Faiyaz H.M. Vaid

Effect of borate buffer on the photolysis of riboflavin in aqueous solution

The photolysis of riboflavin (RF) in the presence of borate buffer (0.1-0.5M) at pH 8.0-10.5 has been studied using a specific multicomponent spectrophotometric method for the determination of RF and photoproducts, formylmethylflavin (FMF), lumichrome (LC) and lumiflavin (LF). The overall first-order rate constants for the photolysis of RF (1.55-4.36 x 10(-2)min(-1)) and the rate constants for the formation of FMF (1.16-3.52 x 10(-2)min(-1)) and LC (0.24-0.84 x 10(-2)min(-1)) have been determined. The values of all these rate constants decrease with an increase in buffer concentration suggesting the inhibition of photolysis reaction by borate species. The kinetic data support the formation of a RF-borate complex involving the ribityl side chain to cause the inhibition of photolysis. The second-order rate constants for the borate inhibited reaction range from 1.17-3.94 x 10(-2)M(-1)min(-1). The log k-pH profiles for the reaction at various buffer concentrations indicate a gradual increase in rate, with pH, up to 10 followed by a decrease in rate at pH 10.5 probably due to ionization of RF and quenching of fluorescence by borate species. A graph of second-order rate constants against pH is a sigmoid curve showing that the rate of photolysis increases with an increase in pH. The results suggest the involvement of excited singlet state, in addition to excited triplet state, in the formation of LC.

Effect of divalent anions on photodegradation kinetics and pathways of riboflavin in aqueous solution.

The present investigation is based on a study of the effect of buffer and non-buffer divalent anions (phosphate, sulphate, tartrate, succinate, malonate) on the kinetics, product distribution and photodegradation pathways of riboflavin (RF) at pH 6.0-8.0. RF solutions (5x10(-5)M) were photodegraded in the presence of divalent anions (0.2-1.0M) using a visible light source and the photoproducts, cyclodehydroriboflavin (CDRF), formylmethylflavin (FMF), lumichrome (LC) and lumiflavin (LF) were assayed by a specific multicomponent spectrophotometric method. RF degradation in the presence of divalent anions follows parallel first-order kinetics to give CDRF and LC as the final products through photoaddition and photoreduction reactions, respectively. The divalent anion-catalysed CDRF formation is affected in the order: phosphate>sulphate>tartrate>succinate>malonate, showing maximum activity of the anions around pH 7. The divalent anions cause deviation of the photoreduction pathway in favour of the photoaddition pathway to form CDRF. The first- and second-order rate constants for the reactions involved in the photodegradation of RF have been determined and the rate-pH profiles and pathway relationships discussed. The catalytic activity of the divalent anions appears to be a function of the relative strength and chemical reactivity of the RF-divalent anion complex acting as a mediator in the photoaddition reaction.

Photostability and Interaction of Ascorbic Acid in Cream Formulations

The kinetics of photolysis of ascorbic acid in cream formulations on UV irradiation has been studied using a specific spectrophotometric method with a reproducibility of ±5%. The apparent first-order rate constants (kobs) for the photolysis of ascorbic acid in creams have been determined. The photoproducts formed in the cream formulations include dehydroascorbic acid and 2,3-diketogulonic acid. The photolysis of ascorbic acid appears to be affected by the concentration of active ingredient, pH, and viscosity of the medium and formulation characteristics. The study indicates that the ionized state and redox potentials of ascorbic acid are important factors in the photostability of the vitamin in cream formulations. The viscosity of the humectant present in the creams appears to influence the photostability of ascorbic acid. The results show that the physical stability of the creams is an important factor in the stabilization of the vitamin. In the cream formulations stored in the dark, ascorbic acid undergoes aerobic oxidation and the degradation is affected by similar factors as indicated in the photolysis reactions. The rate of oxidative degradation in the dark is about seventy times slower than that observed in the presence of light.

Effect of pH, Buffer, and Viscosity on the Photolysis of Formylmethylflavin: A Kinetic Study

The kinetics of the photolysis of formylmethylflavin, a major intermediate product in the aerobic and anaerobic photolysis of riboflavin, was studied in the pH range 2.0–11.0. Formylmethylflavin and its photoproducts, lumichrome and lumiflavin, were determined in degraded solutions using a specific multicomponent spectrophotometric method. The photolysis of formylmethylflavin in alkaline medium takes place by first-order kinetics and the rate constants (kobs) at pH 7.5–11.0 range from 0.27 × 10–4 to 3.88 × 10–4 and 0.36 × 10–4 to 5.63 × 10–4 s–1 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions respectively. In acid medium, the photolysis involves a second-order mechanism and the rate constants at pH 2.0–7.0 range from 1.37 to 2.11 and 2.03 to 2.94 M–1 s–1 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions respectively. The rate–pH profiles for the photolysis reactions indicate the highest rate of formylmethylflavin degradation is at ~pH 4 and above pH 10. In the alkaline region, the increase in rate with pH is due to higher reactivity of the flavin triplet state. The photolysis of formylmethylflavin is catalyzed by phosphate ions and is affected by the solvent viscosity.

Chapter 2:Photochemistry of Flavins in Aqueous and Organic Solvents

The photochemical aspects of flavins have been reviewed with reference to the analysis of flavins and photoproducts in degraded solutions, spectral and photophysical properties, photodegradation reactions, photosensitization reactions, and photostability of riboflavin in pharmaceutical preparations. The photochemistry of flavins in aqueous solution involves two major photodegradation reactions, viz intramolecular photoreduction and photoaddition, occurring separately or concomitantly in the presence of phosphate buffer, leading to the formation of lumichrome and cyclodehydroriboflavin, respectively. The photoreduction is catalyzed by H2PO4- ions and the photoaddition by HPO42− ions. Intermolecular photoreduction also takes place in a large number of flavin-substrate interactions involving the flavin triplet state. Knowledge of the spectral and photophysical properties, and photochemical behaviour of flavins is necessary to understand the nature of flavin–protein interactions, flavin photosensitization reactions, and their role in biological processes. The study of the photochemical behaviour of riboflavin as a function of pH is a prerequisite to achieve optimum stability of the vitamin in pharmaceutical preparations. Technological processes are being developed to utilize riboflavin as a photosensitizer in the pathogenic inactivation of blood components. Riboflavin-sensitized photooxidation of amino acids in protein may have important biological implications to control photoinduced damage in biological systems. The application of femtosecond-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and transient absorption techniques may provide useful information on the dynamics of flavoproteins.