Red-Hair-Inspired Chromogenic System Based on a Proton-Switched Dehydrogenative Free-Radical Coupling

The Multifaceted Opportunities Provided by the Pheomelanin-Inspired 1,4-Benzothiazine Chromophore: A Still-Undervalued Issue

1,4-Benzothiazines are the main building blocks of the naturally occurring pheomelanin pigments, and their chromophoric properties have been strongly related to the well-known phototoxicity of these pigments, partly responsible for the high incidence of melanoma and other skin cancers in red-haired people. However, some peculiar features of the 1,4-benzothiazine chromophore could be functionally exploited in several sectors. Within this context, in this perspective, an overview of the very recently reported applications of the 1,4-benzothiazine chromophore in pH sensing, filter permeability control, smart packaging, electrochromic device fabrication, bioimaging, photocatalysis, and HPLC detection systems is provided, together with a brief presentation of recently developed synthetic approaches to the 1,4-benzothiazine scaffold, with the aim of emphasizing the still-undervalued multifunctional opportunities offered by this class of compounds.

Derivatives of benzo-1,4-thiazine-3-carboxylic acid and the corresponding amino acid conjugates

Herein, we present the synthesis and utilization of derivatives of 4H-benzo[b][1,4]thiazine-3-carboxylic acid. These benzothiazine compounds were assembled via the coupling of aminothiols and bromopyruvates. Oxidative dimerization of these starting materials was also observed and the corresponding benzothiazine dimers were isolated. Moreover, the coupling of benzothiazines with amino acids was realized. In doing so, an enantioselective synthesis of the nonproteinogenic amino acid 2-amino-3-propylhexanoic acid was accomplished.

Proton-Sensitive Free-Radical Dimer Evolution Is a Critical Control Point for the Synthesis of Δ2,2'-Bibenzothiazines

The mechanism of the acid-dependent interring dehydrogenation in the conversion of the single-bonded 3-phenyl-2H-1,4-benzothiazine dimer 2 to the Δ^2,2′-bi(2H-1,4-benzothiazine) scaffold of red hair pigments is disclosed herein. Integrated chemical oxidation and oxygen consumption experiments, coupled with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analyses and DFT calculations, allowed the identification of a key diprotonated free-radical intermediate, which was implicated in a remarkable oxygen-dependent chain process via peroxyl radical formation and evolution to give the Δ^2,2′-bi(2H-1,4-benzothiazine) dimer 3 by interring dehydrogenation. The critical requirement for strongly acidic conditions was rationalized for the first time by the differential evolution channels of isomeric peroxyl radical intermediates at the 2- versus 3-positions. These results offer for the first time a rationale to expand the synthetic scope of the double interring dehydrogenation pathway for the preparation of novel symmetric double-bond bridged captodative heterocycles.

Bioinspired Heterocyclic Partnership in a Cyanine-Type Acidichromic Chromophore

A new red hair-inspired 1,4-benzothiazine-based scaffold is disclosed herein, built upon a modular D-π-A architecture via condensation of the easily accessible 3-phenyl-2H-1,4-benzothiazine with indole-3-carboxaldehyde. The compound was obtained in around 50% yields and was characterized by complete spectroscopic analysis. The new benzothiazine-based cyanine displayed a characteristic reversible acidichromic behavior with a marked bathochromic shift upon acidification. The chromophore resisted at least fifteen hydrochloric acid/sodium hydroxide cycles without appreciable alterations. The expedient and scalable synthetic procedure together with the pH sensitive chromophoric properties would make the new compound an attractive prototype for novel modular chromophore for pH-sensing and other applications.

Visible light initiated amino group ortho-directed copper(i)-catalysed aerobic oxidative C(sp)-S coupling reaction: synthesis of substituted 2-phenylbenzothiazoles via thia-Wolff rearrangement

A facile amino group ortho-directed visible-light-driven copper-catalysed aerobic oxidative C(sp)-S coupling reaction of a dimer of 2-aminothiophenol with terminal alkynes was achieved. This photochemical reaction shows an excellent conversion and chemoselectivity towards the formation of C(sp)-S coupling and has been employed for a wide range of thiol dimers, and alkynes. Furthermore, the synthetic utility of the synthesized alkynyl sulfides was demonstrated as a direct method for the construction of 2-phenylbenzothiazoles from the corresponding alkynyl sulfides via "thia-Wolff rearrangement" using AgNO3 and visible light using 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ions (Acr+-Mes) as photoredox catalyst system.

AIBN-Promoted Synthesis of Bibenzo[ b][1,4]thiazines by the Condensation of 2,2'-Dithiodianiline with Methyl Aryl Ketones

A series of bibenzo[ b][1,4]thiazines with various functional groups has been synthesized by a free-radical condensation reaction. Bibenzo[ b][1,4]thiazines were obtained in moderate to good yield (up to 85%) through a one-step reaction of readily available 2,2'-dithiodianiline and methyl aryl ketones with AIBN as radical initiator in HOAc. Bibenzo[ b][1,4]thiazines exhibit diversiform solid-state packing.

Radical Route to 1,4-Benzothiazine Derivatives from 2-Aminobenzenethiols and Ketones under Transition-Metal-Free Conditions

Transition-metal-free radical access to 1,4-benzothiazine derivatives from o-aminobenzenethiols is disclosed. This procedure is available for various ketones including α,β-unsaturated, cyclic, linear, and fluoroalkyl ketones to generate a number of 1,4-benzothiazines, which exist in numerous bioactive and natural molecules, rendering this protocol attractive to both synthetic and medicinal chemistry.

Trichocyanines: a Red-Hair-Inspired Modular Platform for Dye-Based One-Time-Pad Molecular Cryptography

Current molecular cryptography (MoCryp) systems are almost exclusively based on DNA chemistry and reports of cryptography technologies based on other less complex chemical systems are lacking. We describe herein, as proof of concept, the prototype of the first asymmetric MoCryp system, based on an 8-compound set of a novel bioinspired class of cyanine-type dyes called trichocyanines. These novel acidichromic cyanine-type dyes inspired by red hair pigments were synthesized and characterized with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Trichocyanines consist of a modular scaffold easily accessible via an expedient condensation of 3-phenyl- or 3-methyl-2H-1,4-benzothiazines with N-dimethyl- or o-methoxyhydroxy-substituted benzaldehyde or cinnamaldehyde derivatives. The eight representative members synthesized herein can be classified as belonging to two three-state systems tunable through four different control points. This versatile dye platform can generate an expandable palette of colors and appears to be specifically suited to implement an unprecedented single-use asymmetric molecular cryptography system. With this system, we intend to pioneer the translation of digital public-key cryptography into a chemical-coding one-time-pad-like system.

Pheomelanin-induced oxidative stress: bright and dark chemistry bridging red hair phenotype and melanoma

The complex interplay of genetic and epigenetic factors linking sun exposure to melanoma in the red hair phenotype hinges on the peculiar physical and chemical properties of pheomelanins and the underlying biosynthetic pathway, which is switched on by the effects of inactivating polymorphisms in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene. In addition to the long recognized UV-dependent pathways of toxicity and cell damage, a UV-independent pro-oxidant state induced by pheomelanin within the genetically determined background of the red hair phenotype has recently been disclosed. This review provides a detailed discussion of the possible UV-dependent and UV-independent chemical mechanisms underlying pheomelanin-mediated oxidative stress, with special reference to the oxygen-dependent depletion of glutathione and other cell antioxidants. The new concept of pheomelanin as a 'living' polymer and biocatalyst that may grow by exposure to monomer building blocks and may trigger autooxidative processes is also discussed. As a corollary, treatment of inflammatory skin diseases in RHP patients is briefly commented. Finally, possible concerted strategies for melanoma prevention in the red hair phenotype are proposed.