Antonio E. Alegria

Photochemistry of Water-soluble Quinones. Production of a Water-derived Spin Adduct

Abstract— The photolyses of phosphate‐buffered (pH 7) air‐ and nitrogen‐saturated solutions containing the water‐soluble quinones, 1,4‐benzoquinone (BQ), 2‐methyl‐l,4‐ben‐zoquinone (MBQ), sodium 1,4‐naphthoquinones‐sulfonate (NQ2S), 9,10‐anthraquinone‐2‐sulfonate (AQ2S) or 9,10‐anthraquinone‐l,5‐disulfonate (AQDS), and the spin trap 5,5‐dimethylpyrroline‐l‐oxide (DMPO) produce a DMPO‐OH adduct. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of the photolyzed samples in 170‐enriched water demonstrates that this adduct derives almost exclusively from water. With the exception of BQ, quantum yields for the formation of DMPO‐OH are larger in air than in nitrogen‐saturated samples, thus supporting the idea of the formation of air‐oxidized intermediates that enhance the DMPO hydroxylation reaction rate. Evidence has been obtained which suggests that BQ and MBQ, but not AQDS, are able to photoox‐idize water, with the consequent production of the free OH radical.

Synthetic and application perspectives of azapodophyllotoxins: alternative scaffolds of podophyllotoxin.

Podophyllotoxin (1) has been known to possess anti-tumor activity and is still considered an important lead for research and development of antineoplastic agents. Derivatives of podophyllotoxin, namely etoposide (2), etopophos (3) and teniposide (4) have been developed and are currently used in clinic for the treatment of a variety of malignancies. These agents are also used in combination therapies with other drugs. Due to the drug resistance developed by cancer cells as well as side effects associated with the use of these agents in clinic, the search for new effective anticancer analogues of podophyllotoxin remains an intense area of research. The structural complexity of podophyllotoxin, arising from the presence of four stereogenic carbons in ring C has restricted most of the structural activity relationship (SAR) studied by derivatization of the parent natural product rather than by de novo multi-step chemical synthesis. These issues provide strong impetus to a search for analogues of 1 with simplified structures, which can be accessible via short synthetic sequences from simple starting materials. Even if such initial compounds might have diminished cytotoxic potencies compared with the parent cyclolignan, the ease of preparation of carefully designed libraries of analogues would lead to more informative SAR studies and expeditious structure optimization. In this regard, during the last two decades considerable efforts have been made to synthesize aza- analogs of podophyllotoxin, i. e. aza-podophyllotoxins, with hetero atoms at different positions of the podophyllotoxin skeleton, while keeping the basic podophyllotoxin structure. Recently, there have been significant efforts towards the convenient synthesis of aza-analogs of 1. The use of multicomponent reactions (MCRs) and the synergies of ultrasound and microwave irradiations have increased the synthetic speed and variety of azapodophyllotoxins which are and will be available to be tested against a diverse population of carcinomas and other diseases. It has been reported that several aza-podophyllotoxins retain a great fraction of the cytotoxicity associated with the parent lignan. This review focuses on the strategies towards synthesis of various aza-podophyllotoxin analogues and their biological activities.

An ESR study of the visible light photochemistry of gilvocarcin V.

Abstract Photolysis of gilvocarcin (GV) at 405 nm in argon saturated dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or 50% DMSO‐water solutions in the presence of the sodium salt of 3,5‐dibromo‐2,6‐dideutero‐4‐nitrosobenzene sulfonic acid (DBNBS‐d2) generates the CH3‐DBNBS‐d2 spin adduct. It is postulated that this spin adduct is produced by photoreduction of DMSO by GV and the consequent formation and trapping of the generated methyl radicals. Gilvocarcin V also photoreduces oxygen and methyl viologen with quantum yields of 0.019 and 0.0012 respectively. The quantum yield for singlet oxygen formation by GV in DMSO, determined by measuring the rate of production of the nitroxyl radical produced by the reaction of 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidinol with singlet oxygen, was found to be 0.15. Thus, GV photochemistry proceeds by both Type I and Type II pathways which could contribute to the reported GV phototoxicity in biological systems.

Thermodynamics of semiquinone disproportionation in aqueous buffer

The thermodynamic parameters, Kdisp, ΔH° and ΔS°, controlling the disproportionation of semiquinones derived from 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ), 2-methylbenzoquinone (MBQ), menadione (MNQ), naphthazarin (NZQ) and quinizarin (QNZ), have been determined. Smaller disproportionation constants, Kdisp, are observed upon addition of a fused benzene ring to the semiquinone structure. Negative enthalpies and positive entropies of disproportionation govern the disproportionation equilibria. Addition of OH groups to the 5 and 8 positions in NQ˙– displaces the disproportionation equilibrium to the semiquinone probably due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding.

Identification of the first inhibitor of the GBP1:PIM1 interaction. Implications for the development of a new class of anticancer agents against paclitaxel resistant cancer cells.

Class III β-tubulin plays a prominent role in the development of drug resistance to paclitaxel by allowing the incorporation of the GBP1 GTPase into microtubules. Once in the cytoskeleton, GBP1 binds to prosurvival kinases such as PIM1 and initiates a signaling pathway that induces resistance to paclitaxel. Therefore, the inhibition of the GBP1:PIM1 interaction could potentially revert resistance to paclitaxel. A panel of 44 4-azapodophyllotoxin derivatives was screened in the NCI-60 cell panel. The result is that 31 are active and the comparative analysis demonstrated specific activity in paclitaxel-resistant cells. Using surface plasmon resonance, we were able to prove that NSC756093 is a potent in vitro inhibitor of the GBP1:PIM1 interaction and that this property is maintained in vivo in ovarian cancer cells resistant to paclitaxel. Through bioinformatics, molecular modeling, and mutagenesis studies, we identified the putative NSC756093 binding site at the interface between the helical and the LG domain of GBP1. According to our results by binding to this site, the NSC756093 compound is able to stabilize a conformation of GBP1 not suitable for binding to PIM1.

Photophysical Properties of Gilvocarcins V and M and Their Binding Constant to Calf Thymus DNA

Abstract— Absorption and emission techniques were used to characterize the ground (S0), singlet (S|) and triplet states (T1) of gilvocarcin V (GV) and gilvocarcin M (GM) in different solvents. Aggregation of GV with dimerization constant equal to 7800 M−1is observed in 10% dimethyl‐sulfoxide (DMSO)/water. The photophysical properties of the S, state of these molecules are more sensitive to changes in solvent characteristics than the corresponding ground states. The absorption of visible light by GV and GM results in a higher dipole moment of the excited state causing a red shift in the fluorescence spectra with increasing solvent polarity. The fluorescence quantum yield remains practically unchanged with changes in solvent properties unless water is present as a co‐solvent. Both φf and φf values corresponding to GV in DMSO are larger than those of GM, whereas in 10% DMSO/H2O the opposite is observed. Thus, GV is more susceptible to other deactivation pathways besides emission in the presence of water than GM. The relative phosphorescence quantum yield (φp= 0.03) and the triplet energy (ET= 52 kcal/mol) of GV and GM are similar. The S0‐S1 energy difference is 63 kcal/mol for GV, whereas for GM it is 67. Thus, the singlet‐triplet energy difference is 11 and 15 kcal/mol, respectively. The PM3/CI calculated electronic structures of these compounds are consistent with the observed photophysical properties. The dark binding constants of GV to calf thymus DNA ([1.1–0.08] × 106M−1) are about an order of magnitude larger than those of GM ([0.24–0.018] × 106M−1) at different ionic strengths (0–2.00 M NaCl). Also, the number of gilvocarcin molecules bound per base pair is smaller for GM than for GV. These differences in dark DNA binding parameters between GV and GM could have implications in the large photocytotoxic ability of GV as compared to GM.

Reductive activation of terpenylnaphthoquinones

Four terpenylnaphthoquinones were found to enhance the rate of superoxide production in the presence of ascorbate as detected from the superoxide dismutase (SOD)-inhibitable initial oxygen consumption rates. Initial rates of oxygen consumption in the presence of ascorbate plus quinone increase with an increase in the half-wave reduction potentials of the quinones. These quinones also enhance the rate of Cyt(III)c reduction by xanthine/xanthine oxidase (X/XO) in both air- and nitrogen-saturated aqueous solutions at pH 7.4. Maximum rates of Cyt(III)c reduction in nitrogen and oxygen-saturated solutions (V(max)), in the presence of X/XO, increase with an increase in the half-wave reduction potentials of the quinones. SOD inhibits Cyt(III)c reduction rates in the presence of these quinones and X/XO in a manner which is also dependent on the quinone half-wave redox potential. The relative antineoplastic activity of two of these quinones follows the order in rates of oxygen consumption or Cyt(III)c reduction. This is consistent with an antineoplastic action of these quinones through the mechanism of redox cycling or possible interference or inhibition of mitochondrial respiration.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE VISIBLE LIGHT PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF GILVOCARCINS V and M

Quantum yields for the formation of superoxide ions, O2−1, and singlet oxygen, 1O2, were determined during the photolyses of gilvocarcin M (GM) in air‐saturated dry dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and in 45:55 (vol/vol) DMSO‐water mixtures. The quantum yield for the photoreduction of methyl viologen by GM in nitrogen‐saturated dry DMSO was also determined. These values are not different, within experimental error, from those corresponding to gilvocarcin V (GV). Because GV is a strong photocytotoxic agent and GM is not, these results imply that Type I and Type II mechanisms are not important pathways in the cytotoxicity of GV.

Thiols oxidation and covalent binding of BSA by cyclolignanic quinones are enhanced by the magnesium cation

A novel cyclolignanic quinone, 7-acetyl-3′,4′-didemethoxy-3′,4′-dioxopodophyllotoxin (CLQ), inhibits topoisomerase II (TOPO II) activity. The extent of this inhibition was greater than that produced by the etoposide quinone (EQ) or etoposide. Glutathione (GSH) reduces EQ and CLQ to their corresponding semiquinones under anaerobic conditions. The latter were detected by EPR spectroscopy in the presence of MgCl2 but not in its absence. Semiquinone EPR spectra change with quinone/GSH mol ratio, suggesting covalent binding of GSH to the quinones. Quinone-GSH covalent adducts were isolated and identified by ESI-MS. These orthoquinones also react with nucleophilic groups from BSA to bind covalently under anaerobic conditions. BSA thiol consumption and covalent binding by these quinones are enhanced by MgCl2. Complex formation between the parent quinones and Mg+2 was also observed. Density functional calculations predict the observed blue-shifts in the absorption spectra peaks and large decreases in the partial negative charge of electrophilic carbons at the quinone ring when the quinones are complexed to Mg+2. These observations suggest a possible role of Mg+2 chelation by these quinones in increasing TOPO II thiol and/or amino/imino reactivity with these orthoquinones.

Reductive activation of benzazolo[3,2-a]-quinolinium chlorides

Initial ferricytochrome c (Cyt(III)c) reduction rates occurring in aerobic or anaerobic solutions containing either 3-nitrobenzothiazolo[3,2-a]-(NBQCl), 1-ethyl-3-nitrobenzimidazolo[3,2-a]-(ENBIQCl), 7-ethylbenzimidazolo[3,2-a]quinolinium chloride (EHBIQCL), or nitrofurantoin (NFT) and xanthine/xanthine oxidase were measured. Maximum rates in nitrogen-saturated solutions follow the order NFT > NBQCL > ENBIQCL > EHBIQCL. These rates correlate linearly with the half-wave reduction potentials (E1/2) of these compounds. With the exception of EHBIQCl, smaller rates of Cyt(III)c reduction were obtained in air-saturated than in nitrogen-saturated solutions at the quinolinium salt concentrations used. Larger concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD) are needed for 50% inhibition of the Cyt(III)c reduction reaction for heterocyclic compounds with larger E1/2 values. Thus, measurement of the portion of the Cyt(III)c reduction rate under air that is inhibited by SOD does not account solely for the production of superoxide. These observations suggest that NBQCL, ENBIQCl, and less probably EHBIQCl may interfere with mitochondrial energy metabolism or induce DNA damage through reduced intermediates.