Spectral studies on the oxidation of organic sulfides (thioanisoles) by horseradish peroxidase compounds I and II

A heme•DNAzyme activated by hydrogen peroxide catalytically oxidizes thioethers by direct oxygen atom transfer rather than by a Compound I-like intermediate

Hemin [Fe(III)-protoporphyrin IX] is known to bind tightly to single-stranded DNA and RNA molecules that fold into G-quadruplexes (GQ). Such complexes are strongly activated for oxidative catalysis. These heme•DNAzymes and ribozymes have found broad utility in bioanalytical and medicinal chemistry and have also been shown to occur within living cells. However, how a GQ is able to activate hemin is poorly understood. Herein, we report fast kinetic measurements (using stopped-flow UV-vis spectrophotometry) to identify the H2O2-generated activated heme species within a heme•DNAzyme that is active for the oxidation of a thioether substrate, dibenzothiophene (DBT). Singular value decomposition and global fitting analysis was used to analyze the kinetic data, with the results being consistent with the heme•DNAzyme's DBT oxidation being catalyzed by the initial Fe(III)heme-H2O2 complex. Such a complex has been predicted computationally to be a powerful oxidant for thioether substrates. In the heme•DNAzyme, the DNA GQ enhances both the kinetics of formation of the active intermediate as well as the oxidation step of DBT by the active intermediate. We show, using both stopped flow spectrophotometry and EPR measurements, that a classic Compound I is not observable during the catalytic cycle for thioether sulfoxidation.

Electron transfer and catalysis with high-valent metal-oxo complexes

High-valent metal-oxo complexes are produced by thermal and photoinduced electron-transfer reactions, acting as catalysts for oxygenation of substrates using water or dioxygen as an oxygen source.

Catalytic electron-transfer oxygenation of substrates with water as an oxygen source using manganese porphyrins

Manganese(V)-oxo-porphyrins are produced by the electron-transfer oxidation of manganese-porphyrins with tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(III) ([Ru(bpy)(3)](3+); 2 equiv) in acetonitrile (CH(3)CN) containing water. The rate constants of the electron-transfer oxidation of manganese-porphyrins have been determined and evaluated in light of the Marcus theory of electron transfer. Addition of [Ru(bpy)(3)](3+) to a solution of olefins (styrene and cyclohexene) in CH(3)CN containing water in the presence of a catalytic amount of manganese-porphyrins afforded epoxides, diols, and aldehydes efficiently. Epoxides were converted to the corresponding diols by hydrolysis, and were further oxidized to the corresponding aldehydes. The turnover numbers vary significantly depending on the type of manganese-porphyrin used owing to the difference in their oxidation potentials and the steric bulkiness of the ligand. Ethylbenzene was also oxidized to 1-phenylethanol using manganese-porphyrins as electron-transfer catalysts. The oxygen source in the substrate oxygenation was confirmed to be water by using (18)O-labeled water. The rate constant of the reaction of the manganese(V)-oxo species with cyclohexene was determined directly under single-turnover conditions by monitoring the increase in absorbance attributable to the manganese(III) species produced in the reaction with cyclohexene. It has been shown that the rate-determining step in the catalytic electron-transfer oxygenation of cyclohexene is electron transfer from [Ru(bpy)(3)](3+) to the manganese-porphyrins.

Reactivities of oxo and peroxo intermediates studied by hemoprotein mutants

A series of myoglobin mutants, in which distal sites are modified by site-directed mutagenesis, are able to catalyze peroxidase, catalase, and P450 reactions even though their proximal histidine ligands are intact. More importantly, reactions of P450, catalase, and peroxidase substrates and compound I of myoglobin mutants can be observed spectroscopically. Thus, detailed oxidation mechanisms were examined. On the basis of these results, we suggest that the different reactivities of P450, catalase, and peroxidase are mainly caused by their active site structures, but not the axial ligand. We have also prepared compound 0 under physiological conditions by employing a mutant of cytochrome c 552. Compound 0 is not able to oxidize ascorbic acid.

Tailoring of horseradish peroxidase activity in cationic water-in-oil microemulsions

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in cationic water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions has always been ignored in reverse micellar enzymology, mainly because cationic surfactants are inhibitors of enzyme peroxidase. In the present study, for the first time, we have successfully introduced the cationic W/O microemulsion as an attractive host for efficient HRP activity. To this notion, much improved activity of HRP was observed in the W/O microemulsion of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) with an increase in n-hexanol concentration and W0 ([water]/[surfactant]), presumably due to the increased interfacial area of the microemulsions. In support of our above observation, six surfactants were synthesized with an increased headgroup size where the methyl groups of CTAB were subsequently replaced by the n-propyl and 2-hydroxyethyl groups, respectively, to prepare mono-, di-, and tripropylated/hydroxyethylated n-hexadecylammonium bromide. The peroxidase activity enhanced with headgroup size and also followed an overall trend similar to that found in the case of CTAB. Possibly, the reduced positive charge density at the augmented interfacial area by means of increase, either in headgroup size, cosurfactant concentration, and/or W0, is not capable of inactivating HRP. Also, the larger space at the interface may facilitate easier solubilization of the enzyme and increase the local concentration of enzyme and substrate, leading to the higher activity of HRP. The best activity was obtained with surfactant N-hexadecyl-N,N,N-tripropylammonium bromide, the highest ever found in any cationic W/O microemulsions, being almost 3 times higher than that found in water. Strikingly, this observed highest activity is comparable with that observed in an anionic bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT)-based system, the best W/O microemulsions used for HRP.

Hammett Correlations in the Photosensitized Oxidation of 4-Substituted Thioanisoles

Singlet oxygen is quenched by a series of 4-substituted thioanisoles (methoxy to nitro), with rate constant k(t) = 7 x 10(4) to 7 x 10(6) M(-)(1) s(-)(1), close to the value observed for the myoglobin-catalyzed sulfoxidation of the same sulfides. Correlations with sigma (rho = -1.97) and with E(ox) (slope -3.9 V(-)(1)) are evidence for an electrophilic mechanism. In methanol sulfoxides are formed (85%) via an intermediate quenched by diphenyl sulfoxide; competing minor paths lead to arylthiols, arylsulfenic acid, and aryl sulfoxides. In aprotic solvents, the sulfoxidation is quite sluggish, but carboxylic acids (mostly </=0.1 M) enhance the rate by a factor of >100. The protonated persulfoxide is formed in this case and acts as an electrophile with sulfides, again with a rate constant correlating with sigma (rho = -1.78).

Oxidation of aromatic sulfides by lignin peroxidase from Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The reaction of H2O2 with 4-substituted aryl alkyl sulfides (4-XC6H4SR), catalysed by lignin peroxidase (LiP) from Phanerochaete chrysosporium, leads to the formation of sulfoxides, accompanied by diaryl disulfides. The yields of sulfoxide are greater than 95% when X = OMe, but decrease significantly as the electron donating power of the substituent decreases. No reaction is observed for X = CN. The bulkiness of the R group has very little influence on the efficiency of the reaction, except for R = tBu. The reaction exhibits enantioselectivity (up to 62% enantiomeric excess with X = Br, with preferential formation of the sulfoxide with S configuration). Enantioselectivity decreases with increasing electron density of the sulfide. Experiments in H218O show partial or no incorporation of the labelled oxygen into the sulfoxide, with the extent of incorporation decreasing as the ring substituents become more electron-withdrawing. On the basis of these results, it is suggested that LiP compound I (formed by reaction between the native enzyme and H2O2), reacts with the sulfide to form a sulfide radical cation and LiP compound II. The radical cation is then converted to sulfoxide either by reaction with the medium or by a reaction with compound II, the competition between these two pathways depending on the stability of the radical cation.

Hemoglobin, horseradish peroxidase, and heme-bovine serum albumin as biocatalyst for the oxidation of dibenzothiophene

Hemoglobin, horseradish peroxidase, and bovine serum albumin incubated heme-catalyzed the oxidation of dibenzothiophene into sulfoxide in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. This reaction was carried out in an aqueous buffer containing 25% of water-miscible organic solvents. The observation of this transient state of hemoproteins during sulfoxidation showed heme degradation. None of the compounds usually involved in a classical peroxidative activity mechanism were detected. Furthermore, this activity did not appear to be based on a Fenton-type reaction. The highest degrees of sulfoxidation were obtained with hemoglobin. Under the best conditions of reaction, 100% of dibenzothiophene were converted into dibenzothiophene sulfoxide by hemoglobin. Heat-denatured hemoproteins did keep their sulfoxidation activity. With hemoglobin, a kcat of 0.22 min-1 was determined. Nearly the same values were obtained with heat-denatured hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin-adsorbed heme. With horseradish peroxidase, only 4% of conversion was attained. This percentage could be slightly increased by using a less pure peroxidase or heat-denatured peroxidase.

Oxidation of dibenzothiophene catalyzed by heme-containing enzymes encapsulated in sol-gel glass. A new form of biocatalysts

We have encapsulated several hemoproteins in the sol-gel glass to catalyze the oxidation reaction of dibenzothiophene (model for organic sulfur compounds in coal) with hydrogen peroxide. In addition to cytochrome c and myoglobin, which have previously been encapsulated in sol-gel glasses, two other hemoproteins, horseradish peroxidase and bovine blood hemoglobin, have now been successfully immobilized in sol-gel media with the retention of their spectroscopic properties. All four hemoproteins studied also demonstrate similar catalytic activities toward the oxidation of dibenzothiophene as compared with the results obtained with the proteins in solution. In the case of encapsulated cytochrome c, the more water-soluble S-oxide was obtained with much higher selectivity over the less water-soluble sulfone (S-oxide/sulfone = 7.1) as compared to what was obtained in the aqueous/organic medium (S-oxide/sulfone = 2.3). Because of the advantage of easy separation of the encapsulated proteins from the liquid reaction mixture, it is clear from these studies that the immobilization of active hemoproteins in the solid glass media could serve as more practical biocatalysts.

Baculovirus expression and characterization of catalytically active horseradish peroxidase

Studies of horseradish peroxidase (HRP), a prototypical enzyme, have provided much of the information that is available on the mechanisms and functions of hemoprotein peroxidases. HRP itself is widely used in biotechnological applications. Further progress in defining the structure and function of the enzyme, however, requires its expression in a heterologous system. We report here baculovirus-mediated, high yield expression of a synthetic gene for HRP in Spodoptera frugiperda cell culture. Expression of the soluble, glycosylated protein requires the 5'-leader sequence of the native gene. Recombinant horseradish peroxidase reacts with H2O2 to give compound I, II, and III spectra and a guaiacol oxidation activity, identical to those of the native enzyme. The integrity of the recombinant active site is confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and by catalytic reaction with ethylhydrazine to give a stabilized isoporphyrin that decays exclusively to delta-meso-ethylheme. Furthermore, thioanisoles are oxidized by recombinant and native HRP with the same enantiomeric specificity. HRP expressed in a baculovirus system, despite probable differences in glycosylation, is essentially identical to the native enzyme.

Peroxidase-catalyzed S-oxygenation: mechanism of oxygen transfer for lactoperoxidase

The mechanism of organosulfur oxygenation by peroxidases [lactoperoxidase (LPX), chloroperoxidase, thyroid peroxidase, and horseradish peroxidase] and hydrogen peroxide was investigated by use of para-substituted thiobenzamides and thioanisoles. The rate constants for thiobenzamide oxygenation by LPX/H2O2 were found to correlate with calculated vertical ionization potentials, suggesting rate-limiting single-electron transfer between LPX compound I and the organosulfur substrate. The incorporation of oxygen from 18O-labeled hydrogen peroxide, water, and molecular oxygen into sulfoxides during peroxidase-catalyzed S-oxygenation reactions was determined by LC- and GC-MS. All peroxidases tested catalyzed essentially quantitative oxygen transfer from 18O-labeled hydrogen peroxide into thiobenzamide S-oxide, suggesting that oxygen rebound from the oxoferryl heme is tightly coupled with the initial electron transfer in the active site. Experiments using H2(18)O2, 18O2, and H2(18)O showed that LPX catalyzed approximately 85, 22, and 0% 18O-incorporation into thioanisole sulfoxide oxygen, respectively. These results are consistent with a active site controlled mechanism in which the protein radical form of LPX compound I is an intermediate in LPX-mediated sulfoxidation reactions.