Copper(II)–l-glutamine complexation study in solid state and in aqueous solution

Effects of Varying N, P, K, Mg, and Ca Concentrations on Nitrogen Transport in Xylem Sap of Rice Plants

The nutrients absorbed in the plant roots are transported to the shoots through the xylem. The effects of concentrations of N, P, K, Mg, and Ca in a culture solution on N transport forms have not been fully elucidated. In this study, rice plants were grown with five concentrations of N, P, K, Mg, and Ca for three days, and the concentrations of major N compounds in the xylem sap were determined. In the control plants, nitrate, glutamine, and asparagine were the principal N compounds. The concentrations of nitrate, glutamine, and asparagine decreased consistently with a decrease in the N concentration in the culture solution. Different P concentrations did not affect the N components. With lower K concentrations, only the nitrate concentration decreased. While the glutamine and asparagine concentrations decreased with a decrease in the Mg concentration. The Ca concentration did not affect the N concentration, except for Ca deprivation. The citrate and malate concentrations markedly increased when the plants grew with an N-free solution due to regulating the cation-anion balance. The results of this study indicate that changes in the concentrations of N, K, Mg, and Ca affected the concentrations of N transport forms, especially nitrate, glutamine, and asparagine.

Spherulite-like Ni(II)(l-glutaminato·H2O)2 Complex: Morphological Microstructure, DFT-Assisted Crystal Structure Determination, and Vibrational Analysis

l-glutamine complexes with transition metals have already been reported in the literature, but there have been no studies on l-glutamine complexes with Ni2+. Here, the new polycrystalline spherulite-like Ni(II)(l-glutaminato·H2O)2 complex was synthesized, and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to determine its crystal structure. SEM images revealed the beautiful morphological microstructure of the new spherulite-like complex's surface and internal region. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and vibrational spectroscopic techniques (infrared and Raman) were also performed. A mass loss observed at around 160 °C, equivalent to the mass of two water molecules, was determined by TGA. DFT calculations were initially performed to generate the most stable molecule and assist in crystal structure determination using the PXRD data. Five conformations of the complex were established, and these structures were optimized with the B3LYP hybrid functional and Def2-tzvp basis function for the nickel atom and 6-311++G(d,p) for the other atoms. Scanning calculations were performed to construct the potential energy surfaces and identify the most stable structure. From a PXRD measurement and the possible configurations of the optimized molecules, the Ni(II)(l-glutaminato·H2O)2 crystal structure was solved using a simulated annealing approach. The new compound crystallized in a triclinic system with a P1̅ space group.

Structure prediction of physiological bis(amino acidato)copper(II) species in aqueous solution: The copper(II) compounds with l-glutamine and l-histidine

Neutral (l-histidinato)(l-glutaminato)copper(II) [Cu(His)(Gln)] has been established as the most abundant ternary copper(II) amino acid compound of the exchangeable copper(II) pool in blood plasma. The experimental studies of Cu(His)(Gln) and bis(glutaminato)copper(II) [Cu(Gln)2] in solutions did not specify their complete geometries. To determine the geometries, this paper investigates the conformers, energy landscapes, and a structure-magnetic parameters relation of Cu(Gln)2 and Cu(His)(Gln) by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We assume a glycine-like coordination of Gln (other coordination patterns are dismissed because of steric reasons), and three His in-plane copper(II) binding modes. The conformational analyses are performed in the gas phase and implicitly modeled aqueous solution. The reliability of the DFT relative electronic and Gibbs free energies of the Cu(His)(Gln) conformers is confirmed by benchmarking against the corresponding energies obtained by the domain-based local pair natural orbital coupled-cluster method with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples [DLPNO-CCSD(T)]. Several cis- and trans-Cu(His)(Gln) conformers with His in the histaminate-like and glycine-like modes have low Gibbs free energies, and the greatest estimated metal-binding affinities. The DFT-calculated magnetic parameters of the low-energy conformers reproduce best the experimental electron paramagnetic resonance parameters measured in aqueous solutions for trans- and cis-Cu(Gln)2 conformers having two oxygen atoms (either from Gln or water molecules) at the apical positions, and Cu(His)(Gln) conformers having His in the histaminate-like mode with an apically placed carboxylato oxygen atom. The predicted conformational flexibility of His‑copper(II)-amino acid compounds may be connected with their physiological abundance, and the role in copper(II) exchange reactions in blood plasma.

The affinity of copper(ii) ions towards l-amino acids in the solid-state: a simple route towards mixed complexes

Competitive milling was successfully employed to determine the relative affinity of Cu(ii) ions towards selected l-amino acids (Asn, Gln, His, Phe, Pro, and Trp). Described process opens a simple route towards mixed coordination compounds.

Interaction between Copper Oxide Nanoparticles and Amino Acids: Influence on the Antibacterial Activity

The increasing concern about antibiotic-resistance has led to the search for alternative antimicrobial agents. In this effort, different metal oxide nanomaterials are currently under investigation, in order to assess their effectiveness, safety and mode of action. This study focused on CuO nanoparticles (CuO NPs) and was aimed at evaluating how the properties and the antimicrobial activity of these nanomaterials may be affected by the interaction with ligands present in biological and environmental media. Ligands can attach to the surface of particles and/or contribute to their dissolution through ligand-assisted ion release and the formation of complexes with copper ions. Eight natural amino acids (L-Arg, L-Asp, L-Glu, L-Cys, L-Val, L-Leu, L-Phe, L-Tyr) were chosen as model molecules to investigate these interactions and the toxicity of the obtained materials against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984. A different behavior from pristine CuO NPs was observed, depending on the aminoacidic side chain. These results were supported by physico-chemical and colloidal characterization carried out by means of Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and light scattering techniques (Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Electrophoretic Light Scattering (ELS) and Centrifugal Separation Analysis (CSA).

Structural, vibrational and thermal studies on bis(l-glutaminato)copper(II)

Copper(II) complexes of amino acids have been widely studied as potentials medicines and dietary supplementation, so the knowledge about the metal-ligand sites, thermal stability and behavior of these complexes is an important subject of study. Although the Raman spectroscopy could help to elucidate the nature of the interactions into crystal there are only few information about vibrational study of this compound in the literature and no data depending on the temperature. In addition, there is no temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction study of this material. We report here Raman Spectroscopy and Powder X-ray Diffraction measurements, both as a function of temperature and as a way of studying the thermal stability of the material. After the synthesis of the sample and confirmation of its crystal structure by Powder X-ray Diffraction, Raman measurements were performed in the 70-3600 cm^-1 spectral region as a function of temperature from 10 up to 300 K. Some peaks become more evident during the cooling, due to a decrease in width and an increase in intensity. There is a discontinuity in the wavenumbers evolution around 110 K, that should be associated with a conformation of the structure. Optimized geometry and vibrational frequencies were obtained by means of Density Functional Theory and for the first time the analysis of the vibrational modes was done in terms of the Potential Energy Distribution. X-ray diffraction measurements as a function of temperature and Rietveld refinement showed discontinuities in the lattice parameters and degradation around 493 K (at air atmosphere) and 513 K (under vacuum). These results were corroborated by the thermal analysis which indicates that the compound is stable up to 493 K.

Biological and environmental transformations of copper-based nanomaterials

Copper-based nanoparticles are an important class of materials with applications as catalysts, conductive inks, and antimicrobial agents. Environmental and safety issues are particularly important for copper-based nanomaterials because of their potential large-scale use and their high redox activity and toxicity reported from in vitro studies. Elemental nanocopper oxidizes readily upon atmospheric exposure during storage and use, so copper oxides are highly relevant phases to consider in studies of environmental and health impacts. Here we show that copper oxide nanoparticles undergo profound chemical transformations under conditions relevant to living systems and the natural environment. Copper oxide nanoparticle (CuO-NP) dissolution occurs at lysosomal pH (4-5), but not at neutral pH in pure water. Despite the near-neutral pH of cell culture medium, CuO-NPs undergo significant dissolution in media over time scales relevant to toxicity testing because of ligand-assisted ion release, in which amino acid complexation is an important contributor. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy shows that dissolved copper in association with CuO-NPs are the primary redox-active species. CuO-NPs also undergo sulfidation by a dissolution-reprecipitation mechanism, and the new sulfide surfaces act as catalysts for sulfide oxidation. Copper sulfide NPs are found to be much less cytotoxic than CuO-NPs, which is consistent with the very low solubility of CuS. Despite this low solubility of CuS, EPR studies show that sulfidated CuO continues to generate some ROS activity due to the release of free copper by H2O2 oxidation during the Fenton-chemistry-based EPR assay. While sulfidation can serve as a natural detoxification process for nanosilver and other chalcophile metals, our results suggest that sulfidation may not fully and permanently detoxify copper in biological or environmental compartments that contain reactive oxygen species.

Copper redox cycling in the prion protein depends critically on binding mode

The prion protein (PrP) takes up 4-6 equiv of copper in its extended N-terminal domain, composed of the octarepeat (OR) segment (human sequence residues 60-91) and two mononuclear binding sites (at His96 and His111; also referred to as the non-OR region). The OR segment responds to specific copper concentrations by transitioning from a multi-His mode at low copper levels to a single-His, amide nitrogen mode at high levels (Chattopadhyay et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 12647-12656). The specific function of PrP in healthy tissue is unclear, but numerous reports link copper uptake to a neuroprotective role that regulates cellular stress (Stevens, et al. PLoS Pathog.2009, 5 (4), e1000390). A current working hypothesis is that the high occupancy binding mode quenches copper's inherent redox cycling, thus, protecting against the production of reactive oxygen species from unregulated Fenton type reactions. Here, we directly test this hypothesis by performing detailed pH-dependent electrochemical measurements on both low and high occupancy copper binding modes. In contrast to the current belief, we find that the low occupancy mode completely quenches redox cycling, but high occupancy leads to the gentle production of hydrogen peroxide through a catalytic reduction of oxygen facilitated by the complex. These electrochemical findings are supported by independent kinetic measurements that probe for ascorbate usage and also peroxide production. Hydrogen peroxide production is also observed from a segment corresponding to the non-OR region. Collectively, these results overturn the current working hypothesis and suggest, instead, that the redox cycling of copper bound to PrP in the high occupancy mode is not quenched, but is regulated. The observed production of hydrogen peroxide suggests a mechanism that could explain PrP's putative role in cellular signaling.

Inactivation and sub-lethal injury of Escherichia coli in a copper water storage vessel: effect of inorganic and organic constituents

This study provides information on the effects of inorganic and organic constituents on inactivation and sub-lethal injury of Escherichia coli in water stored in a copper vessel. E. coli suspensions were stored for up to 24 h in copper vessels containing one of the following dissolved constituents at 1 g/l: salts of inorganic ions, carbohydrates, proteins and complex natural organic mixtures. Samples were surface plated onto (i) nutrient agar, incubated under standard aerobic conditions to provide conventional counts for uninjured bacteria count and onto (ii) nutrient agar plates with 0.5 g/l sodium pyruvate incubated under anaerobic conditions to enumerate sub-lethally injured (oxygen-sensitive) bacteria alongside their healthy counterparts. The concentration of dissolved copper in the stored water was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The addition of chloride salts resulted in a faster inactivation of E. coli compared to pure water with no dissolved additives, irrespective of the counterion. In contrast, a slower inactivation was observed in the presence of Na(2)SO(4), NaNO(3) and NaNO(2) when compared to NaCl. Addition of the carbohydrates glucose, lactose and starch gave broadly similar results to those obtained using unsupplemented water. However, the addition of amino acids, proteins, humic acid or complex organic mixtures caused a dramatic decrease in inactivation of E. coli, with evidence of a greater number of sub-lethally injured bacteria than was seen with other added constituents. The amount of copper was highest in stored water containing amino acids and complex organic constituents, with the slow inactivation most likely to be due to complex formation between leached copper and these organic constituents. The present study clearly demonstrates that water composition, particularly natural organic constituents, has a substantial impact on the antibacterial effectiveness and dissolved copper concentration of water stored in copper vessels and that both aspects will need to be considered in terms of their impact on the practical use of copper-based systems for small-scale water treatment.

A study of the formation constants of ternary and quaternary complexes of some bivalent transition metals

The formation of hetero-ligand 1:1:1, M(II)-Opda-Sal/Gly ternary and 1:1:1:1, M(II)-Opda-Sal-Gly quaternary complexes, where M(II) = Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd; Opda = o-phenylenediamine, Sal = salicylic acid, Gly = glycine, was studied pH-metrically in aqueous medium. The formation constants for the resulting ternary and quaternary complexes were evaluated at a constant ionic strength, ? = 0.20 mol dm-3 and temperature, 30?0.1 ?C. The order of the formation constants in terms of the metal ion for both type of complexes was found to be Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Zn(II) > Cd(II). This order was explained based on the increasing number of fused rings, the coordination number of the metal ions, the Irving - William order and the stability of various species. The expected species formed in solution were pruned with the Fortran IV program SPEPLOT and the stability of the ternary and quaternary complexes is explained.

Self-Assembly of cis and trans Forms of the Copper(II) Complex with 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate into Discrete Trimers in the Solid State

A copper(II) complex with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid assembles by apical Cu...O bonds and hydrogen-bonding interactions into discrete trimeric units that exhibit both cis and trans binding modes.

X-ray Structure of Physiological Copper(II)−Bis(l-histidinato) Complex

The isolation and the X-ray crystal structure of physiological copper(II)-L-histidine complex are reported. The neutral five-coordinate complex shows distorted square pyramidal geometry with bidentate and tridentate L-histidine ligands. The basic character of the pendent imidazole group and H-bonding interactions of bidentate L-histidine ligand are important for copper transport. The unique structural features help explain the origin of its thermodynamic stability and kinetic reactivity in human blood along with the ternary copper(II)-amino acid complexes. The role of L-histidine in interaction with copper(II)-albumin, in cellular uptake of copper, and in treatment of Menkes disease can be studied using these results.