Structural characterization and electrochemical behavior of oxovanadium(V) complexes with N-salicylidene hydrazides

Photoinduced Crystal-to-Liquid Transition of Acylhydrazone-Based Photoswitching Molecules

A photoinduced crystal-to-liquid transition (PCLT) behavior of new acylhydrazone derivatives (NCs) is reported. The photoswitching of the NCs was identified as a negative photochromism with a high E-to-Z conversion yield (>98%). A kinetic analysis shows a half-life of almost one month. Owing to these high photoswitching performances, we successfully isolated both E- and Z-forms, evaluated their crystal structures, and observed distinct thermal behaviors. The Z-form melts at a lower temperature than the E-form by several tens of degrees. The PCLT occurs at even lower temperatures. UV irradiation induces the E-to-Z conversion in the crystalline state, thereby inducing a eutectic melting. In addition to the PCLT, we observed a photomechanical behavior of the crystals, which suggests that the presented acylhydrazones can be new members of the photoresponsive crystalline materials.

Heteroleptic Oxidovanadium(V) Complexes with Activity against Infective and Non-Infective Stages of Trypanosoma cruzi

Five heteroleptic compounds, [VVO(IN-2H)(L-H)], where L are 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives and IN is a Schiff base ligand, were synthesized and characterized in both the solid and solution state. The compounds were evaluated on epimastigotes and trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi as well as on VERO cells, as a mammalian cell model. Compounds showed activity against trypomastigotes with IC50 values of 0.29-3.02 μM. IN ligand and the new [VVO2(IN-H)] complex showed negligible activity. The most active compound [VVO(IN-2H)(L2-H)], with L2 = 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-hydroxyquinoline, showed good selectivity towards the parasite and was selected to carry out further biological studies. Stability studies suggested a partial decomposition in solution. [VVO(IN-2H)(L2-H)] affects the infection potential of cell-derived trypomastigotes. Low total vanadium uptake by parasites and preferential accumulation in the soluble proteins fraction were determined. A trypanocide effect was observed when incubating epimastigotes with 10 × IC50 values of [VVO(IN-2H)(L2-H)] and the generation of ROS after treatments was suggested. Fluorescence competition measurements with DNA:ethidium bromide adduct showed a moderate DNA interaction of the complexes. In vivo toxicity study on C. elegans model showed no toxicity up to a 100 μM concentration of [VVO(IN-2H)(L2-H)]. This compound could be considered a prospective anti-T. cruzi agent that deserves further research.

A Study on the Electronic Effect of para-substituents in the Aryloxy Ring of the Hydrazone Ligands on the Vanadium Centre in the mixed-ligand [VIVO(ONO)(NN)] families

The hyperfine coupling constant (Aıı) and the redox potential (E½) values of vanadium(IV) in its mixed-ligand hydrazone complexes [VIVO(L)(bipy)], 1–4 and [VIVO(L)(phen)], 5–8, [which have been synthesised from the reaction of VIVO(acac)2 with the hydrazone ligand H2L in the presence of equimolar amount of 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) or 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) in methanol], exhibit a linear relationship with the Hammett constant (σ) of the para-substituents in the aryloxy ring of the hydrazone ligands.

Probing the chirality of oxidovanadium(v) centers in complexes with tridentate sugar Schiff-base ligands: solid-state and solution behavior

Configurations of oxidovanadium centers in diastereomeric complexes with chiral sugar ligands are assigned and in the solid state triggered by the coordination number at the vanadium center through the steric requirements of the chelate ligand.

Synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of mixed-ligand hydrazone complexes of variable valence VOz+ (z = 2, 3)

Mixed-ligand complexes of VO²⁺ and VO³⁺ motifs incorporating a family of hydrazone ligands were reported, which exhibited promising cytotoxic activity against lung cancer cell line and antimicrobial activity against four pathogenic bacterial stains.

Expanding the family of heteroleptic oxidovanadium(IV) compounds with salicylaldehyde semicarbazones and polypyridyl ligands showing anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity

Searching for prospective vanadium-based drugs for the treatment of Chagas disease, a new series of heteroleptic [V(IV)O(L-2H)(NN)] compounds was developed by including the lipophilic 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (tmp) NN ligand and seven tridentate salicylaldehyde semicarbazone derivatives (L1-L7). The compounds were characterized in the solid state and in solution. EPR spectroscopy suggests that the NN ligand is bidentate bound through both nitrogen donor atoms in an axial-equatorial mode. The EPR and (51)V-NMR spectra of aerated solutions at room temperature indicate that the compounds are stable to hydrolysis and that no significant oxidation of V(IV) to V(V) takes place at least in 24h. The complexes are more active in vitro against Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite responsible for Chagas disease, than the reference drug Nifurtimox and most of them are more active than previously reported [V(IV)O(L-2H)(NN)] complexes of other NN co-ligands. Selectivity towards the parasite was analyzed using J-774 murine macrophages as mammalian cell model. Due to both, high activity and high selectivity, L2, L4, L5 and L7 complexes could be considered new hits for further drug development. Lipophilicity probably plays a relevant role in the bioactivity of the new compounds. The [V(IV)O(L-2H)(NN)] compounds were designed aiming DNA as potential molecular target. Therefore, the novel L1-L7 tmp complexes were screened by computational modeling, comparing their DNA-binding features with those of previously reported [V(IV)O(L-2H)(NN)] compounds with different NN co-ligands. Whereas all the complexes interact well with DNA, with binding modes and strength tuned in different extents by the NN and semicarbazone co-ligands, molecular docking suggests that the observed anti-T. cruzi activity cannot be explained upon DNA intercalation as the sole mechanism of action.

A family of mixed-ligand oxidovanadium(v) complexes with aroylhydrazone ligands: a combined experimental and computational study on the electronic effects of para substituents of hydrazone ligands on the electronic properties, DNA binding and nuclease activities

Substituents at 5-position in the acetophenone ring of the hydrazone ligands in a family of mixed-ligand oxidovanadium(v) complexes show marked influence on the electronic properties, DNA binding ability and nuclease activity.

A simple method for analyzing 51V solid-state NMR spectra of complex systems

Five vanadium complexes as models for biological systems were investigated using (51)V-MAS-NMR spectroscopy. All spectra show an uncommon line shape, which can be attributed to a shorter relaxation time of the satellite transition in contrast to the central one. A method for the reliable analysis of such kind of spectra is presented for the first time and the most important NMR parameters of the investigated complexes (quadrupolar coupling constant C(Q), asymmetry of the EFG tensor η(Q), isotropic chemical shift δ(iso), chemical shift anisotropy δ(σ) and asymmetry of the CSA tensor η(σ)) are presented. These results are of particular importance with respect to the analysis of the (51)V-MAS-NMR spectra of vanadium moieties in biological matrices such as vanadium chloroperoxidase, which show hitherto unexplained low intensity of the satellite sideband pattern.

[3-Chloro-N'-(2-oxidonaphthalen-1-yl-methylidene)benzohydrazidato]methanol(methanolato)oxidovanadium(V)

In the title complex, [V(C(18)H(11)ClN(2)O(2))(CH(3)O)O(CH(3)OH)], the V(V) ion is coordinated by a tridendate 3-chloro-N'-(2-oxidonaphthalen-1-ylmethylidene)benzohydrazidate ligand, one oxido ligand and by O atoms from a methanol and a methoxide ligand, forming a distorted octa-hedral geometry. The dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the naphthyl-ene ring system is 6.4 (3)°. The deviation of the V(V) ion from the plane defined by the three donor atoms of the tridentate ligand and the meth-oxy O atom towards the oxido O atom is 0.323 (2) Å. In the crystal, pairs of inter-molecular O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds form centrosymmetric dimers.

[N'-(5-Bromo-2-oxidobenzyl-idene-κO)-2-chloro-benzohydrazidato-κN',O](methanol-κO)(methano-lato-κO)oxido-vanadium(V)

The V^V atom in the title complex, [V(C₁₄H₈BrClN₂O₂)(CH₃O)O(CH₃OH)], is six-coordinated by one phenolate O, one imine N and one enolic O atom of the hydrazone ligand, one oxide O atom, one methanol O atom and one methoxide O atom in a distorted octa­hedral geometry. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings of the hydrazone ligand is 13.2 (3)°. The deviation of the V atom towards the oxide O atom from the plane defined by the three donor atoms of the hydrazone ligand and the meth­oxy O atom is 0.318 (2) Å. Bond lengths are comparable with those observed in similar oxidovanadium(V) complexes with hydrazone ligands. In the crystal, pairs of mol­ecules are linked through inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming dimers.

Vanadium polypyridyl compounds as potential antiparasitic and antitumoral agents: new achievements

In the search for new therapeutic tools against diseases produced by kinetoplastid parasites five vanadyl complexes, [V(IV)O(L-2H)(phen)], including 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) and tridentate salicylaldehyde semicarbazone derivatives as ligands have been synthesized and characterized in the solid state and in solution by using different techniques. EPR suggested a distorted octahedral geometry with the tridentate semicarbazone occupying three equatorial positions and phen coordinated in an equatorial/axial mode. The compounds were evaluated in vitro on epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi, causative agent of Chagas disease, Leishmania panamensis and Leishmania chagasi and on tumor cells. The complexes showed higher in vitro anti-trypanosomal activities than the reference drug Nifurtimox (IC(50) values in the range 1.6-3.8 μM) and increased activities in respect to the free semicarbazone ligands. In vitro activity on promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania showed interesting results. The compounds [VO(L1-2H)(phen)] and [VO(L3-2H)(phen)], where L1 = 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde semicarbazone and L3 = 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde semicarbazone, resulted active (IC(50) 2.74 and 2.75 μM, respectively, on promastigotes of L. panamensis; IC(50) 19.52 and 20.75 μM, respectively, on intracellular amastigotes of L. panamensis) and showed low toxicity on THP-1 mammalian cells (IC(50) 188.55 and 88.13 μM, respectively). In addition, the complexes showed cytotoxicity on human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells with IC(50) values of the same order of magnitude as cisplatin. The interaction of the complexes with DNA was demonstrated by different techniques, suggesting that this biomolecule could be a potential target either in the parasites or in tumor cells.

Correlations between (51)V solid-state NMR parameters and chemical structure of vanadium (V) complexes as models for related metalloproteins and catalysts

The parameters describing the quadrupolar and CSA interactions of 51V solid-state MAS NMR investigations of model complexes mimicking vanadoenzymes as well as vanadium containing catalysts and enzyme complexes are interpreted with respect to the chemical structure. The interpretation is based on the data of 15 vanadium complexes including two new complexes with previously unpublished data and 13 complexes with data previously published by us. Correlations between the chemical structure and the 51V solid-state NMR data of this class of compounds have been established. Especially for the isotropic chemical shift delta(iso) and the chemical shift anisotropy delta(sigma), correlations with specific structural features like the coordination number of the vanadium atom, the number of coordinating nitrogens, the number of oxygen atoms and the chemical surrounding of the complex could be established for these compounds. Moreover, quantitative correlations between the solid-state NMR parameters and specific bond angles and bond lengths have been obtained. Our results can be of particular interest for future investigations concerning the structure and the mode of action of related vanadoenzymes and vanadate protein assemblies, including the use of vanadate adducts as transition state analogs for phosphate metabolizing systems.

DFT Calculations of 51V Solid-State NMR Parameters of Vanadium(V) Model Complexes

Two cis-dioxovanadium(V) complexes and three monooxovanadium(V) complexes with different coordination numbers and ligand spheres, serving as model complexes for vanadium haloperoxidases, were studied by 51V solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The most important 51V solid-state NMR parameters (quadrupolar coupling constant C Q , asymmetry of the EFG tensor η Q , isotropic chemical shift δ iso , chemical shift anisotropy δ σ , asymmetry of the CSA tensor η σ and the Euler angles α, β and γ) describing the quadrupolar and chemical shift anisotropy interactions were determined theoretically with DFT methods employing the B3LYP functional and experimentally using genetic fitting algorithms. Calculations of δ iso values were treated with different referencing values of VOCl3 computed with different-sized basis sets using the “counterpoise method”. The calculated C Q values were discussed in terms of the quadrupolar moment Q. Absolute tensor orientations of CSA and EFG tensors were computed by DFT. These orientations were found to correlate to structural features of the model complexes.

Efficient analysis of (51)V solid-state MAS NMR spectra using genetic algorithms

A program for iterative fitting procedures to determine the NMR parameters from (51)V solid-state MAS NMR spectra was developed. It contains options to use genetic algorithms and downhill-simplex optimizing procedures to extract the optimal parameter sets, which describe our spectra. As computational kernel the SIMPSON program is employed. Other kernels like SPINEVOLUTION are easily incorporable. The algorithms are checked for their suitability for the present optimization problem and optimal simulation conditions are determined, with the focus on minimal processing time. The procedure leads to a very good agreement between experimental and simulated spectra in a passable period of time. First results for spectra of model compounds for the active site of vanadium haloperoxidases are presented.