confirmed that lysine acetylene conjugate is capable of cleaving the densely compacted intracellular DNA. This result provides a key mechanistic link between efficient DNA cleavage and cytotoxicity towards cancer cells for this family of light-activated anticancer agents.

Conformationally gated fragmentations and rearrangements promoted by interception of the Bergman cyclization through intramolecular H-abstraction: a possible mechanism of auto-resistance to natural enediyne antibiotics?

A variety of fragmentations and rearrangements can follow Bergman cyclization in enediynes equipped with acetal rings mimicking the carbohydrate moiety of natural enediyne antibiotics of the esperamicine and calchiamicine families. In the first step of all these processes, intramolecular H-atom abstraction efficiently intercepts the p-benzyne product of the Bergman cyclization through a six-membered TS and transforms the p-benzyne into a new more stable radical. Depending on the substitution pattern and reaction conditions, this radical follows four alternative paths: (a) abstraction of an external hydrogen atom, (b) O-neophyl rearrangement which transposes O- and C-atoms of the substituent, (c) fragmentation of the O-C bond in the acetal ring, or (d) fragmentation with elimination of the appended acetal moiety as a whole. Experiments with varying concentrations of external H-atom donor (1,4-cyclohexadiene) were performed to gain further insight into the competition between intermolecular H-abstraction and the fragmentations. The Thorpe-Ingold effect in gem-dimethyl substituted enediynes enhances the efficiency of fragmentation to the extent where it cannot be prevented even by a large excess of external H-atom donor. These processes provide insight into a possible mechanism of unusual fragmentation of esperamicin A(1) upon its Bergman cycloaromatization and lay foundation for a new approach for the conformational control of reactivity of these natural antitumor antibiotics. Such an approach, in conjunction with supramolecular constraints, may provide a plausible mechanism for resistance to enediyne antibiotics by the enediyne-producing microorganisms.

C-lysine conjugates: pH-controlled light-activated reagents for efficient double-stranded DNA cleavage with implications for cancer therapy.

Double-stranded DNA cleavage of light-activated lysine conjugates is strongly enhanced at the slightly acidic pH (<7) suitable for selective targeting of cancer cells. This enhancement stems from the presence of two amino groups of different basicities. The first amino group plays an auxiliary role by enhancing solubility and affinity to DNA, whereas the second amino group, which is positioned next to the light-activated DNA cleaver, undergoes protonation at the desired pH threshold. This protonation results in two synergetic effects which account for the increased DNA-cleaving ability at the lower pH. First, lysine conjugates show tighter binding to DNA at the lower pH, which is consistent with the anticipated higher degree of interaction between two positively charged ammonium groups with the negatively charged phosphate backbone of DNA. Second, the unproductive pathway which quenches the excited state of the photocleaver through intramolecular electron transfer is eliminated once the donor amino group next to the chromophore is protonated. Experiments in the presence of traps for diffusing radicals show that reactive oxygen species do not contribute significantly to the mechanism of DNA cleavage at the lower pH, which is indicative of tighter binding to DNA under these conditions. This feature is valuable not only because many solid tumors are hypoxic but also because cleavage which does not depend on diffusing species is more localized and efficient. Sequence-selectivity experiments suggest combination of PET and base alkylation as the chemical basis for the observed DNA damage. The utility of these molecules for phototherapy of cancer is confirmed by the drastic increase in toxicity of five conjugates against cancer cell lines upon photoactivation.

DNA damage-site recognition by lysine conjugates.

Simple lysine conjugates are capable of selective DNA damage at sites approximating a variety of naturally occurring DNA-damage patterns. This process transforms single-strand DNA cleavage into double-strand cleavage with a potential impact on gene and cancer therapy or on the design of DNA constructs that require disassembly at a specific location. This study constitutes an example of DNA damage site recognition by molecules that are two orders of magnitude smaller than DNA-processing enzymes and presents a strategy for site-selective cleavage of single-strand nucleotides, which is based on their annealing with two shorter counterstrands designed to recreate the above duplex damage site.