Irina Vedernikova

In vitro antioxidant profile of phenolic acid derivatives

Several caffeic acid esters isolated from propolis exhibit interesting antioxidant properties, but their in vivo use is compromised by hydrolysis of the ester bond in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, a series of caffeic acid amides were synthesized and their in vitro antioxidant profile was determined. A series of hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, and the synthesized caffeic acid amides were tested for both their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and microsomal lipid peroxidation-inhibiting activity. Some of the highly active antioxidants were further tested by means of electron paramagnetic resonance for their hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Since a promising antioxidant compound should show a lipid peroxidation-inhibiting activity at micromolar level and a low cytotoxicity, the cytotoxicity of the phenolic compounds was also studied. In all the assays used, the caffeic acid anilides and the caffeic acid dopamine amide showed an interesting antioxidant activity.

Internal glucose residue loss in protonated O-diglycosyl flavonoids upon low-energy collision-induced dissociation

The low-energy collision-induced dissociation of protonated flavonoid O-diglycosides, i.e., flavonoid O-rutinosides and O-neohesperidosides, containing different aglycone types has been studied. The results indicate that the unusual [M + H − 162]+ ion formed by internal glucose residue loss, which in a previous study was shown to be a rearrangement ion, is strongly dependent upon the aglycone type. For 7-O-diglycosides, the internal glucose loss is very pronounced for aglycones of the flavanone type, but is completely absent for aglycones of the flavone and flavonol types. Internal glucose residue loss was found to correspond to a minor fragmentation pathway for flavonol 3-O-diglycosides. A plausible mechanism is proposed based on proton mobilization from the aglycone to the disaccharidic part of the flavonoid O-diglycosides which is supported by theoretical calculations and model building.

Synthesis and evaluation of caffeic acid amides as antioxidants

A series of amides of caffeic acid has been synthesised and their antioxidant properties evaluated as lipid peroxidation inhibitors. Anilides of caffeic acid were found to be very efficient antioxidants with IC50s of 0.3 microM.

Pyrrolidides: synthesis and structure-activity relationship as inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase IV

Summary Dipeptidyl peptidase IV cleaves specifically the peptide bond at the carboxyl side of a proline at the penultimate N-terminal position of a peptide. It is thought to be important for the regulation of biologically active peptides. Moreover, it has been identified as an activation marker of T-lymphocytes (CD26). Pyrrolidides and thiazolidides are known as reversible inhibitors of DPP IV. Several homologues, unsaturated, open and 3-substituted analogues were synthesized in order to determine the structure-activity relationship of the P-1 site. l -Isoleucine was taken as P-2 amino acid. 1-( l -Isoleucyl)-3( S )-fluoropyrrolidine is about as active as the non-fluorinated compound and behaves as a competitive inhibitor. Other changes decrease or abolish the activity.

Charge‐remote and charge‐proximate fragmentation processes in alkali‐cationized fatty acid esters upon high‐energy collisional activation. A new mechanistic proposal

The effect of the metal ion on the high-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) of alkali metal-cationized n-butyl and methyl ester derivatives of palmitic and oleic acid was examined. The results show that the alkali metal ion has a pronounced effect and does not act as a mere ‘spectator’ ion with respect to the fragmentation process. While C–H cleavage is a dominant process for [M+Li]+ as well as [M+Na]+ precursor ions, C–C cleavage is also significant for the [M+Na]+ ions. Homolytic mechanisms involving the formation of a transient biradical cation are proposed which enable us to rationalize in a straightforward manner all product ions formed by both charge-remote and charge-proximate fragmentations. The mechanistic proposal is discussed in view of available knowledge on electron impact, CID and related processes. In order to predict how the alkali metal ion could affect the reactivity of the postulated biradical state formed following electronic excitation of the alkali metal-cationized molecules, quantum chemical calculations were performed on methyl and n-butyl acetate as model substances. The decreased spin density at the carbonyl oxygen atom in the biradical state may provide an explanation for the greater tendency towards C–C cleavage reactions of the sodium-cationized fatty acid esters relative to the corresponding lithium complexes.

Excitation processes in alkali-cationized esters: a molecular orbital study

Abstract Theoretical calculations on Li + and Na + cationized methyl and n -butyl acetate, and methyl butyrate, were performed in order to explain the very different fragmentation behavior of Li + and Na + cationized fatty acid n -butyl esters in low-energy collisional activation. Li + cationized n -butyl palmitate shows loss of 1-butene from the ester moiety, while the corresponding Na + adduct does not reveal this loss. This elimination of 1-butene can be regarded as a McLafferty-type rearrangement and since it bears similarity with the well-known Norrish II photochemical rearrangement of ketones, involving an intramolecular γ-hydrogen transfer due to an excitation of the carbonyl bond, we postulated that an excitation of the Li + cationized ester carbonyl bond in Li + adducts of fatty acid n -butyl esters is the trigger for the loss of 1-butene in low-energy collisional activation. For the theoretical calculations using density-functional theory was considered because excited states can be treated by this approach. The results obtained on Li + and Na + cationized methyl and n -butyl acetate and methyl butyrate indicate that the inductive effect of Li + is stronger than that of Na + and that the ionic effect promotes less accumulation of negative charge on the carbonyl oxygen bound to Li + . The n → π∗ transition which is believed to be involved in McLafferty-type hydrogen rearrangement processes is shown to be energetically more favorable in Li + complexes compared to Na + complexes. This result is thus consistent with the experimental finding that loss of 1-butene occurs in Li + complexes and not in the corresponding Na + complexes of fatty acid n -butyl esters in low-energy collision-induced dissociation.