2-Butyl-2-tert-butyl-5,5-diethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyls: Synthesis and Properties

2,5-Di-tert-butyl-2,5-diethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyls: Where Is a Reasonable Limit of Sterical Loading for Higher Resistance to Reduction?

The pyrrolidine nitroxides with four bulky alkyl substituents adjacent to the N-O∙ group demonstrate very high resistance to reduction with biogenic antioxidants and enzymatic systems. This makes them valuable molecular tools for studying the structure and functions of biomolecules directly in a living cell and for functional EPR and NMR tomography in vivo. The first example of highly strained pyrrolidine nitroxides with both ethyl and tert-butyl groups at each of the α-carbon atoms of the nitroxide moiety with cis-configuration of the tert-butyl groups was prepared using a three-component domino reaction of tert-leucine and 2,2-dimethylpentan-3-one with dimethyl fumarate with subsequent conversion of the resulting strained pyrrolidine into 1-pyrroline-1-oxide and addition of EtLi. The nitroxide has demonstrated unexpectedly fast reduction with ascorbate, the rate constant k2 = (2.0 ± 0.1) × 10-3 M-1s-1. This effect was explained by destabilization of the planar nitroxide moiety due to repulsion with the two neighboring tert-butyl groups cis to each other.

Origin of Long-Range Hyperfine Couplings in the EPR Spectra of 2,2,5,5-Tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyls

Cyclic nitroxides with several bulky alkyl substituents adjacent to the nitroxide group are known to demonstrate a much higher stability to bioreduction than their tetramethyl analogues. Among these so-called "sterically shielded" nitroxides, the pyrrolidine derivatives are the most stable. The EPR spectra of some sterically shielded pyrrolidine-1-oxyls were reported to show one or two large additional doublet splittings with a hyperfine coupling (hfc) constant (ca. 0.2-0.4 mT). To determine the origin of these hfc, a series of 2-R-2,5,5-triethyl-3,4-bis(hydroxymethyl)-pyrrolidine-1-oxyls with methylene groups stereospecifically enriched with deuterium were prepared, and their CW EPR spectra were studied. In addition, these nitroxides were investigated using quantum chemical calculations on the UB3LYP/def2-TZVP level and NBO analysis. The apparent constants were assigned to hfc with γ-hydrogen in the side chain, with the contribution of the NBO orbital βπ*(N-O) to the natural localized molecular orbital βσ(C-H) playing the major role. This interaction is efficient if the ethyl substituent is in the pseudoaxial position of the ring and the CH2-CH3 bond is codirected with (parallel to) N-O. The apparent constant aH increases with the Boltzmann population of this conformation.

Synthesis of Sterically Shielded Nitroxides Using the Reaction of Nitrones with Alkynylmagnesium Bromides

Sterically shielded nitroxides, which demonstrate high resistance to bioreduction, are the spin labels of choice for structural studies inside living cells using pulsed EPR and functional MRI and EPRI in vivo. To prepare new sterically shielded nitroxides, a reaction of cyclic nitrones, including various 1-pyrroline-1-oxides, 2,5-dihydroimidazole-3-oxide and 4H-imidazole-3-oxide with alkynylmagnesium bromide wereused. The reaction gave corresponding nitroxides with an alkynyl group adjacent to the N-O moiety. The hydrogenation of resulting 2-ethynyl-substituted nitroxides with subsequent re-oxidation of the N-OH group produced the corresponding sterically shielded tetraalkylnitroxides of pyrrolidine, imidazolidine and 2,5-dihydroimidazole series. EPR studies revealed large additional couplings up to 4 G in the spectra of pyrrolidine and imidazolidine nitroxides with substituents in 3- and/or 4-positions of the ring.

3,4-Unsubstituted 2-tert-Butyl-pyrrolidine-1-oxyls with Hydrophilic Functional Groups in the Side Chains

Pyrrolidine nitroxides with four bulky alkyl substituents adjacent to N–O group are known for their high resistance to bioreduction. The 3,4-unsubstituted 2-tert-butyl-2-ethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyls were prepared from the corresponding 2-tert-butyl-1-pyrroline-1-oxides via either the addition of ethinylmagnesium bromide with subsequent hydrogenation or via treatment with ethyllithium. The new nitroxides showed excellent stability to reduction with ascorbate with no evidence for additional large hyperfine couplings in the EPR spectra.

A Simple Method of Synthesis of 3-Carboxy-2,2,5,5-Tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl and Preparation of Reduction-Resistant Spin Labels and Probes of Pyrrolidine Series

Stable free radicals are widely used as molecular probes and labels in various biophysical and biomedical research applications of magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Among these radicals, sterically shielded nitroxides of pyrrolidine series demonstrate the highest stability in biological systems. Here, we suggest new convenient procedure for preparation of 3-carboxy-2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl, a reduction-resistant analog of widely used carboxy-Proxyl, from cheap commercially available reagents with the yield exceeding the most optimistic literature data. Several new spin labels and probes of 2,2,5,5-tetraethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl series were prepared and reduction of these radicals in ascorbate solutions, mice blood and tissue homogenates was studied.

Human Serum Albumin Labelled with Sterically-Hindered Nitroxides as Potential MRI Contrast Agents

Four albumin-nitroxide conjugates were prepared and tested as metal-free organic radical contrast agents (ORCAs) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each human serum albumin (HSA) carrier bears multiple nitroxides conjugated via homocysteine thiolactones. These molecular conjugates retain important physical and biological properties of their HSA component, and the resistance of their nitroxide groups to bioreduction was retained or enhanced. The relaxivities are similar for these four conjugates and are much greater than those of their individual components: the HSA or the small nitroxide molecules. This new family of conjugates has excellent prospects for optimization as ORCAs.