Interactions of N-hydroxyamphetamine with an iron porphyrin: A unique intramolecular H-bond probed by DFT calculations.

Hydroxylamine (NH2OH) and its N-substituted derivatives (RNHOH) are important biological intermediates in the global N cycle. Heme plays a central role in the binding and activation of these hydroxylamines. We report the crystal structures of N-hydroxyamphetamine (AmphNHOH) in complex with Fe and Co heme models. We demonstrate a previously unrecognized internal H-bond interaction between a hydroxylamine RNHO-H group and a porphyrin N-atom. We utilize density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations to show that the conformations with the internal H-bond represent global minima along the potential energy surfaces for both the Fe and Co heme models. A natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis reveals a donor π (porN=C) to acceptor σ* (O-H) interaction of 3.04 kcal/mol for Fe, accounting for 11% of the total heme-AmphNHOH interaction energy. Our DFT calculations with the parent Fe-NH2OH suggests that the presence of internal H-bonds between hydroxylamine (R/H)NHOH moieties and heme N-atoms may be more common than previously recognized.

Tumor suppressive activities of solvatochromic 3,3'-azadimethylene dinaphthospiropyran in colon cancer model.

Spiropyrans have been extensively investigated because of their thermo- and photochromic characteristics, but their biotherapeutic properties have not been explored much. We report anti-proliferative properties of a novel 3,3'-azadimethylene dinaphthospiropyran 11. Dibenzospiropyrans and dinaphthospiropyrans were synthesized by a simple and expedient method using acid-catalyzed aldol condensation of salicylaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde, respectively, with cyclic ketones. Together with structural elucidation by 2D NMR and X-ray crystallography studies, we provide a putative mechanism for their formation. Compound 11 showed solvatochromism and exhibited altered spectral characteristics depending on the pH. In acidic conditions, 11 remains in open form, whereas upon alkalinization it reverts back to closed form. Based on the in vitro anti-proliferative activity in H441, HCT-116, MiaPaCa-2, and Panc-1 cancer cell lines, 11 was submitted to further investigation. It reduced HCT116 colonosphere formation and demonstrated induction of caspase cascade, suggesting apoptosis. In vitro proliferation assays also suggested that HCl and trifluoroacetate salts of 11 are more effective. Treatment of mice carrying HCT-116 xenografts with 11 (5 µg/day, intraperitoneal for 3 weeks) suppressed tumor growth by 62%. Overall, the results reveal a new series of structurally complex, but relatively easy to synthesize molecules of which compound 11 represents a lead for anticancer development.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Exhibit Differential Sensitivity to Cardenolides from Calotropis gigantea.

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are aggressive and heterogeneous cancers that lack targeted therapies. We implemented a screening program to identify new leads for subgroups of TNBC using diverse cell lines with different molecular drivers. Through this program, we identified an extract from Calotropis gigantea that caused selective cytotoxicity in BT-549 cells as compared to four other TNBC cell lines. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the BT-549 selective extract yielded nine cardenolides responsible for the selective activity. These included eight known cardenolides and a new cardenolide glycoside. Structure-activity relationships among the cardenolides demonstrated a correlation between their relative potencies toward BT-549 cells and Na+/K+ ATPase inhibition. Calotropin, the compound with the highest degree of selectivity for BT-549 cells, increased intracellular Ca2+ in sensitive cells to a greater extent than in the resistant MDA-MB-231 cells. Further studies identified a second TNBC cell line, Hs578T, that is also highly sensitive to the cardenolides, and mechanistic studies were conducted to identify commonalities among the sensitive cell lines. Experiments showed that both cardenolide-sensitive cell lines expressed higher mRNA levels of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger NCX1 than resistant TNBC cells. This suggests that NCX1 could be a biomarker to identify TNBC patients that might benefit from the clinical administration of a cardiac glycoside for anticancer indications.

Not Limited to Iron: A Cobalt Heme-NO Model Facilitates N-N Coupling with External NO in the Presence of a Lewis Acid to Generate N2 O.

Some bacterial heme proteins catalyze the coupling of two NO molecules to generate N2 O. We previously reported that a heme Fe-NO model engages in this N-N bond-forming reaction with NO. We now demonstrate that (OEP)CoII (NO) similarly reacts with 1 equiv of NO in the presence of the Lewis acids BX3 (X=F, C6 F5 ) to generate N2 O. DFT calculations support retention of the CoII oxidation state for the experimentally observed adduct (OEP)CoII (NO⋅BF3 ), the presumed hyponitrite intermediate (P.+ )CoII (ONNO⋅BF3 ), and the porphyrin π-radical cation by-product of this reaction, and that the π-radical cation formation likely occurs at the hyponitrite stage. In contrast, the Fe analogue undergoes a ferrous-to-ferric oxidation state conversion during this reaction. Our work shows that cobalt hemes are chemically competent to engage in the NO-to-N2 O conversion reaction.

Schiff base thorium(iv) and uranium(iv) chloro complexes: synthesis, substitution and oxidation chemistry.

New tetradentate Schiff base chloro complexes of U(iv) and Th(iv) are prepared by salt metathesis approaches. These compounds undergo clean salt metathesis with NaN3 to generate stable pseudo-trans azide compounds. The uranium dichloro complex also undergoes 2 e- oxidation with excess NaNO2 to generate the uranyl derivative. All classes of complexes are characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy.

Texas Native Plants Yield Compounds with Cytotoxic Activities against Prostate Cancer Cells.

There remains a critical need for more effective therapies for the treatment of late-stage and metastatic prostate cancers. Three Texas native plants yielded three new and three known compounds with antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities against prostate cancer cells with IC50 values in the range of 1.7-35.0 µM. A new sesquiterpene named espadalide (1), isolated from Gochnatia hypoleuca, had low micromolar potency and was highly effective in clonogenic assays. Two known bioactive germacranolides (2 and 3) were additionally isolated from G. hypoleuca. Dalea frutescens yielded two new isoprenylated chalcones, named sanjuanolide (4) and sanjoseolide (5), and the known sesquiterpenediol verbesindiol (6) was isolated from Verbesina virginica. Mechanistic studies showed that 1-4 caused G2/M accumulation and the formation of abnormal mitotic spindles. Tubulin polymerization assays revealed that 4 increased the initial rate of tubulin polymerization, but did not change total tubulin polymer levels, and 1-3 had no effects on tubulin polymerization. Despite its cytotoxic activity, compound 6 did not initiate changes in cell cycle distribution and has a mechanism of action different from the other compounds. This study demonstrates that new compounds with significant biological activities germane to unmet oncological needs can be isolated from Texas native plants.

A bridged di-iron porphyrin hyponitrite complex as a model for biological N2O production from hyponitrite.

Heme-hyponitrites are intermediates that form at the bimetallic active sites of bacterial nitric oxide reductases. To probe a possible effect of the Fe-Fe distance on hyponitrite stability, we prepared a bridged bis-porphyrin Fe-hyponitrite compound, namely [(OEP-CH2)Fe]2(µ2,η(1),η(1)-ONNO). Its υNO of 992 cm(-1) (υ15NO of 976 cm(-1)) is close to the υNO of 983 cm(-1) reported previously by us for the crystallographically characterized [(OEP)Fe]2(µ2,η(1),η(1)-ONNO) compound. The bridged bis-porphyrin Fe-hyponitrite complex is unstable with respect to N2O production, supporting the role of the bis-Fe porphyrin system in hyponitrite conversion to N2O. The preparation and crystallographic determination of the bridging sulfato derivative is also reported.

Crystal structure of chlorido-{5,10,15,20-tetra-kis-[2-(2,2-di-methyl-propanamido)-phen-yl]porphyrinato-κ(4) N}iron(III).

The title compound, [Fe(C64H64N8O4)Cl], is a five-coordinate square-pyramidal porphyrin complex with a chloride ion in the axial position, being coordinated from the protected side of the porphyrin; the Fe(III) atom is displaced by 0.474 (5) Šfrom the 24-atom mean plane of the porphyrin core towards the chloride. The porphyrin moiety is a 'picket-fence' 5,10,15,20-tetra-kis-[2-(2,2-di-methyl-propanamido)-phen-yl]porph-yrinate (por) group. The Fe-Cl bond length is 2.221 (2) Šand the Fe-N(por) bond lengths are in the range 2.043 (5)-2.063 (5) Å. The supra-molecular architecture of the crystal is sustained by C-H⋯O inter-actions between the pyrrolic and phenyl H atoms of one mol-ecule and the carbonyl O atoms of the 2,2-di-methyl-propanamido groups of adjacent mol-ecules. The methyl groups of three of the four tert-butyl substituents exhibited rotational disorder over two positions. The investigated crystal was twinned by a twofold rotation about the (001) axis with a refined twin ratio of 0.4086 (16).

Crystal structure of bis-(1-methyl-1H-imidazole-κN (3))(5,10,15,20-tetra-phenyl-porphyrinato-κ(4) N)iron(II)-1-methyl-1H-imidazole (1/2).

The title compound, [Fe(C44H28N4)(C4H6N2)2]·2C4H6N2, is a six-coordinate Fe(II)-porphyrinate complex with the metal located on a center of inversion and coordinated by two axial 1-methyl-imidazole ligands; the complex crystallizes as a 1-methyl-imidazole disolvate. The 1-methyl-imidazole group bonded to the Fe(II) atom [occupancy ratio 0.789 (4):0.211 (4)] and the unbound 1-methyl-imidazole mol-ecule [0.519 (4):0.481 (4)] were disordered. The average Fe-N(porphyrinate) bond length is 1.998 (3) Šand the axial Fe-N(imidazole) bond length is 1.9970 (12) Å. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into a three-mol-ecule aggregate by two weak C-H⋯N inter-actions.

Crystal structure of bis(bis{(E)-[(6-{(E)-[(4-fluorobenzyl)imino]methyl}pyridin-2-yl)methylidene](4-fluorophenyl)amine}nickel(II)) tetra-bromide nona-hydrate.

In the title complex, [Ni(C21H17F2N3)2]2Br4·9H2O, there are two independent metal complexes per asymmetric unit and two ligands per metal complex. The structural features (bond lengths and angles) of the two complexes are almost identical. In each complex, the nickel(II) ion is coordinated in an octa-hedral environment by six N atoms from two chelating (9E)-N-({6-[(E)-(4-fluoro-benzyl-imino)-meth-yl]pyridin-2-yl}methyl-ene)(4-fluoro-phen-yl)methanammine ligands. The Ni-N bond lengths range from 1.973 (2) to 2.169 (2) Å, while the chelate N-Ni-N angles range from 77.01 (10) to 105.89 (9)°. Additionally, there are four bromide anions and nine solvent water mol-ecules within the asymmetric unit. The water mol-ecules form a hydrogen-bonded network, displaying C-H⋯O, C-H⋯Br, O-H⋯Br, O-H⋯O and O-H⋯F inter-actions into layers parallel to (111). In each unit, the fluoro-phenyl rings of one ligand are stacked with the central ring of the other ligand via π-π inter-actions, with the closest centroid-to-plane distances being 3.445 (5), 3.636 (5), 3.397 (5) and 3.396 (5) Å.

A potent HDAC inhibitor, 1-alaninechlamydocin, from a Tolypocladium sp. induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MIA PaCa-2 cells.

The cyclic tetrapeptide 1-alaninechlamydocin was purified from a Great Lakes-derived fungal isolate identified as a Tolypocladium sp. Although the planar structure was previously described, a detailed analysis of its spectroscopic data and biological activity are reported here for the first time. Its absolute configuration was determined using a combination of spectroscopic ((1)H-(1)H ROESY, ECD, and X-ray diffraction) and chemical (Marfey's analysis) methods. 1-Alaninechlamydocin showed potent antiproliferative/cytotoxic activities in a human pancreatic cancer cell line (MIA PaCa-2) at low-nanomolar concentrations (GI50 5.3 nM, TGI 8.8 nM, LC50 22 nM). Further analysis revealed that 1-alaninechlamydocin induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Similar to other cyclic epoxytetrapeptides, the inhibitory effects of 1-alaninechlamydocin are proposed to be produced primarily via inhibition of histone deacetylase (HDAC) activity.

(1-Methyl-1H-imidazole-κN (3))(1-methyl-2-nitroso-benzene-κN)(5,10,15,20-tetra-phenyl-porphyrinato-κ(4) N)iron(II) di-chloro-methane monosolvate.

The solvated title compound, [Fe(C44H28N4)(C4H6N2)(C7H7NO)]·CH2Cl2, is a porphyrin complex containing an octahedrally coordinated Fe(II) atom with 1-methylimidazole [Fe-N = 2.0651 (17) Å] and o-nitro-sotoluene ligands at the axial positions. The o-nitro-sotoluene ligand is N-bound to iron(II) [Fe-N = 1.8406 (18)Å and Fe-N-O = 122.54 (14)°]. The axial N-Fe-N linkage is almost linear, with a bond angle of 177.15 (7)°. One phenyl group of the porphyrin ligand is disordered over two orientations in a 0.710 (3):0.290 (3) ratio. The di-chloro-methane solvent mol-ecule was severely disordered and its contribution to the scattering was removed with the SQUEEZE routine [van der Sluis & Spek (1990 ▶). Acta Cryst. A46, 194-201].

Colourimetric and fluorescent detection of oxalate in water by a new macrocycle-based dinuclear nickel complex: a remarkable red shift of the fluorescence band.

A new macrocycle-based dinuclear nickel chemosensor selectively binds oxalate anions both in solution and the solid state, displaying a remarkable red shift of the fluorescence band with a visible colour change in water at physiological pH in the presence of an external dye.

Synthesis, molecular structure, and spectroelectrochemistry of a nitrosyl iron porphyrin containing an unsymmetrical xanthene-linked porphyrin core.

Synthetic nitrosyl porphyrins with meso-aryl substituents are potential models for the biologically-important NO-bound P460 heme cofactor. A five-coordinate iron nitrosyl tetraaryl-porphyrin (HTPPX-CO2H)Fe(NO) containing a xanthene-based meso substituent has been prepared. The crystal structure of this formally {FeNO}7 complex reveals an ordered axial and bent NO ligand (∠FeNO=142.5(6)Å) displaying an off-axis tilt of the nitrosyl N atom from the heme normal by 9.2°. Surprisingly, the porphyrin core does not display the expected asymmetry in FeN(por) distances frequently observed in iron nitrosyl porphyrins. The redox behavior as determined by cyclic voltammetry reveals, in contrast to most (por)Fe(NO) compounds, a fast NO dissociation after electrooxidation in CH2Cl2 to result in a net chemically-irreversible oxidation at Epa=+0.77V vs Ag/AgCl. IR spectroelectrochemistry reveals a recombination, on the spectroelectrochemistry time-scale, of the dissociated NO on oxidation with electrogenerated [(HTPPX-CO2H)Fe]+.

Crowdsourcing natural products discovery to access uncharted dimensions of fungal metabolite diversity.

A fundamental component for success in drug discovery is the ability to assemble and screen compounds that encompass a broad swath of biologically relevant chemical-diversity space. Achieving this goal in a natural-products-based setting requires access to a wide range of biologically diverse specimens. For this reason, we introduced a crowdsourcing program in which citizen scientists furnish soil samples from which new microbial isolates are procured. Illustrating the strength of this approach, we obtained a unique fungal metabolite, maximiscin, from a crowdsourced Alaskan soil sample. Maximiscin, which exhibits a putative combination of polyketide synthase (PKS), non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS), and shikimate pathway components, was identified as an inhibitor of UACC-62 melanoma cells (LC50=0.93 µM). The metabolite also exhibited efficacy in a xenograft mouse model. These results underscore the value of building cooperative relationships between research teams and citizen scientists to enrich drug discovery efforts.

(2,3,5,6-Tetra-fluoro-phenolato)[5,10,15,20-tetra-kis-(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)porphyrinato]iron(III) cyclo-hexane monosolvate.

The title compound, [Fe(C6HF4O)(C48H36N4O4)]·C6H12, represents a five-coordinate iron(III) porphyrin complex in a square-pyramidal geometry with a tetra-fluoro-phenolate anion as the axial ligand. The Fe(III) atom is displaced by 0.364 (2) Šfrom the 24-atom mean plane of the porphyrinate ring towards the tetra-fluoro phenolate anion. The average Fe-N distance is 2.053 (2) Šand the Fe-O distance is 1.883 (2) Å. A porphyrin aryl H atom points in the general direction of the phenoxide ring. The mean plane separation between the 24-atom porphyrin planes of two adjacent porphyrin rings is ∼3.7 Å, and the lateral shift is ∼3.5 Šresu, ting in an Fe⋯Fe separation of 5.6167 (14) Å.

(2,3,5,6-Tetra-fluoro-phenolato-κO)(5,10,15,20-tetra-phenyl-porphyrinato)iron(III).

The title compound, [Fe(C44H28N4)(C6HF4O)], is a porphyrin complex with iron(III) in fivefold coordination with a tetra-fluoro-phenolate group as the axial ligand. The Fe atom and the phenolate ligand are disordered across the porphyrin ring with the two phenolates appearing to be roughly related by a center of symmetry. The occupancies of the two phenolate groups refined to 0.788 (3) for the major component and 0.212 (3) for the minor component. The structure shows extraordinary Fe displacements of 0.488 (4) (major) and 0.673 (4) Š(minor) from the 24-atom mean plane of the porphyrin. The Fe-Np distances range from 2.063 (4) to 2.187 (6) Šand the Fe-O distances are 1.903 (5) Šfor major component and 1.87 (2) Šfor minor component. The four phenyl groups attached to the porphyrin ring form dihedral angles of 63.4 (4), 49.6 (4), 62.4 (4), and 63.3 (4)° (in increasing numerical order) with the three nearest C atoms of the porphyrin ring. The major and minor component phenolate groups form dihedral angles of 24.9 (4)° and 24.8 (4)°, respectively, with the four porphyrin N atoms. The Fe⋯Fe distance between the two iron(III) atoms of adjacent porphyrin mol-ecules is 6.677 (3) Å. No close inter-molecular inter-action was observed. The crystal studied was twinned by inversion, with a major-minor component ratio of 0.53 (3):0.47 (3).

Secondary metabolites produced by fungi derived from a microbial mat encountered in an iron-rich natural spring.

A collection of fungal isolates was obtained from a complex microbial mat, which occupied an iron-rich freshwater spring that feeds into Clear Creek, Golden, Colorado, USA. Two of the fungal isolates, a Glomeromycete (possible Entrophospora sp.) and a Dothideomycete (possible Phaeosphaeria sp.), were investigated for bioactive secondary metabolites. In total, six new compounds consisting of clearanols A-E (5, 6, 10-12) and disulochrin (7) were purified and their structures were determined. Disulochrin exhibited modest antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, whereas clearanol C showed weak inhibitory activity against Candida albicans biofilm formation.