Kinetic study of the α-tocopherol-regeneration reaction of ubiquinol-10 in methanol and acetonitrile solutions: notable effect of the alkali and alkaline earth metal salts on the reaction rates

Scandium Ion-Promoted Electron-Transfer Disproportionation of 2-Phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-Oxide (PTIO•) in Acetonitrile and Its Regeneration Induced by Water

2-Phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (PTIO•), a persistent nitronyl nitroxide radical, has been used for the detection and trapping of nitric oxide, as a redox mediator for batteries, for the activity estimation of antioxidants, and so on. However, there is no report on the reactivity of PTIO• in the presence of redox-inactive metal ions. In this study, it is demonstrated that the addition of scandium triflate, Sc(OTf)3 (OTf = OSO2CF3), to an acetonitrile (MeCN) solution of PTIO• resulted in an electron-transfer disproportionation to generate the corresponding cation (PTIO+) and anion (PTIO-), the latter of which is suggested to be stabilized by Sc3+ to form [(PTIO)Sc]2+. The decay of the absorption band at 361 nm due to PTIO•, monitored using a stopped-flow technique, obeyed second-order kinetics. The second-order rate constant for the disproportionation, thus determined, increased with increasing the Sc(OTf)3 concentration to reach a constant value. A drastic change in the cyclic voltammogram recorded for PTIO• in deaerated MeCN containing 0.10 M Bu4NClO4 was also observed upon addition of Sc(OTf)3, suggesting that the large positive shift of the one-electron reduction potential of PTIO• (equivalent to the one-electron oxidation potential of PTIO-) in the presence of Sc(OTf)3 may result in the disproportionation. When H2O was added to the PTIO•-Sc(OTf)3 system in deaerated MeCN, PTIO• was completely regenerated. It is suggested that the complex formation of Sc3+ with H2O may weaken the interaction between PTIO- and Sc3+, leading to electron-transfer comproportionation to regenerate PTIO•. The reversible disproportionation of PTIO• was also confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.

Water-Induced Regeneration of a 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Radical after Its Scandium Ion-Promoted Electron-Transfer Disproportionation in an Aprotic Medium

A neutral, stable radical, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH^•), has been frequently used to estimate the activity of antioxidants for more than 60 years. However, the number of reports about the effect of metal ions on the reactivity of DPPH^• is quite limited. We have recently reported a unique electron-transfer disproportionation of DPPH^• to produce the DPPH cations (DPPH⁺) and anions (DPPH^-) upon the addition of scandium triflate [Sc(OTf)₃ (OTf = OSO₂CF₃)] to an acetonitrile (MeCN) solution of DPPH^•. The driving force of this reaction is suggested to be an interaction between DPPH^- and Sc³⁺. In this study, it is demonstrated that the addition of H₂O to the DPPH^•-Sc(OTf)₃ system in MeCN resulted in an increase in the absorption band at 519 nm due to DPPH^•. This indicated that an electron-transfer comproportionation occurred to regenerate DPPH^•. The regeneration of DPPH^• was also confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The amount of DPPH^• increased with an increasing amount of added H₂O to reach a constant value. The detailed mechanism of regeneration of DPPH^• was proposed based on the detailed spectroscopic and kinetic analyses, in which the reaction of DPPH⁺ with [(DPPH)₂Sc(H₂O)₃]⁺ generated upon the addition of H₂O to [(DPPH)₂Sc]⁺ is the rate-determining step.

Can aluminum, a non-redox metal, alter the thermodynamics of key biological redox processes? The DPPH-QH2 radical scavenging reaction as a test case

The increased bioavailability of aluminum has led to a concern about its toxicity on living systems. Among the most important toxic effects, it has been proven that aluminum increases oxidative stress in biological systems, a controversial fact, however, due to its non-redox nature. In the present work, we characterize in detail how aluminum can alter redox equilibriums by analyzing its effects on the thermodynamics of the redox scavenging reaction between DPPH^., a radical compound often used as a reactive oxygen species model, and hydroquinones, a potent natural antioxidant. For the first time, theoretical and experimental redox potentials within aluminum biochemistry are directly compared. Our results fully agree with experimental reduction and oxidation potentials, unequivocally revealing how aluminum alters the spontaneity of the reaction by stabilizing the reduction of DPPH⋅ to DPPH^- and promoting a proton transfer to the diazine moiety, leading to the production of a DPPH-H species. The capability of aluminum to modify redox potentials shown here confirms previous experimental findings on the role of aluminum to interfere with free radical scavenging reactions, affecting the natural redox processes of living organisms.

Effects of reaction environments on radical-scavenging mechanisms of ascorbic acid

The effects of reaction environments on the radical-scavenging mechanisms of ascorbic acid (AscH2) were investigated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) as a reactivity model of reactive oxygen species. Water-insoluble DPPH• was solubilized by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in water. The DPPH•-scavenging rate of AscH2 in methanol (MeOH) was much slower than that in phosphate buffer (0.05 M, pH 7.0). An organic soluble 5,6-isopropylidene-l-ascorbic acid (iAscH2) scavenged DPPH• much slower in acetonitrile (MeCN) than in MeOH. In MeOH, Mg(ClO4)2 significantly decelerated the DPPH•-scavenging reaction by AscH2 and iAscH2, while no effect of Mg(ClO4)2 was observed in MeCN. On the other hand, Mg(ClO4)2 significantly accelerated the reaction between AscH2 and β-CD-solubilized DPPH• (DPPH•/β-CD) in phosphate buffer (0.05 M, pH 6.5), although the addition of 0.05 M Mg(ClO4)2 to the AscH2-DPPH•/β-CD system in phosphate buffer (0.05 M, pH 7.0) resulted in the change in pH of the phosphate buffer to be 6.5. Thus, the DPPH•-scavenging reaction by iAscH2 in MeCN may proceed via a one-step hydrogen-atom transfer, while an electron-transfer pathway is involved in the reaction between AscH2 and DPPH•/β-CD in phosphate buffer solution. These results demonstrate that the DPPH•-scavenging mechanism of AscH2 are affected by the reaction environments.

Aluminium ion-promoted radical-scavenging reaction of methylated hydroquinone derivatives

The effect of the aluminium ion (Al(3+)) on the scavenging reaction of a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH˙), as a reactivity model of reactive oxygen species, with hydroquinone (QH2) and its methylated derivatives (MenQH2, n = 1-4) was investigated using stopped-flow and electrochemical techniques in a hydroalcoholic medium. The second-order rate constants (k) for the DPPH˙-scavenging reaction of the hydroquinones increased with the increasing number of methyl substituents. Upon addition of Al(3+), the k values significantly increased depending on the concentration of Al(3+). Such an accelerating effect of Al(3+) on the DPPH˙-scavenging rates of the hydroquinones results from the remarkable positive shift of the one-electron reduction potential (Ered) of DPPH˙ in the presence of Al(3+). These results demonstrate that Al(3+), a strong Lewis acid, can act as a radical-scavenging promoter by stabilising the one-electron reduced species of the radical, although Al(3+) is reported not only to act as a pro-oxidant but also to strongly interact with biomolecules, showing toxicities.

Effects of ionic radius of redox-inactive bio-related metal ions on the radical-scavenging activity of flavonoids evaluated using photometric titration

Mg(2+) enhanced the scavenging activity of (+)-catechin and quercetin against the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH˙), while Al(3+) decreased their activity. Such effects of Mg(2+) and Al(3+) were not observed for kaempferol. Na(+) and Ca(2+) with large ionic radii showed little effect on the DPPH˙-scavenging activity of these three flavonoids.