Alkylation of 2'-deoxynucleosides and DNA by quinone methides derived from 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol

Synthetic phenolic antioxidants: Metabolism, hazards and mechanism of action

Synthetic phenolic antioxidants can interact with peroxides produced by food. This paper reviews correlation between BHA, BHT and TBHQ metabolism and harms they cause and provides a theoretical basis for rational use of BHA, BHT and TBHQ in food, and also put some attention on the transformation and metabolic products of PG. We introduce BHA, BHT, TBHQ, PG and their possible metabolic pathways, and discuss possible harms and their specific mechanisms responsible. Excessive addition or incorrect use of synthetic phenolic antioxidants results in carcinogenicity, cytotoxicity, oxidative stress induction and endocrine disrupting effects, which warrant attention. BHA carcinogenicity is related to production of metabolites TBHQ and TQ, and cytotoxic effect of BHA is the main cause of apoptosis induction. BHT carcinogenicity depends on DNA damage degree, and tumour promotion is mainly related to production of quinone methylation metabolites. TBHQ carcinogenicity is related to induction of metabolite TQ and enzyme CYP1A1.

Peptide Nucleic Acid Conjugates of Quinone Methide Precursors Alkylate Ribonucleic Acid after Activation with Light

Quinone methide precursors 2 and 3 were protected with a photoreactive 2-nitrobenzyl group and conjugated to peptide nucleic acids (PNA) using a Huisgen click reaction. After brief irradiation at 365 nm, cross-linking with complementary RNA strands started and was analyzed with an ALFexpress sequencer. When this method was used, the gel temperature had a major influence on apparent rates. Quinone methides are known to form transient as well as stable bonds with nucleotides. Although both were detected at 25 °C, analysis at 57 °C only recorded the stable types of cross-links, suggesting much slower alkylation kinetics. Linker 11 allowed us to attach quinone methides to internal positions of the PNA/RNA duplex and to capture a model of miR-20a with good efficiency.

Chemistry of the 8-Nitroguanine DNA Lesion: Reactivity, Labelling and Repair

The 8-nitroguanine lesion in DNA is increasingly associated with inflammation-related carcinogenesis, whereas the same modification on guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate generates a second messenger in NO-mediated signal transduction. Very little is known about the chemistry of 8-nitroguanine nucleotides, despite the fact that their biological effects are closely linked to their chemical properties. To this end, a selection of chemical reactions have been performed on 8-nitroguanine nucleosides and oligodeoxynucleotides. Reactions with alkylating reagents reveal how the 8-nitro substituent affects the reactivity of the purine ring, by significantly decreasing the reactivity of the N2 position, whilst the relative reactivity at N1 appears to be enhanced. Interestingly, the displacement of the nitro group with thiols results in an efficient and specific method of labelling this lesion and is demonstrated in oligodeoxynucleotides. Additionally, the repair of this lesion is also shown to be a chemically feasible reaction through a reductive denitration with a hydride source.

Efforts toward treatments against aging of organophosphorus-inhibited acetylcholinesterase

Aging is a dealkylation reaction of organophosphorus (OP)-inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Despite many studies to date, aged AChE cannot be reactivated directly by traditional pyridinium oximes. This review summarizes strategies that are potentially valuable in the treatment against aging in OP poisoning. Among them, retardation of aging seeks to lower the rate of aging through the use of AChE effectors. These drugs should be administered before AChE is completely aged. For postaging treatment, realkylation of aged AChE by appropriate alkylators may pave the way for oxime treatment by neutralizing the oxyanion at the active site of aged AChE. The other two strategies, upregulation of AChE expression and introduction of exogenous AChE, cannot resurrect aged AChE but may compensate for lowered active AChE levels by in situ production or external introduction of active AChE. Upregulation of AChE expression can be triggered by some peptides. Sources of exogenous AChE can be whole blood or purified AChE, either from human or nonhuman species.

Oxidative quenching of quinone methide adducts reveals transient products of reversible alkylation in duplex DNA

ortho-Quinone methides (ortho-QM) and para-quinone methides are generated by xenobiotic metabolism of numerous compounds including environmental toxins and therapeutic agents. These intermediates are highly electrophilic and have the potential to alkylate DNA. Assessing their genotoxicity can be difficult when all or some of their resulting adducts form reversibly. Stable adducts are most easily detected but are not necessarily the most prevalent products formed initially as DNA repair commences. Selective oxidation of ortho-QM-DNA adducts by bis[(trifluoroacetoxy)iodo]benzene (BTI) rapidly quenches their reversibility to prevent QM regeneration and allows for observation of the kinetic products. The resulting derivatives persist through standard enzymatic digestion, chromatography, and mass spectral analysis. The structural standards required for this approach have been synthesized and confirmed by two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The adducts of dA N(6), dG N1, dG N(2), and guanine N7 are converted to the expected para-quinol derivatives within 5 min after addition of BTI under aqueous conditions (pH 7). Concurrently, the adduct of dA N1 forms a spiro derivative comparable to that characterized previously after oxidation of the corresponding dC N3 adduct. By application of this oxidative quenching strategy, the dC N3 and dA N1 adducts have been identified as the dominant products formed by both single- and double-stranded DNA under initial conditions. As expected, however, these labile adducts dissipate within 24 h if not quenched with BTI. Still, the products favored by kinetics are responsible for inducing the first response to ortho-QM exposure in cells, and hence, they are also key to establishing the relationship between biological activity and molecular structure.

Identification of stable benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-dione-DNA adducts in human lung cells

Metabolic activation of the proximate carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-trans-dihydrodiol (B[a]P-7,8-trans-dihydrodiol) by aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) leads to B[a]P-7,8-dione that is both electrophilic and redox-active. B[a]P-7,8-dione generates reactive oxygen species resulting in oxidative DNA damage in human lung cells. However, information on the formation of stable B[a]P-7,8-dione-DNA adducts in these cells is lacking. We studied stable DNA adduct formation of B[a]P-7,8-dione in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells, human bronchoalveolar H358 cells, and immortalized human bronchial epithelial HBEC-KT cells. After treatment with 2 μM B[a]P-7,8-dione, the cellular DNA was extracted from the cell pellets subjected to enzyme hydrolysis and subsequent analysis by LC-MS/MS. Several stable DNA adducts of B[a]P-7,8-dione were only detected in A549 and HBEC-KT cells. In A549 cells, the structures of stable B[a]P-7,8-dione-DNA adducts were identified as hydrated-B[a]P-7,8-dione-N²-2′-deoxyguanosine and hydrated-B[a]P-7,8-dione-N1-2′-deoxyguanosine. In HBEC-KT cells, the structures of stable B[a]P-7,8-dione-DNA adducts were identified as hydrated-B[a]P-7,8-dione-2′-deoxyadenosine, hydrated-B[a]P-7,8-dione-N1- or N3-2′-deoxyadenosine, and B[a]P-7,8-dione-N1- or N3-2′-deoxyadenosine. In each case, adduct structures were characterized by MSⁿ spectra. Adduct structures were also compared to those synthesized from reactions of B[a]P-7,8-dione with either deoxyribonucleosides or salmon testis DNA in vitro but were found to be different.

Photochemical formation and chemistry of long-lived adamantylidene-quinone methides and 2-adamantyl cations

Hydroxymethylphenols strategically substituted with the 2-hydroxy-2-adamantyl moiety, AdPh 8-10, were synthesized, and their photochemical reactivity was investigated. On excitation to the singlet excited state, AdPh 8 undergoes intramolecular proton transfer coupled with a loss of H(2)O giving quinone methide 8QM. The presence of 8QM has been detected by laser flash photolysis (CH(3)CN-H(2)O 1:1, tau = 0.55 s) and UV-vis spectroscopy. Singlet excited states of AdPh 9 and 10 in the presence of H(2)O dehydrate giving 9QM and 10QM. Photochemically formed QMs are trapped by nucleophiles giving the addition products (e.g., Phi for methanolysis of 8 is 0.55). In addition, the zwitterionic 9QM undergoes an unexpected rearrangement involving transformation of the 2-phenyl-2-adamantyl cation into the 4-phenyl-2-adamantyl cation (Phi approximately 0.03). An analogous rearrangement was observed with methoxy derivatives 9a and 10a. Zwitterionic 9QM was characterized by LFP in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (tau = 1 mus). In TFE, in the ground state, AdPh 10 is in equilibrium with 10QM, which allowed for recording the (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra of the QM. Introduction of the adamantyl substituent into the o-hydroxymethylphenol moiety increased the quantum yield of the associated QM formation by up to 3-fold and significantly prolonged their lifetimes. Furthermore, adamantyl substituent made the study of the alkyl-substituted quinone methides easier by LFP by prolonging their lifetimes and increasing the quantum yields of formation.

Structure-activity relationships and mechanism of action of antitumor bis 8-hydroxyquinoline substituted benzylamines

A series of twenty six 8-hydroxyquinoline substituted amines, structurally related to compounds 2 and 3, were synthesized to evaluate the effects of structural changes on antitumor activity and understand their mechanism of action. The studies were performed on a wide variety of cancer cell lines within glioma and carcinoma models. The results obtained from chemical models and biological techniques such as microarrays suggest the following hypothesis that a quinone methide intermediate which does not react with DNA but which gives covalent protein thiol adducts. Micro-array analysis showed that the drugs induce the expression of a variety of stress related genes responsible for the cytotoxic and cytostatic effects in carcinoma and glioblastoma cells respectively. The described analogues could represent new promising anti-cancer candidates with specific action mechanisms, targeting accessible thiols from specific proteins and inducing potent anti-cancer effects.

Copper-induced peroxidation of phosphatidylserine-containing liposomes is inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of specific antioxidants

Copper-induced peroxidation of liposomal palmitoyllinoleoyl-phosphatidylcholine (PLPC) is inhibited by alpha-tocopherol at micromolar concentrations. In our previous study we found that when the liposomes contain phosphatidylserine (PS), nanomolar concentrations of Toc were sufficient to inhibit peroxidation. In an attempt to gain understanding of the origin of this extreme antioxidative potency, we tested the antioxidative potency of 36 additional antioxidants and the dependence of their potency on the presence of PS in the liposomes. The results of these studies reveal that only 11 of the tested antioxidants possess similar antioxidative potency to that of Toc. These include trolox, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), curcumin, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), diethylstilbestrol (DES), 2 of the 13 tested flavonoids (luteolin and 7,3',4'-trihydroxyflavone; T-414), alpha-naphthol, 1,5-, 1,6- and 1,7-dihydroxynaphthalenes (DHNs). Propyl gallate (PG), methyl syringate, rosmarinic acid, resveratrol, other flavonoids, as well as beta-naphthol, 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-, 2,3-, 2,6-, and 2,7-DHNs were either moderately antioxidative or pro-oxidative. For liposomes made of PLPC (250 microM) and PS (25 microM) the "lag" preceding copper-induced peroxidation (5 microM copper) was doubled upon addition of 30-130nM of the "super-active" antioxidants. We propose that the mechanism responsible for the extreme antioxidative potency against copper-induced peroxidation in PS-containing liposomes involves replenishment of the antioxidant in a ternary PS-copper-antioxidant complex. Based on structure-activity relationship of the 37 tested antioxidants, the "super-antioxidative potency" is attributed to the recycling of relatively stable semiquinone or semiquinone-like radicals.

Substituents on quinone methides strongly modulate formation and stability of their nucleophilic adducts

Electronic perturbation of quinone methides (QM) greatly influences their stability and in turn alters the kinetics and product profile of QM reaction with deoxynucleosides. Consistent with the electron-deficient nature of this reactive intermediate, electron-donating substituents are stabilizing and electron-withdrawing substituents are destabilizing. For example, a dC N3-QM adduct is made stable over the course of observation (7 days) by the presence of an electron-withdrawing ester group that inhibits QM regeneration. Conversely, a related adduct with an electron-donating methyl group is very labile and regenerates its QM with a half-life of approximately 5 h. The generality of these effects is demonstrated with a series of alternative quinone methide precursors (QMP) containing a variety of substituents attached at different positions with respect to the exocyclic methylene. The rates of nucleophilic addition to substituted QMs measured by laser flash photolysis similarly span 5 orders of magnitude with electron-rich species reacting most slowly and electron-deficient species reacting most quickly. The reversibility of QM reaction can now be predictably adjusted for any desired application.

Selective N1-Alkylation of 2′-Deoxyguanosine with a Quinolinyl Quinone Methide

Nucleobase modification by quinone methides (QMs) has been extensively studied in the past decade, and multiple QM adducts were observed. For 2'-deoxyguanosine (dG), the N (2)-dG alkylation adduct was favored under aqueous buffered conditions over other N1-dG, N7-dG, and N7-guanine adducts. We report in this communication that the N1-dG adduct was selectively formed with a quinolinyl QM in 30% aqueous DMF and 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) as a favored dG alkylation product. The quinolinyl QM was formed through the fluoride-induced desilylation and elimination of acetate, and the structure of the N1-dG adduct was fully established by one- and two-dimensional NMR analyses. In addition, the concentration of salt played a significant role in N1-dG adduct formation. Further HPLC analysis indicated that the addition of salt decreased the rate of QM formation from the acetate intermediate, although an in-depth mechanistic study is needed.

Influence of structural and functional modifications of selected genotoxic carcinogens on metabolism and mutagenicity - a review

Alterations in molecular structure are responsible for the differential biological response(s) of a chemical inside a biosystem. Structural and functional parameters that govern a chemical's metabolic course and determine its ultimate outcome in terms of mutagenic/carcinogenic potential are extensively reviewed here. A large number of environmentally-significant organic chemicals are addressed under one or more broadly classified groups each representing one or more characteristic structural feature. Numerous examples are cited to illustrate the influence of key structural and functional parameters on the metabolism and DNA adduction properties of different chemicals. It is hoped that, in the event of limited experimental data on a chemical's bioactivity, such knowledge of the likely roles played by key molecular features should provide preliminary information regarding its bioactivation, detoxification and/or mutagenic potential and aid the process of screening and prioritising chemicals for further testing.

Modeling Acid and Cationic Catalysis on the Reactivity of Duocarmycins

Several catalyzed alkylation reactions of 9-methyladenine by a model [CPI, cyclopropa[c]pyrrolo[3,2-e]indol-4(5H)-one (1)] of duocarmycin anticancer drugs have been compared to the uncatalyzed reaction in gas phase and in water solvent bulk, using density functional theory at the B3LYP level with the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set and C-PCM solvation model. The effect on the CPI reactivity induced by water, formic and phosphoric acids (general acid catalysis), H3O+ (specific acid catalysis), sodium, and ammonium cation complexation (cationic catalysis) has been investigated. The calculations indicate that the specific acid catalysis and the catalysis induced by sodium cation complexation are strong in the gas phase, but solvation reduces them dramatically by electrostatic effects. The specific acid catalysis is still operative, but strongly reduced in water solution, where the reaction barrier is reduced by 8.6 kcal mol(-1) in comparison to the uncatalyzed reaction. The general acid catalysis induced by phosphoric acid (-7.3 kcal mol(-1)) and the catalysis induced by Na+ and NH4+ complexation become competitive, with a catalytic effect of -3.6 and -4.1 kcal mol(-1) in water, respectively. With the specific acid catalysis, the high acidity (low pK(a) value) of the conjugated acid of CPI (CPIH+), computed in water solution using both C-PCM (pK(a) = +2.6) and PCM-B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) (pK(a) = +2.4) solvation models, suggests that the catalytic effects induced by NH4+ complexation could become more important than the specific acid catalysis and the general catalysis by H3PO4 under physiological conditions, due to concentration effects of the catalysts.

Improved alkylation and product stability in phosphotriester formation through quinone methide reactions with dialkyl phosphates

Investigating reactions of functionalized p-quinone methides continues to advance our design of a reagent being developed for controlled, in situ modification of DNA via phosphodiester alkylation. Previously reported investigations of p-quinone methides derived from catechols allowed for trapping of isolable trialkyl phosphates for characterization and mechanistic information. However, lactone formation with these derivatives required long reaction times, resulting in an unfavorable mixture of trialkyl phosphate and hydrolysis products. To enhance the rate and efficacy of trialkyl phosphate formation and trapping, a phenol derived p-quinone methide has been designed to enforce a conformation favoring lactonization of the dialkyl phosphate alkylated intermediate. The relative rates of phosphodiester alkylation and subsequent trapping of the phosphotriester adduct have been examined by UV and (1)H NMR analysis for p-quinone methide precursor 1 and the corresponding control, 1'. The incorporation of a methyl group at the meta-position of 1 (relative to 1') significantly improves the rate of lactionization to provide a much higher yield of the desired product, lactonized phosphotriester 5. The control reaction with 1' afforded only a minor amount of the corresponding lactonized trialkyl phosphate 5'.

A DFT Study of Diels−Alder Reactions of o-Quinone Methides and Various Substituted Ethenes: Selectivity and Reaction Mechanism

The Diels-Alder (DA) reactions of various substituted ethenes (methyl vinyl ether (MVE), styrene, and methyl vinyl ketone (MVK)) with o-quinone methides (o-QM) are studied by means of density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. On the basis of analysis for frontier molecular orbital and comparison of the activation energies for different reaction pathways, the ortho attack modes present transition structures more stable than the meta ones. The reactivity, ortho selectivity, and asynchronicity are enhanced with the increase of the electron-releasing character of the substitute on ethene fragment. The discussions for the charge distribution and charge transfer on different transition states indicate that there are different molecular mechanisms for the different substituted ethenes. The calculations show that the effect of solvent decreases the activation energy and increases the asynchronicity. The results also indicate that the hydrogen-bond formation between chloroform and the carbonyl oxygen of the o-QM lowers the activation energies and increases the asynchronicity.

Binol quinone methides as bisalkylating and DNA cross-linking agents

The photogeneration and detection of new binol quinone methides undergoing mono- and bisalkylation of free nucleophiles was investigated by product distribution analysis and laser flash photolysis in water solution using binol quaternary ammonium derivatives 2 and 12 as photoactivated precursors. The alkylation processes of N and S nucleophiles are strongly competitive with the hydration reaction. DNA cross-linking potency of the water-soluble binol quaternary ammonium salt 2 was investigated as a pH function and compared to that of other quaternary ammonium salts capable of benzo-QM (QM = quinone methide) photogeneration by gel electrophoresis. DFT calculations in the gas phase and in water bulk on the binol and benzo quaternary ammonium salts 2 and 4 evidence structural and electrostatic features of the binol derivative which might offer a rationalization of its promising high photo-cross-linking efficiency.

Modeling Substituent and Conformational Effects on the Reactivity of Antitumor Agents Containing a Cyclopropylcyclohexadienone Subunit

The uncatalyzed alkylation reactions of ammonia by the parent spirocyclopropylcyclohexadienone (6), its 3-amino analogue (7), the cyclic derivative (8), its N-formyl derivative (9), and a closer model (10) of the CPI (1-4) drugs have been investigated in gas phase and in water solvent bulk, using density functional theory at the B3LYP level with several basis sets and the C-PCM solvation model. The effect of several structural key features such as the vinylogous amide conjugation, the acylation of the 2-amino substituent, the ring constraint of the heterocyclic nitrogen atom at C(2) carbon in a ring, and the presence of a condensed pyrrole ring on the reaction activation energy have been investigated. Substrate 7, which is a flexible conformational model of the cyclopropylpyrroloindole moiety (CPI) contained in the duocarmycins, has been used to model the shape-dependent reactivity of these drugs, in gas phase and water solutions. The calculations indicate that shape dependence of reactivity is strongly operative both in gas phase and in polar solvents, since conformational effects are capable of reducing the reaction activation energy by -8.4 and -4.3 kcal mol(-1) in gas phase and in water solution, respectively, that is required to promote "conformational catalysis".

The reaction of bisphenol A 3,4-quinone with DNA

The 3,4-quinone of the estrogen-active compound bisphenol A (BPA), characterized by a single crystal X-ray structure determination, has been shown by (1)H NMR spectroscopy to react with herring testes DNA, and with deoxyguanosine (dG), in aqueous buffer at pH 7, to form a BPA 3,4-quinone-guanine-N7 adduct (BPAQ-N7-Gua). Presumably this adduct resulted from decomposition (by loss of deoxyribose) of an initially formed, but unstable, BPAQ-N7-dG adduct. Chemical synthesis if BPAQ-N7-Gua, in up to 60% yield, was achieved by the reaction of BPAQ and dG in aqueous acetic acid. Characterization of this product, by NMR spectroscopy and high resolution mass spectrometry, allowed the monitoring (by (1)H NMR spectroscopy) of the reaction of BPAQ with DNA and with dG. The relevance of this adduct formation to the potential mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of BPA will depend upon confirmation of the necessary metabolic oxidative transformation of BPA in vivo.

A transient product of DNA alkylation can be stabilized by binding localization

A 9-aminoacridine conjugate of a silyl-protected bis(acetoxymethyl)phenol (bisQMP) was synthesized and evaluated as an inducible cross-linking agent of DNA to test our ability to harness the chemistry of reactive quinone methide intermediates (QM). The acridine component was chosen for its ability to delivery an appendage to the major groove of DNA, and the silyl-protected component was chosen for its ability to generate two quinone methide equivalents in tandem upon addition of fluoride. This design created competition between reaction of (1) the 2-amino group of guanine that reacts irreversibly to form a stable QM adduct and (2) the more nucleophilic N7 group of guanine that reacts more efficiently but reversibly to form a labile QM adduct. This lability was apparently compensated by co-localization of the N7 group and QM in the major groove since the N7 adduct appeared to dominate the profile of products formed by duplex DNA. The controlling influence of acridine was also expressed in the sensitivity of the conjugate to ionic strength. High salt concentration inhibited covalent reaction just as it inhibits intercalation of the cationic acridine. As expected for QM formation, the presence of fluoride was indeed necessary for initiating reaction, and no direct benzylic substitution was observed. The conjugate also cross-linked DNA with high efficiency, forming one cross-link for every four alkylation events. Both alkylation and cross-linking products formed by duplex DNA were labile to hot piperidine treatment which led to approximately 40% strand scission and approximately 50% reversion to a material with an electrophoretic mobility equivalent to the parent DNA. All guanines exhibited at least some reactivity including those which were recalcitrant to cross-linking by an oligonucleotide-bisQMP conjugate designed for triplex formation [Zhou, G.; Pande, P.; Johnson, A. E.; Rokita, S. E. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2001, 9, 2347-2354].

Selectivity of purine alkylation by a quinone methide. Kinetic or thermodynamic control?

The alkylation reaction of 9-methyladenine and 9-methylguanine (as prototype substrates of deoxy-adenosine and -guanosine), by the parent o-quinone methide (o-QM), has been investigated in the gas phase and in aqueous solution, using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level. The effect of the medium on the reactivity, and on the stability of the resulting adducts, has been investigated by using the C-PCM solvation model to assess which adduct arises from the kinetically favorable path, or from an equilibrating process. The calculations indicate that the most nucleophilic site of the methyl-substituted nucleobases in the gas phase is the guanine oxygen atom (O(6)) (DeltaG()(gas) = 5.6 kcal mol(-)(1)), followed by the adenine N1 (DeltaG)(gas) = 10.3 kcal mol(-)(1)), while other centers exhibit a substantially lower nucleophilicity. The bulk effect of water as a solvent is the dramatic reduction of the nucleophilicity of both 9-methyladenine N1 (DeltaG)(solv) = 14.5 kcal mol(-)(1)) and 9-methylguanine O(6) (DeltaG)(solv) = 17.0 kcal mol(-)(1)). As a result there is a reversal of the nucleophilicity order of the purine bases. While O(6) and N7 nucleophilic centers of 9-methylguanine compete almost on the same footing, the reactivity gap between N1 and N7 of 9-methyladenine in solution is highly reduced. Regarding product stability, calculations predict that only two of the adducts of o-QM with 9-methyladenine, those at NH(2) and N1 positions, are lower in energy than reactants, both in the gas phase and in water. However, the adduct at N1 can easily dissociate in water. The adducts arising from the covalent modification of 9-methylguanine are largely more stable than reactants in the gas phase, but their stability is markedly reduced in water. In particular, the oxygen alkylation adduct becomes slightly unstable in water (DeltaG(solv) = +1.4 kcal mol(-)(1)), and the N7 alkylation product remains only moderately more stable than free reactants (DeltaG(solv) = -2.8 kcal mol(-)(1)). Our data show that site alkylations at the adenine N1 and the guanine O(6) and N7 in water are the result of kinetically controlled processes and that the selective modification of the exo-amino groups of guanine N2 and adenine N6 are generated by thermodynamic equilibrations. The ability of o-QM to form several metastable adducts with purine nucleobases (at guanine N7 and O(2), and adenine N1) in water suggests that the above adducts may act as o-QM carriers.

Final report on the safety assessment of BHT(1)

BHT is the recognized name in the cosmetics industry for butylated hydroxytoluene. BHT is used in a wide range of cosmetic formulations as an antioxidant at concentrations from 0.0002% to 0.5%. BHT does penetrate the skin, but the relatively low amount absorbed remains primarily in the skin. Oral studies demonstrate that BHT is metabolized. The major metabolites appear as the carboxylic acid of BHT and its glucuronide in urine. At acute doses of 0.5 to 1.0 g/kg, some renal and hepatic damage was seen in male rats. Short-term repeated exposure to comparable doses produced hepatic toxic effects in male and female rats. Subchronic feeding and intraperitoneal studies in rats with BHT at lower doses produced increased liver weight, and decreased activity of several hepatic enzymes. In addition to liver and kidney effects, BHT applied to the skin was associated with toxic effects in lung tissue. BHT was not a reproductive or developmental toxin in animals. BHT has been found to enhance and to inhibit the humoral immune response in animals. BHT itself was not generally considered genotoxic, although it did modify the genotoxicity of other agents. BHT has been associated with hepatocellular and pulmonary adenomas in animals, but was not considered carcinogenic and actually was associated with a decreased incidence of neoplasms. BHT has been shown to have tumor promotion effects, to be anticarcinogenic, and to have no effect on other carcinogenic agents, depending on the target organ, exposure parameters, the carcinogen, and the animal tested. Various mechanism studies suggested that BHT toxicity is related to an electrophillic metabolite. In a predictive clinical test, 100% BHT was a mild irritant and a moderate sensitizer. In provocative skin tests, BHT (in the 1% to 2% concentration range) produced positive reactions in a small number of patients. Clinical testing did not find any depigmentation associated with dermal exposure to BHT, although a few case reports of depigmentation were found. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel recognized that oral exposure to BHT was associated with toxic effects in some studies and was negative in others. BHT applied to the skin, however, appears to remain in the skin or pass through only slowly and does not produce systemic exposures to BHT or its metabolites seen with oral exposures. Although there were only limited studies that evaluated the effect of BHT on the skin, the available studies, along with the case literature, demonstrate no significant irritation, sensitization, or photosensitization. Recognizing the low concentration at which this ingredient is currently used in cosmetic formulations, it was concluded that BHT is safe as used in cosmetic formulations.

Modeling H-bonding and solvent effects in the alkylation of pyrimidine bases by a prototype quinone methide: a DFT study

Nucleophilicity of NH(2), N3, and O(2) centers of cytosine toward a model quinone methide (o-QM) as alkylating agent has been studied using DFT computational analysis [at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level]. Specific and bulk effects of water (by C-PCM model) on the alkylation pathways have been evaluated by analyzing both unassisted and water-assisted reaction mechanisms. An ancillary water molecule, H-bonded to the alkylating agent, may interact monofunctionally with the o-QM oxygen atom (passive mechanisms) or may participate bifunctionally in cyclic hydrogen-bonded structures as a proton shuttle (active mechanisms). A comparison of the unassisted with the water-assisted reaction mechanisms has been made on the basis of activation Gibbs free energies (DeltaG(++)). The gas-phase alkylation reaction at N3 does proceed through a passive mechanism that is preferred over both the active (by -6.3 kcal mol(-1)) and the unassisted process. In contrast, in the gas phase, the active assisted processes at NH(2) and O(2) centers are both favored over their unassisted counterparts by -4.0 and -2.2 kcal mol(-1), respectively. The catalytic effect of a water molecule, in gas phase, reduces the gap between the TSs of the O(2) and NH(2) reaction pathways, but the former remains more stable. Water bulk effect significantly modifies the relative importance of the unassisted and water-assisted alkylation mechanisms, favoring the former, in comparison to the gas-phase reactions. In particular, the unassisted alkylation becomes the preferred mechanism for the reaction at both the exocyclic (NH(2)) and the heterocyclic (N3) nitrogen atoms. By contrast, alkylation at the cytosine oxygen atom is a water-catalyzed process, since in water the active water-assisted mechanism is still favored. As far as competition, among all the possible mechanisms, our calculations unambiguously suggest that the most nucleophilic site both in gas phase (naked reagents: N3 >> O(2) >or= NH(2)) and in water solution (solvated reagents: N3 >> NH(2) >> O(2)) is the heterocyclic nitrogen atom (N3) (DeltaG(++)(gas) = +7.1 kcal mol(-1), and DeltaG(++)(solv) = +13.7 kcal mol(-1)). Our investigation explains the high reactivity and selectivity of the cytosine moiety toward o-QM-like structures both in deoxymononucleoside and in a single-stranded DNA, on the basis of strong H-bonding interactions between reactants and solvent bulk effect. It also offers two general reactivity models in water, uncatalyzed and active water-catalyzed mechanisms (for nitrogen and oxygen nucleophiles, respectively), which should provide a general tool for the planning of nucleic acid modification.

Formation of a methide derivative upon photolysis of thymidine bromohydrins

Reaction of bromine with thymidine in aqueous solution produces, in high yield, the corresponding 5-bromo-6-hydroxy-5,6-dihydroderivative (thymidine bromohydrins). UVC photolysis of thymidine bromohydrins gives rise to a reactive intermediate that is converted into 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine upon incubation in water. When the former compound is left in methanol, ethanol, or propanol, the corresponding 5-alkoxymethyl derivatives are produced. The proposed structure for the primary photolysis product of thymidine bromohydrins is a methide derivative of the thymine ring. This compound could be an interesting intermediate in the synthesis of methyl-substituted thymidine.

Comparative metabolism, covalent binding and toxicity of BHT congeners in rat liver slices

The metabolism, covalent binding and hepatotoxicity of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT, 4-methyl-2,6-di-t-butylphenol) and two congeners (E-BHT, 4-ethyl-2,6-di-t-butylphenol; I-BHT, 4-isopropyl-2,6-di-t-butylphenol) were compared using precision-cut liver slices prepared from phenobarbital (PB)-treated male Sprague-Dawley rats. At equimolar concentrations (1 mM) BHT was the most toxic of the three compounds, causing an 80% decrease in cell viability over a 6 h incubation period. E-BHT was intermediate in toxicity while the isopropyl derivative was relatively nontoxic. Intracellular glutathione levels decreased prior to the onset of cytotoxicity. The cytochrome P450 inhibitor metyrapone completely inhibited the toxicity of all three compounds. The rates of metabolism of the three compounds to glutathione conjugates were compared in both PB-treated microsomes and PB-induced liver slices. In both models, the rate of formation was greatest for BHT, followed by E-BHT and I-BHT. Synthetic quinone methides (QMs) were prepared from each parent phenol and the rates of reactivity with three nucleophiles (water, methanol and glutathione) were compared. With each nucleophile, BHTQM was the most reactive, while I-BHTQM was the least reactive. Finally, covalent binding to protein was assessed in two ways. First, alkylation of an isolated model protein (bovine insulin) was measured in a microsomal enzyme activation system by mass spectrometry. Incubations with BHT produced the greatest extent of protein alkylation, followed by E-BHT, while no alkylation was observed with I-BHT. In the second system, covalent binding to cellular protein was assessed in rat liver PB microsomes and tissue slices by Western blotting using an antibody specific for the tert-butylphenol portion of the compounds. Binding was greatest for BHT, intermediate for E-BHT and could not be detected for I-BHT. The alkylation pattern for E-BHT was strikingly similar to that of BHT, suggesting that both compounds bound similar proteins. In summary, our results suggest that for hindered phenols such as BHT, increasing the length of the 4-alkyl substituent retards the rate of formation of reactive intermediates, significantly reduces the electrophilicity of the reactive intermediate, and greatly reduces the amount but not the selectivity of covalent binding to cellular protein, thereby reducing the toxicity of the parent compound.

Thermodynamic versus kinetic products of DNA alkylation as modeled by reaction of deoxyadenosine

Alkylating agents that react through highly electrophilic quinone methide intermediates often express a specificity for the weakly nucleophilic exocyclic amines of deoxyguanosine (dG N(2)) and deoxyadenosine (dA N(6)) in DNA. Investigations now indicate that the most nucleophilic site of dA (N1) preferentially, but reversibly, conjugates to a model ortho-quinone methide. Ultimately, the thermodynamically stable dA N(6) isomer accumulates by trapping the quinone methide that is transiently regenerated from collapse of the dA N1 adduct. Alternative conversions of the dA N1 to the dA N(6) derivative by a Dimroth rearrangement or other intramolecular processes are not competitive under neutral conditions, as demonstrated by studies with [6-(15)N]-dA. Both a model quinone methide precursor and its dA N1 adduct yield a similar profile of deoxynucleoside products when treated with an equimolar mixture of dC, dA, dG, and T. Consequently, the most readily observed products of DNA modification resulting from reversible reactions may reflect thermodynamic rather than kinetic selectivity.

Advances in metal chemistry of quinonoid compounds: new types of interactions between metals and aromatics

This Account presents an overview of current research activities that focus on novel types of interactions between cationic transition metal complexes and arene systems and on unprecedented quinonoid complexes which result from such interactions. When a negatively charged phenoxy group is present in a position para to the metal in a high oxidation state, intramolecular charge transfer occurs, giving the corresponding metallaquinones or quinone methide complexes. In addition, two types of interactions involving low-valent metal compounds have been observed: methylene arenium complexes which result from positive charge transfer to the aromatic ring and sigma-bonded C-H and C-C agostic complexes of cationic metals. These sigma-complexes are proposed as intermediates in metal-based bond activation processes.

o-Quinone methide as alkylating agent of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur nucleophiles. The role of H-bonding and solvent effects on the reactivity through a DFT computational study

The reactivity of the alkylating agent o-quinone methide (o-QM) toward NH(3), H(2)O, and H(2)S, prototypes of nitrogen-, oxygen-, and sulfur-centered nucleophiles, has been studied by quantum chemical methods in the frame of DF theory (B3LYP) in reactions modeling its reactivity in water with biological nucleophiles. The computational analysis explores the reaction of NH(3), H(2)O, and H(2)S with o-QM, both free and H-bonded to a discrete water molecule, with the aim to rationalize the specific and general effect of the solvent on o-QM reactivity. Optimizations of stationary points were done at the B3LYP level using several basis sets [6-31G(d), 6-311+G(d,p), adding d and f functions to the S atom, 6-311+G(d,p),S(2df), and AUG-cc-pVTZ]. The activation energies calculated for the addition reactions were found to be reduced by the assistance of a water molecule, which makes easier the proton-transfer process in these alkylation reactions by at least 12.9, 10.5, and 6.0 kcal mol(-1) [at the B3LYP/AUG-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level], for ammonia, water, and hydrogen sulfide, respectively. A proper comparison of an uncatalyzed with a water-catalyzed reaction mechanism has been made on the basis of activation Gibbs free energies. In gas-phase alkylation of ammonia and water by o-QM, reactions assisted by an additional water molecule H-bonded to o-QM (water-catalyzed mechanism) are favored over their uncatalyzed counterparts by 5.6 and 4.0 kcal mol(-1) [at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level], respectively. In contrast, the hydrogen sulfide alkylation reaction in the gas phase shows a slight preference for a direct alkylation without water assistance, even though the free energy difference (DeltaDeltaG(#)) between the two reaction mechanisms is very small (by 1.0 kcal mol(-1) at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p),S(2df) level of theory). The bulk solvent effect, evaluated by the C-PCM model, significantly modifies the relative importance of the uncatalyzed and water-assisted alkylation mechanism by o-QM in comparison to the case in the gas phase. Unexpectedly, the uncatalyzed mechanism becomes highly favored over the catalyzed one in the alkylation reaction of ammonia (by 7.0 kcal mol(-1)) and hydrogen sulfide (by 4.0 kcal mol(-1)). In contrast, activation induced by water complexation still plays an important role in the o-QM hydration reaction in water as solvent.

Studies using structural analogs and inbred strain differences to support a role for quinone methide metabolites of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in mouse lung tumor promotion

Chronic treatment of BALB and GRS mice with BHT (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol) following a single urethane injection increases lung tumor multiplicity, but this does not occur in CXB4 mice. Previous data suggest that promotion requires the conversion of BHT to a tert-butyl-hydroxylated metabolite (BHTOH) in lung and the subsequent oxidation of this species to an electrophilic quinone methide. To obtain additional evidence for the importance of quinone methide formation, structural analogs that form less reactive quinone methides were tested and found to lack promoting activity in BHT-responsive mice. The possibility that promotion-unresponsive strains are unable to form BHTOH was tested by substituting this compound for BHT in the promotion protocol using CXB4 mice. No promotion occurred, and in-vitro work demonstrated that CXB4 mice are, in fact, capable of producing BHTOH and its quinone methide, albeit in smaller quantities. Incubations with BALB lung microsomes and radiolabeled substrates confirmed that more covalent binding to protein occurs with BHTOH than with BHT and, in addition, BHTOH quinone methide is considerably more toxic to mouse lung epithelial cells than BHT quinone methide. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that a two-step oxidation process, i.e. hydroxylation and quinone methide formation, is required for the promotion of mouse lung tumors by BHT.

Alkylation of amino acids and glutathione in water by o-quinone methide. Reactivity and selectivity

o-Quinone methide (1) has been produced in water both thermally and photochemically from (2-hydroxybenzyl)trimethylammonium iodide (2). Michael addition reactions of 1 to various amines, and sulfides, including amino acids and glutathione have been carried out, obtaining alkylated adducts (3-16) in fairly good to quantitative yields. The reaction rate and selectivity of 1 toward nitrogen and sulfur nucleophiles, in competition with the hydration reaction, have been investigated at different pH by laser flash photolysis technique. The observed reactivity spans 7 orders of magnitude on passing from water (kNu = 5.8 M-1 s-1) to the most reactive nucleophile (2.8 x 10(8) M-1 s-1, 2-mercaptoethanol under alkaline conditions). These are the first direct reaction rate measurements of nucleophilic addition to the parent o-quinone methide (1). Competition experiments provided strong kinetic support to the involvement of free 1 as an intermediate in both thermal and photochemical reactions. Furthermore, several alkylation adducts regenerate 1 either by heating (9, 10, 13, and 14) or by irradiation (9, 11-13, 16). Such a thermal and photochemical reversibility of the alkylation process opens a new perspective for the use and application of such adducts as o-QM molecular carriers.

Chemical synthesis of cross-link lesions found in nitrous acid treated DNA: a general method for the preparation of N2-substituted 2'-deoxyguanosines

Treatment of DNA with nitrous acid results in the formation of DNA-DNA cross-links. Two cross-link lesions have previously been isolated and their structures assigned based on spectroscopic data. The major lesion has been proposed to consist of two deoxyguanosine (dG) nucleosides sharing a common N2 atom (1), while the structure of the minor lesion has been proposed to consist of a common nitrogen atom linking C2 of a dG nucleoside to C6 of deoxyadenosine (2). The chemical synthesis of 1 and 2, utilizing a palladium-catalyzed coupling, is described herein. It is demonstrated that the spectroscopic properties of synthetic 1 are identical to that of lesion 1 obtained from nitrous acid cross-linked DNA, thus providing a proof of its structure. Comparison of the limited spectroscopic data available for lesion 2 originating from nitrous acid cross-linked DNA to synthetic 2 supports its structural assignment. The synthetic approach used for synthesis of 1 and 2 is shown to be a general method for the preparation of a variety of N2-substituted dG nucleosides in good yields.

Phosphodiester Alkylation with a Quinone Methide

Despite the wide array of studies involving DNA alkylation and cleavage with quinone methide generating compounds, there have been no reports on the alkylation of phosphodiesters with quinone methides. We have investigated the reaction of dialkyl phosphates with a p-quinone methide in order to determine the potential for alkylation to produce trialkyphosphates. These studies have revealed that a phosphodiester can be alkylated with a p-quinone methide when promoted by a Brønsted acid. The role of the Brønsted acid is to sufficiently activate the p-quinone methide to allow phosphodiester addition to occur. The alkyl substituents of the phosphodiester have been found to effect the reactivity of the dialkyl phosphate under the reaction conditions examined. Equilibrium conversions up to 83% trialkyl phosphate formation have been achieved.

Transcriptional activity of quinone methides derived from the tumor promoter butylated hydroxytoluene in HepG2 cells

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is a pulmonary toxin and tumor promoter in mice presumably due to the formation of two quinone methides (QMs) that alkylate cellular nucleophiles. The activation of stress genes by these electrophilic metabolites was investigated with an assay system consisting of 14 recombinant cell lines derived from the human hepatoma line HepG2, each carrying a unique promoter or response element construct fused to the reporter gene for chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT). The largest responses to QMs occurred in cells containing either the metallothionein IIA, glutathione S-transferase Ya, or 70 kDa heat shock protein promoter, or the xenobiotic response element. The other cell lines exhibited only small or no effects. These results are consistent with transcriptional activities reported for several other electrophiles known to undergo covalent interactions with proteins.

Influence of quinone methide reactivity on the alkylation of thiol and amino groups in proteins: studies utilizing amino acid and peptide models

Quinone methides (QMs) are electrophiles formed in several biological processes including direct oxidations of 4-alkylphenols by cytochromes P450. These species may be responsible for the adverse effects of certain phenolic compounds through protein alkylation, but little information is available concerning specific targets or the resulting mechanisms of cell injury. The present goal was to determine the most likely sites of adduct formation among competing protein nucleophiles utilizing QMs of varying electrophilicity. Reactions of poorly reactive, moderately reactive, and highly reactive QMs, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylene-2,5-cyclohexadienone (BHT-QM), 6-tert-butyl-2-(2'-hydroxyl-1',1'-dimethylethyl)-4-methylene- 2,5-cyclohexadienone (BHTOH-QM), and 2-tert-butyl-6-methyl-4-methylene-2,5-cyclohexadienone (BDMP-QM), respectively, were investigated in aqueous solutions with nucleophilic amino acids. Each QM rapidly formed a thioether derivative of cysteine with little or no competition from the addition of water (hydration). The alpha-amino groups were the primary sites of alkylation for all other amino acids examined including lysine, histidine, tyrosine, and serine, and the pseudo-first order rates were 5 to 8-fold greater than the rates of hydration. Alkylation of the side chain nitrogens of lysine and histidine occurred at about one-fourth the rate of hydration for BDMP-QM, but no reaction was detectable for BHT-QM and no reactions occurred between QMs and amino acid hydroxyl groups. The results indicate that, based on chemical reactivity, peptide alkylation should occur in the order cysteine thiol > N-terminal amino > N epsilon-lysine = NIm-histidine, with side chain modifications occurring only with the more electrophilic QMs. Reactions of QMs with the tripeptide Gly-His-Lys confirmed the results with amino acids as N alpha-glycine alkylation predominated, but side chain adducts also formed with BHTOH-QM and BDMP-QM. Human hemoglobin was treated with QMs, hydrolyzed, and assayed by HPLC-thermospray mass spectrometry. This work revealed that N epsilon-lysine was the main alkylation site, emphasizing the importance of factors, in addition to chemical reactivity, which influence protein modification by electrophiles.

The reactivity of o-quinones which do not isomerize to quinone methides correlates with alkylcatechol-induced toxicity in human melanoma cells

Catechols are widespread in the environment, especially as constituents of edible plants. A number of these catechols may undergo oxidative metabolism to electrophilic o-quinones (3,5-cyclohexadien-1,2-dione) by oxidative enzymes such as cytochrome P450 and peroxidases. Alkylation of cellular nucleophiles by these intermediates and the formation of reactive oxygen species, especially through redox cycling of o-quinones, could contribute to the cytotoxic properties of the parent catechols. In contrast, isomerization of the o-quinones to electrophilic quinone methides (4-methylene-2,5-cyclohexadien-1-one, QM) could cause cellular damage primarily through alkylation. In this investigation, we treated human melanoma cells with two groups of catechols. These cells have high levels of tyrosinase required to oxidize catechols to quinoids. For catechols which are oxidized to o-quinones that cannot isomerize to quinone methides or form unstable quinone methides, plots of the cytotoxicity data (ED50) versus the reactivity of the o-quinones gave an excellent linear correlation; decreasing o-quinone reactivity led to a decrease in the cytotoxic potency of the catechol. In contrast, catechols which are metabolized by the o-quinone/p-quinone methide bioactivation pathway were equally cytotoxic but showed no correlation between the reactivity of the o-quinones and the cytotoxic potency of the catechols. The most likely explanation for this effect is a change in cytotoxic mechanism from o-quinone-mediated inhibition of cell growth to a bioactivation pathway based on both o-quinone and p-QM formation. These results substantiate the conclusion that the involvement of the o-quinone/ QM pathway in catechol toxicity depends on a combination between the rate of enzymatic formation of the o-quinone, the rate of isomerization to the more electrophilic QM, and the chemical reactivity of the quinoids.