New bis-ferrocenyl end-capped peptides: synthesis and charge transfer properties

Helical versus Flat Bis-Ferrocenyl End-Capped Peptides: The Influence of the Molecular Skeleton on Redox Properties

Despite the fact that peptide conjugates with a pendant ferrocenyl (Fc) have been widely investigated, bis-ferrocenyl end-capped peptides are rarely synthetized. In this paper, in addition to the full characterization of the Fc-CO-[L-Dap(Boc)]n-NH-Fc series, we report a comparison of the three series of bis-ferrocenyl homopeptides synthesized to date, to gain insights into the influence of α-amino isobutyric (Aib), 2,3-diamino propionic (Dap) and Cα,β-didehydroalanine (ΔAla) amino acids on the peptide secondary structure and on the ferrocene redox properties. The results obtained by 2D NMR analysis and X-ray crystal structures, and further supported by electrochemical data, evidence different behaviors depending on the nature of the amino acid; that is, the formation of 310-helices or fully extended (2.05-helix) structures. In these foldamers, the orientation of the carbonyl groups in the peptide helix yields a macrodipole with the positive pole on the N-terminal amino acid and the negative pole on the C-terminal amino acid, so that oxidation of the Fc moieties takes place more or less easily depending on the orientation of the macrodipole moment as the peptide chain grows. Conversely, the fully extended conformation adopted by ΔAla flat peptides neither generates a macrodipole nor affects Fc oxidation. The utilization as electrochemical and optical (Circular Dichroism) probes of the two terminal Fc groups, bound to the same peptide chain, makes it possible to study the end-to-end effects of the positive charges produced by single and double oxidations, and to evidence the presence "exciton-coupled" CD among the two intramolecularly interacting Fc groups of the L-Dap(Boc) series.

Flat, Cα,β -Didehydroalanine Foldamers with Ferrocene Pendants: Assessing the Role of α-Peptide Dipolar Moments

The foldamer field is continuously expanding as it allows to produce molecules endowed with 3D-structures and functions never observed in nature. We synthesized flat foldamers based on the natural, but non-coded, Cα,β -didehydroalanine α-amino acid, and covalently linked to them two ferrocene (Fc) moieties, as redox probes. These conjugates retain the flat and extended conformation of the 2.05 -helix, both in solution and in the crystal state (X-ray diffraction). Cyclic voltammetry measurements agree with the adoption of the 2.05 -helix, characterized by a negligible dipole moment. Thus, elongated α-peptide stretches of this type are insulators rather than charge conductors, the latter being constituted by peptide α-helices. Also, our homo-tetrapeptide has a N-to-C length of about 18.2 Å, almost double than that (9.7 Å) of an α-helical α-tetrapeptide.

Spontaneous Self-Assembly of Fully Protected Ester 1:1 [α/α-Nα-Bn-hydrazino] Pseudodipeptides into a Twisted Parallel β-Sheet in the Crystal State

Previous studies have demonstrated that amidic α/β-pseudodipeptides, 1:1 [α/α-N^α-Bn-hydrazino], have the ability to fold via a succession of γ-turn (C₇ pseudocycle) and hydrazinoturn in CDCl₃ solution, their amide terminals enabling the formation of an intramolecular H-bond network. Despite their lack of a primary amide terminals allowing the formation of the hydrazinoturn, their ester counterparts 1-4 were proven to self-assemble into C₆ and C₇ pseudocycles by intramolecular H-bonds in solution state and into an uncommon twisted parallel β-sheet through intermolecular H-bonding in the crystal state to form a supramolecular helix, with eight molecules needed to complete a full 360° rotation. Such self-organization (with eight molecules) has only been observed in a specific α/α-pseudodipeptide, depsipeptide (Boc-Leu-Lac-OEt). Relying on IR absorption, NMR, X-ray diffraction, and CD analyses, the aim of this study was to demonstrate that stereoisomers of ester 1:1 [α/α-N^α-Bn-hydrazino] pseudodipeptides 1-4 are able to self-assemble into this β-helical structure. The absolute configuration of the asymmetric C^α-atom of the α-amino acid residue influences the left- or right-handed twist without changing the pitch of the formed helix.

Bisferrocenyl-functionalized pseudopeptides: access to separated ionic and electronic contributions for electrochemical anion sensing

Pseudopeptidic receptors containing ferrocene fragments have been prepared and their response to a series of anions was measured by a voltammetry of microparticles methodology.

Key multi(ferrocenyl) complexes in the interplay between electronic coupling and electrostatic interaction

In this review, the properties of the most significant examples of multi(ferrocenyl) cations containing a number of ferrocenyl units from two to six are discussed and the results are compared with the outcomes of some of our recent studies on conjugated ferrocenyl complexes.

Conjugates of 1'-aminoferrocene-1-carboxylic acid and proline: synthesis, conformational analysis and biological evaluation

Our previous studies showed that alteration of dipeptides Y-Fca-Ala-OMe (III) into Y-Ala-Fca-OMe (IV) (Y = Ac, Boc; Fca = 1'-aminoferrocene-1-carboxylic acid) significantly influenced their conformational space. The novel bioconjugates Y-Fca-Pro-OMe (1, Y = Ac; 2, Y = Boc) and Y-Pro-Fca-OMe (3, Y = Boc; 4, Y = Ac) have been prepared in order to investigate the influence of proline, a well-known turn-inducer, on the conformational properties of small organometallic peptides with an exchanged constituent amino acid sequences. For this purpose, peptides 1–4 were subjected to detailed spectroscopic analysis (IR, NMR, CD spectroscopy) in solution. The conformation of peptide 3 in the solid state was determined. Furthermore, the ability of the prepared conjugates to inhibit the growth of estrogen receptor-responsive MCF-7 mammary carcinoma cells and HeLa cervical carcinoma cells was tested.