Cytochrome P-450 model reaction: effects of substitution on the rate of aromatic hydroxylation

Effects of methoxy-substituted metalloporphyrins in catalytic alkene epoxidation by n-Bu4NHSO5

TPPMnOAc and four different kinds of manganese tetraphenylporphyrin acetates were synthesized using different numbers of methoxy substituents in various positions of the phenyl rings. These porphyrins were used as catalysts in the epoxidation of various alkenes with tetra-n-butylammonium hydrogen monopersulfate (n- Bu 4 NHSO 5) as the oxidant and imidazole as the axial base. The following order of catalytic activity was obtained: TPPMnOAc ≥ T (2,3- OMeP ) PMnOAc > T (4- OMeP ) PMnOAc > T (3,4- OMeP ) PMnOAc > T (2,4,6- OMeP ) PMnOAc . By studying the UV-vis spectra in the reaction solution, the stability of the applied methoxy porphyrins and the effect of this factor on obtained yields were investigated. Lower catalytic activity in some of the methoxy porphyrins emphasized steric effects and special hydrogen bonding among the reaction elements. However, the stability of T (2,3- OMeP ) PMnOAc under our reaction condition was considerable and high activity was observed. By adding small amounts of alcohol to the reaction solution, the effect of the solvent mixture was previewed and steps were taken to identify the active intermediate of the catalyst in these conditions.

Effects of metal and porphyrin structure on the yield and chemoselectivity of naphthalene oxidation: a comparative study for manganese and iron

Oxidation of naphthalene was performed with various manganese and iron porphyrins as catalysts and metachloroperbenzoic acid, tert-butylhydroperoxide, and hydrogenperoxide as oxidants, in the presence of imidazole as cocatalyst. With m-CPBA, in low concentration of catalyst, iron porphyrin shows a higher catalytic activity than manganese porphyrin, while a greater amount of manganese porphyrin is needed for having a good catalyst. In the presence of excess amount of H 2 O 2 oxidant in CH 3 OH solvent, manganese porphyrin acts better than iron porphyrin; however with the same oxidant and in aprotic solvent such as CH 3 CN : CH 2 Cl 2 again iron shows a higher activity than manganese. Moreover, the effects of metalloporphyrin concentration on the selectivity, activity and stability of catalyst were studied in H 2 O 2-catalytic oxidation.

New approach to the activation of anti-cancer pro-drugs by metalloporphyrin-based cytochrome P450 mimics in all-aqueous biologically relevant system

The low-molecular weight water-soluble Fe(III) and Mn(III) porphyrins--in biologically relevant phosphate-buffered saline medium with ascorbic acid as a source of electrons, under aerobic conditions but without co-oxidant - catalyze the hydroxylation of anti-cancer drug cyclophosphamide to active metabolite 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide in yields similar or higher than those typically obtained by the action of liver enzymes in vivo. The Fe(III) meso tetrakis(2,6-difluoro-3-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin, highly electron-deficient at the metal site, was the most effective catalyst. If proven viable in vivo, this methodology could be expanded to localized or systemic activation of the entire family of oxazaphosphorine-based (and many other) anti-cancer drugs and become a powerful tool for an aggressive treatment of tumors with less toxic side effects to the patient.

Tomato metabolism and porphyrin-catalyzed oxidation of pyriproxyfen

Investigation of the metabolism of [(14)C]pyriproxyfen [4-phenoxyphenyl (R,S)-2-(2-pyridyloxy)propyl ether] in tomato fruits (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Ponterosa) was conducted by topical application of acetonitrile solution or emulsifiable concentration formulation three times at 35, 21, and 7 days before harvest. Most of the radioactivity remained on the fruit surface or in the plant tissues as intact pyriproxyfen with minor metabolites formed via hydroxylation at the 4'-position of the phenoxy ring or cleavage of ether linkages. The biomimic chemical oxidation model using iron porphyrin as a catalyst and hydrogen peroxide was found to well reproduce the primary metabolites detected in the metabolism study. The electrophilic reaction indices obtained by AM1 molecular orbital calculations supposing involvement of cytochrome P-450 were successfully applied to evaluate the potentially higher reactive sites in pyriproxyfen.

Mechanism and structure–reactivity relationships for aromatic hydroxylation by cytochrome P450

Cytochrome P450 enzymes play a central role in drug metabolism, and models of their mechanism could contribute significantly to pharmaceutical research and development of new drugs. The mechanism of cytochrome P450 mediated hydroxylation of aromatics and the effects of substituents on reactivity have been investigated using B3LYP density functional theory computations in a realistic porphyrin model system. Two different orientations of substrate approach for addition of Compound I to benzene, and also possible subsequent rearrangement pathways have been explored. The rate-limiting Compound I addition to an aromatic carbon atom proceeds on the doublet potential energy surface via a transition state with mixed radical and cationic character. Subsequent formation of epoxide, ketone and phenol products is shown to occur with low barriers, especially starting from a cation-like rather than a radical-like tetrahedral adduct of Compound I with benzene. Effects of ring substituents were explored by calculating the activation barriers for Compound I addition in the meta and para-position for a range of monosubstituted benzenes and for more complex polysubstituted benzenes. Two structure-reactivity relationships including 8 and 10 different substituted benzenes have been determined using (i) experimentally derived Hammett sigma-constants and (ii) a theoretical scale based on bond dissociation energies of hydroxyl adducts of the substrates, respectively. In both cases a dual-parameter approach that employs a combination of radical and cationic electronic descriptors gave good relationships with correlation coefficients R2 of 0.96 and 0.82, respectively. These relationships can be extended to predict the reactivity of other substituted aromatics, and thus can potentially be used in predictive drug metabolism models.

Aromatic Hydroxylation by Cytochrome P450: Model Calculations of Mechanism and Substituent Effects

The mechanism and selectivity of aromatic hydroxylation by cytochrome P450 enzymes is explored using new B3LYP density functional theory computations. The calculations, using a realistic porphyrin model system, show that rate-determining addition of compound I to an aromatic carbon atom proceeds via a transition state with partial radical and cationic character. Reactivity is shown to depend strongly on ring substituents, with both electron-withdrawing and -donating groups strongly decreasing the addition barrier in the para position, and it is shown that the calculated barrier heights can be reproduced by a new dual-parameter equation based on radical and cationic Hammett sigma parameters.