Alkyltelluro Substitution Improves the Radical-Trapping Capacity of Aromatic Amines

Aminic Organoselenium Compounds as Glutathione Peroxidase Mimics and Inhibitors of Ferroptosis

The synthesis of diarylamine-based organoselenium compounds via the nucleophilic substitution reactions has been described. Symmetrical monoselenides and diselenides were conveniently synthesized by the reduction of their corresponding selenocyanates using sodium borohydride. Selenocyanates were obtained from 2-chloro acetamides by the nucleophilic displacement with potassium selenocyanate. Selenides were synthesized by treating the 2-chloro acetamides with in situ generated sodium butyl selenolate as nucleophile. Further, the newly synthesized organoselenium compounds were evaluated for their glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like activity in thiophenol assay. This study revealed that the methoxy-substituted organoselenium compounds showed significant effect on the GPx-like activity. The catalytic parameters for the most efficient catalysts were also determined. The anti-ferroptotic activity for all GPx-mimics evaluated in a 4-OH-tamoxifen (TAM) inducible GPx4 knockout cell line using liproxstatin as standard.

Modulation of the chain-breaking antioxidant activity of phenolic organochalcogens with various co-antioxidants at various pH values

Phenolic organochalcogen chain-breaking antioxidants, i.e. 6-bromo-8 (hexadecyltellanyl)-3,3-dimethyl-1,5-dihydro-[1,3]dioxepino[5,6-c]pyridin-9-ol and 2-methyl-2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]selenophene-5-ol, have been investigated in a two-phase (chlorobenzene/water) lipid peroxidation model system as potent inhibitors of lipid peroxyl radicals with various co-antioxidants at various pH values. The pH has a significant effect on the chain-breaking antioxidant activities of phenolic organochalcogens. The key chain-breaking mechanism profile was attributed to the first oxygen atom transfer from the lipid peroxyl radicals to the Se/Te atom, followed by hydrogen atom transfer in a solvent cage from the nearby phenolic group to the resulting alkoxyl radical. Finally, regeneration of organochalcogen antioxidants could take place in the presence of aqueous-soluble co-antioxidants. Also, in the presence of aqueous soluble N-acetylcysteine at pH 1-7, both antioxidants behaved as very good inhibitors of lipid peroxyl radicals. The role of aqueous soluble mild co-antioxidants in the regeneration studies of organochalcogen antioxidants has been investigated in a two-phase lipid peroxidation model system. The importance of the phase transfer catalyst has been explored in the inhibition studies of selenium containing antioxidants using an Fe(II) source. The overall pH-dependent antioxidant activities of organochalcogens depend on their hydrogen atom transfer ability, relative stability, and distribution in the aqueous/lipid phase.

Synthesis and antioxidant activities of N-thiophenyl ebselenamines: a 77Se{1H} NMR mechanistic study

Synthesis of N-thiophenyl ebselenamines and selenenyl sulphides as efficient radical-trapping and hydroperoxide-decomposing antioxidants, respectively has been described.

Janus -faced oxidant and antioxidant profiles of organo diselenides

To date, organoseleniums are pre-eminent for peroxide decomposition and radical quenching antioxidant activities. On the contrary, here, a series of Janus-faced aminophenolic diselenides have been prepared from substituted 2-iodoaniline and selenium powder using copper-catalyzed methodology. Subsequently, condensation with substituted salicylaldehyde afforded the Schiff base, which on reduction, yielded the desired substituted aminophenolic diselenides in 72%-88% yields. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from oxygen gas by the synthesized aminophenolic diselenides was studied by analyzing the oxidation of dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA) dye and para-nitro-thiophenol by fluorescence and UV-Visible spectroscopic methods. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations and crystal structure analysis revealed the role of functional amine and hydroxyl sites present in the Janus-faced organoselenium catalyst for the activation of molecular oxygen, where NH and phenolic groups bring the oxygen molecule close to the catalyst by N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O intermolecular interactions. Additionally, these functionalities stabilize the selenium-centered radical in the formed transition states. Antioxidant activities of the synthesized diselenides have been explored as the catalyst for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using benzenethiol sacrificial co-reductant by a well-established thiol assay. Radical quenching antioxidant activity was studied by the quenching of DPPH radicals at 516 nm by UV-Visible spectroscopy. The structure activity correlation suggests that the electron-rich phenol and electron-rich and sterically hindered selenium center enhance the oxidizing property of the aminophenolic diselenides. Janus-faced diselenides were also evaluated for their cytotoxic effect on HeLa cancer cells via MTT assay, which suggests that the compounds are effective at 15-18 μM concentration against cancer cells. Moreover, the combination with therapeutic anticancer drugs Erlotinib and Doxorubicin showed promising cytotoxicity at the nanomolar concentration (8-28 nM), which is sufficient to suppress the growth of the cancer cells.

Catalytic and highly regenerable aminic organoselenium antioxidants with cytoprotective effects

N-Methyl ebselenamines carrying an aminic group in very close proximity to selenium as excellent chain-breaking and glutathione peroxidase-like antioxidants could reduce the production of ROS in C6 astroglial cell lines with minimal toxic effects.

An efficient copper-catalyzed synthesis of symmetrical bis(N-arylbenzamide) selenides and their conversion to hypervalent spirodiazaselenuranes and hydroxy congeners

A copper catalyzed efficient synthetic method has been developed to access bis(N-arylbenzamide) selenides from 2-halo-N-arylbenzamide substrates and disodium selenide in HMPA at 110 °C. The developed protocol tolerates substituents in both N-aryl and benzamide rings of the 2-halobenzamide substrates and provides an array of bis(N-arylbenzamide) selenides in practical yields. The resulting selenides were transformed into hypervalent spirodiazaselenuranes by oxidation using aqueous hydrogen peroxide. (N-(1-Naphthyl)) spirodiazaselenurane is also structurally characterized by a single crystal X-ray study. Hydroxy-substituted spiroselenuranes have been prepared by careful demethylation of methoxy-substituted selenides followed by oxidation by hydrogen peroxide. Antioxidant properties for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and for the deactivation of radicals of hydroxy-substituted spiroselenuranes have been studied by the thiol assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Both hydroxy-substituted spiroselenuranes exhibit dual mimic functions of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) selenoenzyme and α-tocopherol for decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and deactivation of radicals, respectively.

Heterocoumarins Are Selective Carbonic Anhydrase IX and XII Inhibitors with Cytotoxic Effects against Cancer Cells Lines

We have synthesized a new series of coumarin-based compounds demonstrating high selectivity and potent effects with low nanomolar affinity against the tumor associated carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) isoforms hCA IX and XII. A number of these compounds were evaluated ex vivo against human prostate (PC3) and breast (MDA-MB-231) cancer cell lines. Compounds 4b and 15 revealed effective cytotoxic effects after 48 h of incubation in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions with PC3 cancer cell line. However, compound 3 showed selective cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB-231 in hypoxic condition. These results may be of particular importance for the choice of future drug candidates targeting hypoxic tumors and metastases, considering the fact that a selective carbonic anhydrase CA IX inhibitor (SLC-0111) is presently in phase II clinical trials.

Nucleophilic Functionalizations of Aniline Derivatives: Aromatic Pummerer Reaction for Umpolung Halogenation and Hydroxylation on Benzene Ring

In this paper, a metal-free protocol of nucleophilic ortho-halogenation and hydroxylation of anilines via an aromatic Pummerer process is reported.

Chain-Breaking Phenolic 2,3-Dihydrobenzo[b]selenophene Antioxidants: Proximity Effects and Regeneration Studies

Phenolic 2,3-dihydrobenzo[b]selenophene antioxidants bearing an OH-group ortho (9), meta (10, 11) and para (8) to the Se were prepared by seleno-Claisen rearrangement/intramolecular hydroselenation. meta-Isomer (11) was studied by X-ray crystallography. The radical-trapping activity and regenerability of compounds 8-11 were evaluated using a two-phase system in which linoleic acid was undergoing peroxidation in the lipid phase while regeneration of the antioxidant by co-antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine, glutathione, dithiothreitol, ascorbic acid, tris(carboxyethyl)phosphine hydrochloride) was ongoing in the aqueous layer. Compound 9 quenched peroxyl radicals more efficiently than α-tocopherol. It also provided the most long-lasting antioxidant protection. With thiol co-antioxidants it could inhibit peroxidation for more than five-fold longer than the natural product. Regeneration was more efficient when the aqueous phase pH was slightly acidic. Since calculated O-H bond dissociation energies for 8-11 were substantially larger than for α-tocopherol, an antioxidant mechanism involving O-atom transfer from peroxyl to selenium was proposed. The resulting phenolic selenoxide/alkoxyl radical would then exchange a hydrogen atom in a solvent cage before antioxidant regeneration at the aqueous lipid interphase.