Photoprocesses of p-naphthoquinones and vitamin K(1): effects of alcohols and amines on the reactivity in solution

Synthesis and Photochemical Properties of Fluorescent Metabolites Generated from Fluorinated Benzoylmenadiones in Living Cells

This work describes the reactivity and properties of fluorinated derivatives (F-PD and F-PDO) of plasmodione (PD) and its metabolite, the plasmodione oxide (PDO). Introduction of a fluorine atom on the 2-methyl group markedly alters the redox properties of the 1,4-naphthoquinone electrophore, making the compound highly oxidizing and particularly photoreactive. A fruitful set of analytical methods (electrochemistry, absorption and emission spectrophotometry, and HRMS-ESI) have been used to highlight the products resulting from UV photoirradiation in the absence or presence of selected nucleophiles. With F-PDO and in the absence of nucleophile, photoreduction generates a highly reactive ortho-quinone methide (o-QM) capable of leading to the formation of a homodimer. In the presence of thiol nucleophiles such as β-mercaptoethanol, which was used as a model, o-QMs are continuously regenerated in sequential photoredox reactions generating mono- or disulfanylation products as well as various unreported sulfanyl products. Besides, these photoreduced adducts derived from F-PDO are characterized by a bright yellowish emission due to an excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process between the dihydronapthoquinone and benzoyl units. In order to evidence the possibility of an intramolecular coupling of the o-QM intermediate, a synthetic route to the corresponding anthrones is described. Tautomerization of the targeted anthrones occurs and affords highly fluorescent stable hydroxyl-anthraquinones. Although probable to explain the intense visible fluorescence emission also observed in tobacco BY-2 cells used as a cellular model, these coupling products have never been observed during the photochemical reactions performed in this study. Our data suggest that the observed ESIPT-induced fluorescence most likely corresponds to the generation of alkylated products through reduction species, as demonstrated with the β-mercaptoethanol model. In conclusion, F-PDO thus acts as a novel (pro)-fluorescent probe for monitoring redox processes and protein alkylation in living cells.

Intramolecular Photoredox Reaction Mechanism of Naphthoquinone Compounds: Combined Time-Resolved Spectroscopies and DFT Calculations

Time-resolved spectroscopies and DFT calculations were utilized to investigate the photoredox mechanisms of naphthoquinone compounds. 5-Methoxy-8-tetrahydropyrane-1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ) and 2-methyl-3-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl) 1,4-naphthoquinone (MNQ) were excited to singlet excited species (labeled NQ(S₁) and MNQ(S₁), respectively). NQ(S₁) underwent intersystem crossing to produce a triplet NQ, which further underwent hydrogen atom transfer to form a biradical intermediate. The biradical underwent electron transfer to form a zwitterion, followed by cyclization and proton transfer to generate a photoproduct. MNQ(S₁) underwent a 1,4-proton transfer process to produce a quinone methide intermediate (1,3-QM) with zwitterionic character, which tautomerized to 1,2-QM. Then, 1,2-QM underwent electrocyclization. The substituent on the parent naphthoquinone is the key factor leading to the different reaction processes for NQ and MNQ.

Visible Light-Induced Regio- and Enantiodifferentiating [2 + 2] Photocycloaddition of 1,4-Naphthoquinones Mediated by Oppositely Coordinating 1,3,2-Oxazaborolidine Chiral Lewis Acid

A range of asymmetric photochemical transformations using visible light have recently become considerably attractive. Among the various approaches, chiral Lewis acid association to enones for [2 + 2] and ortho photocycloadditions and oxadi-π-methane rearrangements have shown to be very promising. Naturally, chiral Lewis acid coordination protects one of the prochiral faces of the C═C double bond, which enables an effective enantiodifferentiation in the following bond-forming process(es). Here, we studied regio- and enantiodifferentiating [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reactions of naphthoquinone derivatives mediated by chiral oxazaborolidines. A stereochemical control was quite challenging for the 2-ene-1,4-dione substrate, as a double coordination of Lewis acid essentially cancels out the face selectivity, and a mono-coordination to each carbonyl group leads to an opposite stereochemical outcome. Furthermore, a stepwise coordination in the ground state of Lewis acid in a 1:1 fashion was practically inaccessible. We found that the excited-state decomplexation is a key to accomplish high regio- and enantioselectivities in the photocycloaddition of an ene-dione.

Bioinspired Photoredox Benzylation of Quinones

3-Benzylmenadiones were obtained in good yield by using a blue-light-induced photoredox process in the presence of Fe(III), oxygen, and γ-terpinene acting as a hydrogen-atom transfer agent. This methodology is compatible with a wide variety of diversely substituted 1,4-naphthoquinones as well as various cheap, readily available benzyl bromides with excellent functional group tolerance. The benzylation mechanism was investigated and supports a three-step radical cascade with the key involvement of the photogenerated superoxide anion radical.

Daylight-Induced Antibacterial and Antiviral Nanofibrous Membranes Containing Vitamin K Derivatives for Personal Protective Equipment

During the development of antibacterial and antiviral materials for personal protective equipment (PPE), daylight active functional polymeric materials containing vitamin K compounds (VKs) and impacts of polymer structures to the functions were investigated. As examples, hydrophobic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene) (PVA-co-PE) polymers were directly blended with three VK compounds and electrospun into VK-containing nanofibrous membranes (VNFMs). The prepared VNFMs exhibited robust photoactivity in generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) under both daylight (D65, 300-800 nm) and ultraviolet A (UVA, 365 nm) irradiation, resulting in high antimicrobial and antiviral efficiency (>99.9%) within a short exposure time (<90 min). Interestingly, the PVA-co-PE/VK₃ VNFM showed higher ROS production rates and better biocidal functions than those of the PAN/VK₃ VNFM under the same photoirradiation conditions, indicating that PVA-co-PE is a better matrix polymer material for these functions. Moreover, the prepared PVA-co-PE/VK₃ VNFM maintains its powerful microbicidal function even after five times of repeated exposures to bacteria and viruses, showing the stability and reusability of the antimicrobial materials. The fabrication of photoinduced antimicrobial VNFMs may provide new insights into the development of non-toxic and reusable photoinduced antimicrobial materials that could be applied in personal protective equipment with improved biological protections.

Unravelling the configuration of transient ortho-quinone methides by combining microfluidics with gas phase vibrational spectroscopy

The alkylidene double bond configuration of transient ortho-quinone methides (o-QMs) is studied by cryogenic ion trap vibrational spectroscopy.

Non-thermal plasma oxidation of Cu(II)-EDTA and simultaneous Cu(II) elimination by chemical precipitation

Cu²⁺ readily complexes with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to form a heavy metal complex (Cu-EDTA) that is typical in the effluents from mining and electroplating industries. It was difficult for the classical alkaline precipitation method to eliminate the heavy metal complex due to the strong bonding ability between Cu(II) and EDTA. Cu(II) release and removal performance after Cu-EDTA decomplexation in a non-thermal plasma oxidation system was carried out in this study. The removal process was characterized by chemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, atomic force microscopy, and electroconductivity analysis. The toxicity effect of the treated Cu-EDTA solution was also tested by photobacterium bioassay. The experimental results showed that 80.2% of Cu was released and removed within 60 min of the non-thermal plasma treatment/alkaline precipitation. Relatively higher energy input, lower Cu-EDTA concentration, and acidic conditions were necessary to obtain greater Cu release and removal performance, and there existed an appropriate air flow rate for high-efficient Cu release and removal. O₂^-, OH, ¹O₂, and O₃ were the main active substances leading to Cu²⁺ release. Its residual toxicity to P.phosphoreum sp.-T3 was significantly reduced after treatment.

A Catalytic Trisulfide in Human Sulfide Quinone Oxidoreductase Catalyzes Coenzyme A Persulfide Synthesis and Inhibits Butyrate Oxidation

Mitochondrial sulfide quinone oxidoreductase (SQR) catalyzes the oxidation of H₂S to glutathione persulfide with concomitant reduction of CoQ₁₀. We report herein that the promiscuous activity of human SQR supported the conversion of CoA to CoA-SSH (CoA-persulfide), a potent inhibitor of butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, and revealed a molecular link between sulfide and butyrate metabolism, which are known to interact. Three different CoQ₁-bound crystal structures furnished insights into how diverse substrates access human SQR, and provided snapshots of the reaction coordinate. Unexpectedly, the active site cysteines in SQR are configured in a bridging trisulfide at the start and end of the catalytic cycle, and the presence of sulfane sulfur was confirmed biochemically. Importantly, our study leads to a mechanistic proposal for human SQR in which sulfide addition to the trisulfide cofactor eliminates ²⁰¹Cys-SSH, forming an intense charge-transfer complex with flavin adenine dinucleotide, and ³⁷⁹Cys-SSH, which transfers sulfur to an external acceptor.

Oxygen Uptake upon Photolysis of 1,4-Benzoquinones and 1,4-Naphthoquinones in Air-Saturated Aqueous Solution in the Presence of Formate, Amines, Ascorbic Acid, and Alcohols

The effects of oxygen in the photoreduction of 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ), and a series of derivatives were studied in aqueous solution in the presence of acetonitrile and formate, aliphatic amines, e.g., EDTA or triethylamine, ascorbic acid, and alcohols, e.g., methanol or 2-propanol. The quinone triplet state is quenched, whereby the semiquinone and donor radicals are formed which react subsequently with oxygen. The overall reaction is oxidation of the donors and conversion of oxygen via the hydroperoxyl/superoxide radical into hydrogen peroxide. The quantum yield (Phi-O2) of this oxygen uptake changes in 2-propanol-water (1:10) from <0.01 for BQ to Phi-O2 = 0.5-0.8 for NQ. Generally Phi-O2 increases with increasing donor concentration. The specific properties of quinone structure, the radical equilibria and reactivity, and the concentration dependences are discussed.

Photoreactions of p-Quinones with Dimethyl Sulfide and Dimethyl Sulfoxide in Aqueous Acetonitrile†

The effects of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the photoreactions of 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ), 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and several derivatives in acetonitrile/water were studied. The observed triplet state of the quinones is quenched and the rate constant is close to the diffusion-controlled limit for reactions of most quinones with DMS and lower with DMSO. Semiquinone radical anions (Q*-) produced by electron transfer from sulfur to the triplet quinone were detected. For both DMS and DMSO the yield of Q*- is similar, being generally low for BQ and NQ, substantial for AQ and largest for chloranil. The specific quencher concentrations and the effects of quinone structure and redox potentials on the time-resolved photochemical properties are discussed.

Hoechst 33258 selectively inhibits group I intron self-splicing by affecting RNA folding

Fungal pathogens are increasing in prevalence due to an increase in resistant strains and the number of immunocompromised humans. Candida albicans is one of these pathogens, and approximately 40% of strains contain a group I self-splicing intron, which is a potential RNA drug target, in their large subunit rRNA precursor. Here, we report that Hoechst 33258 and derivatives thereof are selective inhibitors of C. albicans group I intron self-splicing with an IC50 of 17 microM in 2 mM Mg2+. Chemical probing of the intron in the presence of Hoechst 33258 reveals that the folding of several nucleotides in the P4/P6 region of the intron is affected. A nucleotide near the J4/5 region is protected from chemical modification in the presence of Hoechst 33258 and several nearby are more reactive; this suggests that this region is the molecule's binding site. These results expand the available information on small-molecule targeting of RNA and suggest that the RNA-targeting scaffold provided by Hoechst may prove valuable in designing compounds that inhibit the functions of RNA.

Photoreactions of p-benzo-, p-naphtho- and p-anthraquinones with ascorbic acid

The photoreduction of 1,4-benzoquinone (BQ), 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ), 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and several derivatives, e.g. dimethylBQ, trimethylBQ, duroquinone, bromoNQ, methoxyNQ, methylAQ and dimethylAQ in acetonitrile-water by ascorbate was studied by time-resolved UV-vis spectroscopy using 20 ns laser pulses at 308 nm and continuous 254 nm irradiation. The semiquinone radical (*QH/Q*(-)) is formed after H-atom transfer from ascorbate to the quinone triplet state. The rate constant for quenching is k(q)=(2-9) x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1). Termination of the radicals takes place in the micros-ms range. The results are compared with those initiated by electron transfer from DABCO under similar conditions, where the k(q) values are similar, but the termination of Q*(-) takes place by electron back transfer not yielding hydroquinones. Specific properties of the quinone triplet state, e.g. self-quenching, nucleophilic water addition and the effects of structure are discussed.