2,2'-[4,10-Bis(carb-oxy-meth-yl)-4,10-diaza-1,7-diazo-niacyclo-dodecane-1,7-di-yl]diacetate dihydrate

Facile transmetallation of [SbIII(DOTA)]- renders it unsuitable for medical applications

The antimony(iii) complex of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetate (DOTA) has been prepared and its exceptionally low stability observed. The Sb(iii) ion in Na[Sb(DOTA)]·4H2O shows an approximately square antiprismatic coordination geometry that is close to superimposable to the Bi(iii) geometry in [Bi(DOTA)]- in two phases containing this anion, Na[Bi(DOTA)]·4H2O, [H3O][Bi(DOTA)]·H2O for which structures are also described. Interestingly, DOTA itself in [(H6DOTA)]Cl2·4H2O·DMSO shows the same orientation of the N4O4 metal binding cavity reflecting the limited flexibility of DOTA in an octadentate coordination mode. In 8-coordinate complexes it can however accommodate M(iii) ions with r ion spanning a relatively wide range from 87 pm (Sc(iii)) to 117 pm (Bi(iii)). The larger Bi3+ ion appears to be the best metal-ligand size match since [Bi(DOTA)]- is associated with greater complex stability. In the solution state, [Sb(DOTA)]- is extremely susceptible to transmetallation by trivalent ions (Sc(iii), Y(iii), Bi(iii)) and, significantly, even by biologically important divalent metal ions (Mg(ii), Ca(ii), Zn(ii)). In all cases just one equivalent is enough to displace most of the Sb(iii). [Sb(DOTA)]- is resistant to hydrolysis; however, since biologically more abundant metal ions easily substitute the antimony, DOTA complexes will not be suitable for deployment for the delivery of the, so far unexploited, theranostic isotope pair 119Sb and 117Sb.

Coordination of Tetravalent Actinides (An=ThIV , UIV , NpIV , PuIV ) with DOTA: From Dimers to Hexamers

Three tetravalent actinide (An^IV ) hexanuclear clusters with the octahedral core [An₆ (OH)₄ O₄ ]¹²⁺ (An^IV =U^IV , Np^IV , Pu^IV ) were structurally characterized in the solid state and in aqueous solution by using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption, IR, Raman, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The observed structure, [An₆ (OH)₄ O₄ (H₂ O)₈ (HDOTA)₄ ]⋅HCl/HNO₃ ⋅n H₂ O (An=U(I), Np(II), Pu(III)), consists of a An^IV hexanuclear pseudo-octahedral cluster stabilized by DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) ligands. The six actinide atoms are connected through alternate μ₃ -O^2- and μ₃ -OH^- groups. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) investigations combined with UV/Vis spectroscopy provide evidence for the same local structure in moderate acidic and neutral aqueous solutions. The synthesis mechanism was partially elucidated and the main physicochemical properties (pH range stability, solubility, and protonation constant) of the cluster were determined. The results underline the importance of: 1) considering such polynuclear species in thermodynamic models, and 2) competing reactions between hydrolysis and complexation. It is interesting to note that the same synthesis route with thorium(IV) led to the formation of a dimer, Th₂ (H₂ O)₁₀ (H₂ DOTA)₂ ⋅4 NO₃ ⋅x H₂ O (IV), which contrasts to the structure of the other An^IV hexamers.

Synthesis, basicity, structural characterization, and biochemical properties of two [(3-hydroxy-4-pyron-2-yl)methyl]amine derivatives showing antineoplastic features

The N,N'-bis[(3-hydroxy-4-pyron-2-yl)methyl]-N,N'-dimethylethylendiamine (malten) and 4,10-bis[(3-hydroxy-4-pyron-2-yl)methyl]-1,7-dimethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (maltonis) were synthesized and characterized. The acid-base behavior, structural characterizations, and biochemical studies in aqueous solution were reported. Each compound contains two 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-pyrone units (maltol) symmetrically spaced by a polyamine fragment, the 1,4-dimethylethylendiamine (malten), or the 1,7-dimethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (maltonis). They are present at physiological pH 7.4 in the form of differently charged species: neutral but in a zwitterion form for malten and monopositive with an internal separation of charges for maltonis. Malten and maltonis are both able to alter the chromatin structure inducing the covalent binding of genomic DNA with proteins, a feature consistent with the known antiproliferative activity exerted by this class of molecules. Solid-state results and MD simulations in water show that malten, because of its molecular topology, should be more prone than maltonis to act as a donor of H-bonds in intermolecular contacts, thus it should give a better noncovalent approach with the negatively charged DNA. Crystal structures of [H(2)malten](2+) and [H(2)maltonis](2+) cations were also reported.