David H. Setiadi

Vitamin E models. Shortened sidechain models of α, β, γ and δ tocopherol and tocotrienol: a density functional study

Model compounds of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol and Tocotrienol, as well as their sulphur and selenium congeners, were subjected to density functional analysis. The mono methyl substitution either stabilized or destabilized the ring structures to a small extent as assessed in terms of isodesmic reactions. In general, multiple methyl substitutions destabilized the ring. Dimethyl para-substitution results in electronic stabilization and steric repulsion being nearly additive. This was not the case for ortho-dimethyl derivatives, whereby steric repulsions dominate; the meta-substituted models reflect the same trend to a lesser degree. Structurally, the phenolic hydroxyl orientation was approximately planar, with the hydroxyl proton oriented away from the adjacent Me group whenever the structure permitted such an orientation.

Vitamin E models. Can the anti-oxidant and pro-oxidant dichotomy of α-tocopherol be related to ionic ring closing and radical ring opening redox reactions?

Abstract The free radical scavenging mechanism, leading to a quinodal structure via an oxidative ring opening is exothermic. However, the ionic oxidative ring opening is endothermic. Consequently, the ionic reductive ring closing must be exothermic. This leads to the suggestion that Vitamin E may be recovered, unchanged, thus effectively acts as a catalyst for the following reaction 2 HOO + H 3 O (+) + NADH →2 HOOH + H 2 O + NAD (+) , Δ E≈−120 kcal mol −1 . As Vitamin E is biologically recycled, a single α-tocopherol molecule may convert numerous HOO radical to H2O2 which is accumulated if not removed at the same rate, enzymatically, with the participation of catalase (Fe) or glutathione peroxidase, GPx(Se). This accumulation of peroxide, which may be referred to as a ‘peroxide traffic jam’, may well be the reason of the pro-oxidant effect of Vitamin E.

Thermodynamic Role of Glutathione Oxidation by Peroxide and Peroxybicarbonate in the Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease and Cancer

First principle quantum molecular computations have been carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and G3MP2B3 levels of theory on ethyl mercaptan and diethyl disulfide to study their full conformational space. The consequences of molecular axis chirality for the potential energy hypersurface of diethyl disulfide was fully explored. Thermodynamic functions (U, H, S, and G) have been computed for every conformer of the products as well as the reactants of the redox systems studied. Relative values of the thermodynamic functions were calculated with respect to the reference structures with anti orientation. The energetics of the following Red-Ox reactions Et-SH+HO-OH+HS-Et --> 2H2O+Et-S-S-Et Et-SH+HO-OCOO(-)+HS-Et --> H2O+Et-S-S-Et+HCO3- have been chosen to mimic the biologically important Red-Ox reactions of glutathione G-SH+H2O2+HS-G --> 2H2O+G-S-S-G G-SH+HCO4-+HS-G --> H2O+G-S-S-G+HCO3-. The Red-Ox reaction of Et-SH --> Et-S-S-Et was found to be exothermic by first principle molecular computations and the intramolecular interactions, such as the unusual C-H...H-C noncovalent bondings were studied by Baders atoms in molecules analysis of the electron density topology. The present paper focuses attention on the thermodynamic aspect of the redox reaction of glutathione. It has been noted previously that on going from a cancerous to a healthy cell, the entropy change is negative, corresponding to information accumulation. Likewise, the dissociation of peptide parallel beta-sheets, that dominate the plaques in Alzheimers Disease, governs negative entropy change. It may be interesting to note, according to the results obtained in the present paper, a negative entropy change, corresponding to information accumulation.

Thermodynamic Functions of Molecular Conformations of (2-Fluoro-2-phenyl-1- ethyl)ammonium Ion and (2-Hydroxy-2-phenyl-1-ethyl)ammonium Ion as Models for Protonated Noradrenaline and Adrenaline: First-Principles Computational Study of Conformations and Thermodynamic Functions for the Noradrenaline and Adrenaline Models

This paper reports the structural and thermodynamic consequences of substitution of the OH group by the isoelectronic F-atom in the case of the adrenaline family of molecules. The conformational landscapes were explored for the two enantiomeric forms of N-protonated-beta-fluoro-beta-phenyl-ethylamine, also called (2-fluoro-2-phenyl-1-ethyl)-ammonium ion (Model 1) and that of N-protonated-beta-hydroxy-beta-phenyl-ethylamine, also referred to as (2-hydroxy-2-phenyl-1-ethyl)-ammonium (Model 2) models of noradrenaline and adrenaline molecules. These full conformational studies were carried out by first principles of quantum mechanical computations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and G3MP2B3 levels of theory, using the Gaussian03 program. Also, frequency calculations of the stable structures were performed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p), and G3MP2B3 levels of theory. The thermodynamic functions (U, H, S, and G) of the various stable conformations of the title compounds were calculated at these levels of theory for the R and S stereoisomers. Relative values of the thermodynamic functions have been calculated with respect of the chosen reference conformers in which all relevant dihedral angles assumed anti orientation for the Model 1 and Model 2. Through the combination of both point and axis chirality, the enantiomeric and diastereomeric relationships of the six structures for each molecule investigated were established. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding interactions have been studied by the atoms in molecules (AIM) analysis of the electron density. The aromaticity of phenyl group has been determined by a selective hydrogenation protocol. The pattern of the extent of aromacity, due intramolecular interactions, varies very little between the two models studied.