Anna Maria Giuliani

Phospholipid-Based Reverse Micelles

Physicochemical investigations on the aggregation of phospholipids (mainly phosphatidylcholines) in organic solvents are reviewed and compared with the aggregation behaviour of phospholipids in aqueous medium. In particular we review the data showing that phosphatidylcholines (lecithins) form reverse micellar structures in certain apolar solvents. In these systems not only low molecular weight compounds but also catalytically active enzymes and entire cells can be solubilized. In addition, highly viscous phosphatidylcholine gels can be obtained in organic solvents upon solubilizing a critical amount of water. Generally, phospholipid-based reverse micelles can be regarded as thermodynamically stable models for inverted micellar lipid structures possibly occurring in biological membranes.

The behaviour of ferrocene and ruthenocene in weakly to strongly protic media. Implications on the mechanism of substitutions involving proton as the electrophile

Abstract The interaction of ferrocene and ruthenocene with proton donors has been investigated by NMR spectroscopy in a broad range of protic media, including such weakly protic agents as chloroform, moderately acidic systems such as TFA, and more strongly acidic systems such as conc. H2SO4. The results indicate that these metallocenes undergo two kinds of interactions with acidic media, viz., π-hydrogen bonding in which the Cp ring is the electron donor and, in the most strongly protic solvents, metal protonation. The (H0) 1 2 of ruthenocene and a group of ferrocene derivatives have been determined by a combined extractive-spectrophotometric technique. These values show that the metal atom acts as a very weak base. The H/D exchange rate of ruthenocene in conc. D2SO4 decreases on increasing acid concentration, which rules out the metal-protonated species as an intermediate in the reaction.

Infrared Characterization of Different Water Types inside Reverse Micelles

The three Gaussian components of the IR stretching band of OH for reverse micelles of egg yolk L-α-phosphatidylcholine in benzene have been characterized in frequency, bandwidth, and extinction coefficient. The different types of water identified inside the micelles correspond to hydration layers around the phospholipid polar heads, the first containing up to ∼11 water molecules per polar head, the second with a maximum of 10–12 water molecules per polar head.

Organometallic complexes with biological molecules. X: dialkyltin(IV) and trialkyltin(IV) orotates: spectroscopic and in vivo investigations

Several novel diorgano- and triorgano-tin(IV) derivatives of orotic acid, (2,6-dihydroxypyrimidine-4-carboxylic acid; H 3 or) have been synthesized. In the diorganotin(IV) derivatives, the orotic acid behaved either as a monoanionic or as a dianionic ligand, yielding R 2 Sn(H 2 or) 2 and R 2 SnHor (R = Me, Bu) species, respectively, while in the triorganotin(IV) orotates only monodeprotonation of the orotic acid occurred, giving R 3 SnH 2 or (R = Me, Bu) derivatives. Structural hypotheses are proposed and discussed for the solid state based on Mossbauer and IR spectroscopic data, and for solution on 1 H and 1 C NMR results. Finally, investigations have been carried out in vivo, showing the inhibitor properties of all of the newly synthesized derivatives towards Ciona intestinalis embryos. In particular, in order to test the cytotoxicity in vivo of Me 2 SnHor, Bu 2 SnHor, Me 3 SnH 2 or and Bu 3 SnH 2 or, exposure to these chemicals of C. intestinalis embryos at the 2-4-blastomere stage has been studied. The compound which exerts the highest cytotoxic effect is Bu 3 SnH 2 or at 10 5 M concentration because it blocks embryo development immediately. Me 3 SnH 2 or at 10 -5 M concentration inhibits cell cleavage in the embryos at the 32-blastomere stage, while Bu 2 SnHor at the same concentration gives rise to abnormal embryos. Me 2 SnHor, is less toxic than the trimethyl, dibutyl and tributyl analogues, since 40% of the total number of treated embryos resulted in normal larvae. The ligand does not affect embryonic development significantly. The results seem to indicate that the chemical species under investigation, especially Bu 3 Sn-H 2 or, interfere with polymerization of tubulin during the process of cell division in early embryo development.

Synthesis and spectroscopic studies (Mo¨ssbauer, IR and NMR) of [R2SnCl2bipym] (R = butyl or phenyl) and the crystal and molecular structure of [Ph2SnCl2bipym]

Abstract The complexes [R 2 SnCl 2 bipym] (R = phenyl or butyl, bipym = 2,2′,6,6′-bipyrimidine) were synthesized and studied in solution by 1 H- and 13 C-NMR spectroscopy and in the solid state by IR and Mo¨ssbauer spectroscopy. The latter was also performed in frozen ethanolic solution. The structure of the phenyl complex was determined by single crystal diffraction methods. The value obtained for the angle C-SN-C in the phenyl compound is 169.3(2)° (X-ray) and 151° (Mo¨ssbauer), but the assignment of an octahedral configuration by Mo¨ssbauer spectroscopy is consistent with the structure determined by diffraction. The butyl complex is also octahedral and the two techniques show better agreement. The value of the C-SN- C angle is 171° (Mo¨ssbauer in the solid state), 163° (Mo¨ssbauer in frozen solution) and 175.1(6)° (X-ray). The NMR coupling constant, 1 J ( 119 Sn- 13 C), was also used to estimate the C-SN-C angle. The 13 C-NMR spectrum for the butyl complex is markedly concentration-dependent. At the highest concentration, this angle is 138° (Lockhart) and 145° (Holecˇek); for less concentrated samples the angle tends to decrease. This suggests that the coordination number of tin in solution is less than six.

Dynamics of tin nuclei in alkyltin(IV)–deoxyribonucleic acid condensates by variable-temperature tin-119 Mössbauer spectroscopy

The dynamics of tin nuclei in the condensates SnR2(DNA monomer)2 and SnR3(DNA monomer)(R = Me or Et), freeze-dried, has been investigated by variable-temperature 119Sn Mossbauer spectroscopy. Linear functions In (At/A77.3)(T), In farel,abs(T) and 〈x2〉(T)(At= total area under the resonant peaks, fa the relative and the absolute estimates of Lamb-Mossbauer factors, and 〈x2〈 the mean-square displacements of the Mossbauer nucleus extracted from farel and faabs respectively) have been found at T 77.3 K, which indicate harmonic motions and the lack of phase transitions. The latter is also suggested by the temperature-invariant hyperfine parameters, isomer shift, nuclear quadrupole splitting (ΔE) and peak widths. From the slopes of the functions In At(T) and In farel(T), the dynamics of tin in alkyltin(IV)–DNA condensates is found to be analogous to that in organotin(IV) salts and complexes, on the assumption of effective vibrating masses, corresponding to molecular groups. The coincidence between farel,abs, as well as the related 〈x2〉, data, indicates that the negative charge on the DNA backbone phosphodiester groups is fully neutralized by alkyltin(IV) cations in SnR2(DNA monomer)2(R = Me or Et) as well as in SnEt3(DNA monomer), while only partially in SnMe3(DNA monomer) and in SnMe2(DNA monomer)2 obtained by standard procedures for DNA condensation. From the magnitude of the functions, as well as of the Debye temperatures, on fingerprint criteria, SnIVR2 moieties are assumed to bridge phosphodiester groups in toroidal condensates through interstrand bonding, while SnIVR3 would be appended to the double helix. Motions would involve SnR2(mononucleotide)2 and SnR3(mononucleotide) units as the effective vibrating masses. Two tin co-ordination sites occur for SnIVR2 moieties at the DNA surface, both trans-octahedral, and a single trigonal-bipyramidal site for SnIVR3, the organometal moieties being co-ordinated by phosphodiester and water oxygen atoms, according to ΔE rationalization by point-charge model structure simulations, as well as to Mossbauer–Zeeman spectra of the SnIVEt2– and SnIVEt3–DNA condensates.

Interaction of Doxorubicin with Polynucleotides. A Spectroscopic Study

The interaction of doxorubicin (DX) with model polynucleotides poly(dG-dC)·poly(dG-dC) (polyGC), poly(dA-dT)·poly(dA-dT) (polyAT), and calf thymus DNA has been studied by several spectroscopic techniques in phosphate buffer aqueous solutions. UV-vis, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopic data confirm that intercalation is the prevailing mode of interaction, and also reveal that the interaction with AT-rich regions leads to the transfer of excitation energy to DX not previously documented in the literature. Moreover, the DX affinity for AT sites has been found to be on the same order of magnitude as that reported for GC sites.

Organometallic complexes with biological molecules : IX. Diorgano- and triorgano-tin(IV)[meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphinate] derivatives : Solid-state and solution-phase structural aspects and in vivo effects

Diorgano- and triorgano-tin(IV) derivatives of meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine (H4TPPS) with general formula (R2Sn)2TPPS and (R3Sn)4TPPS (TPPS4−=[meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphinate]4−, R=Me, Bu, Ph) have been obtained and their solid-state configuration inferred on the basis of IR and Mossbauer spectroscopy, while solution-phase studies have been carried out by 1H and 13C NMR in DMSO-d6, together with determination of the in vivo cytotoxicity of the new derivatives towards embryonic development of Ciona intestinalis. In particular, octahedral and trigonal-bipyramidal eq-R3Sn polymeric configurations are proposed, in the solid state, respectively for (R2Sn)2TPPS and (R3Sn)4TPPS complexes, with the arylsulfonate groups behaving as monoanionic bidentate bridging ligands. The 1H and 13C NMR data lead to the conclusion that the metal-to-ligand ratio (2:1 or 4:1), binding site (the sulfonato-group oxygens), and the coordination polyhedron around the metal (trans-octahedral or trigonal-bipyramidal) found in the solid state are preserved in solution.

A spectroscopic study of poly(dA–dT)·poly(dA–dT) in microemulsions

The behaviour of high molecular weight [poly(dA–dT)·poly(dA–dT)] (polyAT) [(0.9–1.9)×106 Da] in the quaternary water-in-oil microemulsion CTAB–n-pentanol–n-hexane–water has been studied as a function of temperature and NaCl concentration by means of UV and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Solubilization in the microemulsion stabilises the polymer double helix and no helix-to-coil thermal transition has been observed. At increasing NaCl concentration, the CD spectrum of polyAT exhibits dramatic changes and for salt concentrations 7.5×10−1 M the spectral pattern suggests the formation of aggregates of the ψ(−) type. Condensation is induced by the peculiar characteristics of the aqueous core of the microemulsion. The condensates seem to destabilise the microemulsive system and, with time, separate from it.

Synthesis, spectroscopic (Mössbauer, IR and NMR) and X-ray structural studies of diorganotin complexes of 2,2′-bipyrimidine and further NMR studies of diorganotin-pyrazine and — 2,2′-azopyridine complexes

Abstract The ligand 2,2′-bipyrimidine (bipym) was reacted with diorganotins R 2 SnCl 2 (R = methyl, ethyl) and complexes of the types R 2 SnCl 2 bipym, R 2 SnCl 2 bipym · bipym and (R 2 SnCl 2 ) 2 bipym were synthesized and studied by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy in solution, and by IR and Mossbauer spectroscopy in the solid state and frozen solutions. The complexes Et 2 SnCl 2 bipym · bipym and (Et 2 SnCl 2 ) 2 bipym were characterized by X-ray diffraction methods. In both complexes the tin environment is octahedral with chloro atoms in a cis disposition, the ethyl groups in a trans disposition and two N atoms from the ligand bipym. the second complex is a centrosymmetric binuclear species that has the ligand lone-pairs bound to two Et 2 SnCl 2 units, whereas the first has one Et 2 SnCl 2 species bound to the ligand and one ligand uncoordinated. The data obtained by 119 Sn Mossbauer spectroscopy for the solids and for frozen solutions indicate the presence of quadrivalent tin in an octahedral environment with trans alkyl groups, in keeping with the X-ray structures. The NMR spectra, however, reveal ligand lability in solution, and the CSnC angles calculated from coupling constants suggest a coordination number of between 5 and 6. These results together with the long SnN bond distances in crystals of Et 2 SnCl 2 bipym · bipym and (Et 2 SnCl 2 ) 2 bipym suggest that these complexes may have a potential antitumour activity.