A Platform for the Synthesis of Oxidation Products of Bilirubin

Bilirubin is the principal product of heme catabolism. High concentrations of the pigment are neurotoxic, yet slightly elevated levels are beneficial. Being a potent antioxidant, oxidative transformations of bilirubin occur in vivo and lead to various oxidized fragments. The mechanisms of their formation, intrinsic biological activities, and potential roles in human pathophysiology are poorly understood. Degradation methods have been used to obtain samples of bilirubin oxidation products for research. Here, we report a complementary, fully synthetic method of preparation. Our strategy leverages repeating substitution patterns in the parent tetracyclic pigment. Functionalized ready-to-couple γ-lactone, γ-lactam, and pyrrole monocyclic building blocks were designed and efficiently synthesized. Subsequent modular combinations, supported by metal-catalyzed borylation and cross-coupling chemistries, translated into the concise assembly of the structurally diverse bilirubin oxidation products (BOXes, propentdyopents, and biopyrrins). The discovery of a new photoisomer of biopyrrin A named lumipyrrin is reported. Synthetic bilirubin oxidation products made available in sufficient purity and quantity will support future in vitro and in vivo investigations.

Molecular Taphonomy of Heme: Chemical Degradation of Hemin under Presumed Fossilization Conditions

The metalloporphyrin heme acts as the oxygen-complexing prosthetic group of hemoglobin in blood. Heme has been noted to survive for many millions of years in fossils. Here, we investigate its stability and degradation under various conditions expected to occur during fossilization. Oxidative, reductive, aerobic, and anaerobic conditions were studied at neutral and alkaline pH values. Elevated temperatures were applied to accelerate degradation. High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) identified four main degradation products. The vinyl residues are oxidized to formyl and further to carboxylate groups. In the presence of air or H₂O₂, cleavage of the tetrapyrrole ring occurs, and hematinic acid is formed. The highest stability of heme was observed under anaerobic reductive conditions (half-life 9.5 days), while the lowest stability was found in the presence of H₂O₂ (half-life 1 min). We confirmed that the iron cation plays a crucial role in degradation, since protoporphyrin IX, lacking iron, remained significantly more stable. Under anaerobic, reductive conditions, the above-mentioned degradation products were not observed, suggesting a different degradation pathway. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular taphonomy study on heme, which will be useful for understanding its fate during fossilization.

Multicenter interactions and ligand field effects in platinum(II) tripyrrindione radicals

The tripyrrin-1,14-dione biopyrrin, which shares the scaffold of several naturally occurring heme metabolites, is a redox-active platform for metal coordination. We report the synthesis of square planar platinum(II) tripyrrindiones, in which the biopyrrin binds as a tridentate radical and the fourth coordination position is occupied by either aqua or tert-butyl isocyanide ligands. These complexes are stable through chromatographic purification and exposure to air. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) data and density functional theory (DFT) analysis confirm that the spin density is located predominantly on the tripyrrindione ligand. Pancake bonding in solution between the Pt(II) tripyrrindione radicals leads to the formation of diamagnetic π dimers at low temperatures. The identity of the monodentate ligand (i.e., aqua vs. isocyanide) affects both the thermodynamic parameters of dimerization and the tripyrrindione-based redox processes in these complexes. Isolation and structural characterization of the oxidized complexes revealed stacking of the diamagnetic tripyrrindiones in the solid state as well as a metallophilic Pt(II)-Pt(II) contact in the case of the aqua complex. Overall, the properties of Pt(II) tripyrrindiones, including redox potentials and intermolecular interactions in solution and in the solid state, are modulated through easily accessible changes in the redox state of the biopyrrin ligand or the nature of the monodentate ligand.

Photochemistry of (Z)-Isovinylneoxanthobilirubic Acid Methyl Ester, a Bilirubin Dipyrrinone Subunit: Femtosecond Transient Absorption and Stimulated Raman Emission Spectroscopy

Bilirubin (BR) is an essential metabolite formed by the catabolism of heme. Phototherapy with blue-green light can be applied to reduce high concentrations of BR in blood and is used especially in the neonatal period. In this work, we studied the photochemistry of (Z)-isovinylneoxanthobilirubic acid methyl ester, a dipyrrinone subunit of BR, by steady-state absorption, femtosecond transient absorption, and stimulated Raman spectroscopies. Both the (Z)- and (E)-configurational isomers of isovinylneoxanthobilirubic acid undergo wavelength-dependent and reversible photoisomerization. The isomerization from the excited singlet state is ultrafast (the lifetimes of (Z)- and (E)-isomers were found to be ∼0.9 and 0.1 ps, respectively), and its efficiencies increase with increased photon energy. In addition, we studied sensitized photooxidation of the dipyrrinone subunit by singlet oxygen that leads to the formation of propentdyopents. Biological activities of these compounds, namely, effects on the superoxide production, lipoperoxidation, and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolism, were also studied. Finally, different photochemical and biological properties of this BR subunit and its structural analogue, (Z)-vinylneoxanthobilirubic acid methyl ester, studied before, are discussed.

Biopyrrin Pigments: From Heme Metabolites to Redox-Active Ligands and Luminescent Radicals

Redox-active ligands in coordination chemistry not only modulate the reactivity of the bound metal center but also serve as electron reservoirs to store redox equivalents. Among many applications in contemporary chemistry, the scope of redox-active ligands in biology is exemplified by the porphyrin radicals in the catalytic cycles of multiple heme enzymes (e.g., cytochrome P450, catalase) and the chlorophyll radicals in photosynthetic systems. This Account reviews the discovery of two redox-active ligands inspired by oligopyrrolic fragments found in biological settings as products of heme metabolism.Linear oligopyrroles, in which pyrrole heterocycles are linked by methylene or methine bridges, are ubiquitous in nature as part of the complex, multistep biosynthesis and degradation of hemes and chlorophylls. Bile pigments, such as biliverdin and bilirubin, are common and well-studied tetrapyrroles with characteristic pyrrolin-2-one rings at both terminal positions. The coordination chemistry of these open-chain pigments is less developed than that of porphyrins and other macrocyclic oligopyrroles; nevertheless, complexes of biliverdin and its synthetic analogs have been reported, along with fluorescent zinc complexes of phytobilins employed as bioanalytical tools. Notably, linear conjugated tetrapyrroles inherit from porphyrins the ability to stabilize unpaired electrons within their π system. The isolated complexes, however, present helical structures and generally limited stability.Smaller biopyrrins, which feature three or two pyrrole rings and the characteristic oxidized termini, have been known for several decades following their initial isolation as urinary pigments and heme metabolites. Although their coordination chemistry has remained largely unexplored, these compounds are structurally similar to the well-established tripyrrin and dipyrrin ligands employed in a broad variety of metal complexes. In this context, our study of the coordination chemistry of tripyrrin-1,14-dione and dipyrrin-1,9-dione was motivated by the potential to retain on these compact, versatile platforms the reversible ligand-based redox chemistry of larger tetrapyrrolic systems.The tripyrrindione ligand coordinates several divalent transition metals (i.e., Pd(II), Ni(II) Cu(II), Zn(II)) to form neutral complexes in which an unpaired electron is delocalized over the conjugated π system. These compounds, which are stable at room temperature and exposed to air, undergo reversible one-electron processes to access different redox states of the ligand system without affecting the oxidation state and coordination geometry of the metal center. We also characterized ligand-based radicals on the dipyrrindione platform in both homoleptic and heteroleptic complexes. In addition, this study documented noncovalent interactions (e.g., interligand hydrogen bonds with the pyrrolinone carbonyls, π-stacking of ligand-centered radicals) as important aspects of this coordination chemistry. Furthermore, the fluorescence of the zinc-bound tripyrrindione radical and the redox-switchable emission of a dipyrrindione BODIPY-type fluorophore showcased the potential interplay of redox chemistry and luminescence in these compounds. Supported by computational analyses, the portfolio of properties revealed by this investigation takes the tripyrrindione and dipyrrindione motifs of heme metabolites to the field of redox-active ligands, where they are positioned to offer new opportunities for catalysis, sensing, supramolecular systems, and functional materials.

Ligand-Centered Triplet Diradical Supported by a Binuclear Palladium(II) Dipyrrindione

Oligopyrroles form a versatile class of redox-active ligands and electron reservoirs. Although the stabilization of radicals within oligopyrrolic π systems is more common for macrocyclic ligands, bidentate dipyrrindiones are emerging as compact platforms for one-electron redox chemistry in transition-metal complexes. We report the synthesis of a bis(aqua) palladium(II) dipyrrindione complex and its deprotonation-driven dimerization to form a hydroxo-bridged binuclear complex in the presence of water or triethylamine. Electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical, and computational analyses of the binuclear complex indicate the accessibility of two quasi-reversible ligand-centered reduction processes. The product of a two-electron chemical reduction by cobaltocene was isolated and characterized. In the solid state, this cobaltocenium salt features a folded dianionic complex that maintains the hydroxo bridges between the divalent palladium centers. X-band and Q-band EPR spectroscopic experiments and DFT computational analysis allow assignment of the dianionic species as a diradical with spin density almost entirely located on the two dipyrrindione ligands. As established from the EPR temperature dependence, the associated exchange coupling is weak and antiferromagnetic (J ≈ −2.5 K), which results in a predominantly triplet state at the temperatures at which the measurements have been performed.

The coordination and redox chemistry of the dipyrrindione scaffold, which is found in several heme metabolites, is investigated in heteroleptic palladium(II) complexes. The bis(aqua) complex undergoes a deprotonation-driven dimerization to form a hydroxo-bridged binuclear species. Crystallographic, electrochemical, and spectroscopic data, as well as computational analysis, demonstrate that a two-electron reduction of the binuclear complex leads to a diradical dianion with spin density delocalized over the two dipyrrindione ligands.