S-Ribosylhomocysteine Analogues Modified at the Ribosyl C-4 Position

4-C-Alkyl/aryl-S-ribosylhomocysteine (SRH) analogues were prepared by coupling of homocysteine with 4-substituted ribofuranose derivatives. The diastereoselective incorporation of the methyl substituent into the 4 position of the ribose ring was accomplished by addition of methylmagnesium bromide to the protected ribitol-4-ulose yielding the 4-C-methylribitol in 85% yield as single 4R diastereomer. The 4-C hexyl, octyl, vinyl, and aryl ribitols were prepared analogously. Chelation controlled addition of a carbanion to ketones from the (Si-face) was responsible for the observed stereochemical outcome. Oxidation of the primary alcohol of the 4-C ribitols with the catalytic amount of tetrapropylammonium perruthenate in the presence of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide produced 4-C-alkylribono-1,4-lactones in high yields. Mesylation of the latter compounds at the 5-hydroxyl position and treatment with a protected homocysteine thiolate afforded protected 4-C-alkyl/aryl-SRH analogues as the lactones. Reduction with lithium triethylborohydride and successive global deprotections with TFA afforded 4-C-alkyl/aryl SRH analogues. These analogues might impede the S-ribosylhomocysteinase(LuxS)-catalyzed reaction by preventing β-elimination of a homocysteine molecule, and thus depleting the production of quorum sensing signaling molecule AI-2.

Activity of fluconazole and its Cu(II) complex towards Candida species

Candida species, although they are present as commensal organisms in the digestive tract of healthy individuals, can produce a broad spectrum of serious illnesses in compromised hosts. Fluconazole, a water-soluble triazole with bioavailability greater than 90 %, has been extensively used to treat a wide range of Candida infections. However, a growing resistance of microorganisms in the treatment leads to the discovery of new drugs or modifications of existing ones. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether coordination of Cu(II) ions to fluconazole affects its antifungal activity. The in vitro susceptibility tests and antifungal studies were performed with two Candida spp.: Candidaglabrata and Candida albicans. Overall, 34 strains of the former and 16 strains of the latter were treated with fluconazole, its Cu(II) complex and free Cu(II) ions. The obtained MIC values in 16 cases of the C. glabrata and in 5 cases of the C. albicans were lower for the complex in comparison to the drug. This implies that the complex is more effective against particular strains than the parent drug. The most significant improvement in the complex drug efficacy was observed for fluconazole-resistant species.

Interaction of methotrexate, an anticancer agent, with copper(II) ions: coordination pattern, DNA-cleaving properties and cytotoxic studies

The acid-base properties and the Cu(II) binding processes of methotrexate (MTX) were characterized by selected spectroscopic techniques and potentiometric measurements. The pH titration data showed that MTX behaves as a triprotic ligand. The deprotonation constants were determined for α-COOH and γ-COOH groups and (N1)H⁺ from the pteridine ring. Taking all the obtained results into consideration, a coordination pattern was proposed. The DNA-cleaving activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were investigated for both MTX and the Cu(II)-MTX system. The complex displayed a promising nuclease activity toward plasmid DNA in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Interestingly, the induction of ROS, such as hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anions or singlet oxygen, was excluded and a different mechanism of DNA degradation was proposed. As MTX is now commonly used in anticancer therapy i.e. against lung cancer, basic cell-based studies were carried out to establish if its Cu(II) complex exhibits higher cytotoxic properties than the ligand alone. Activities of both compounds were also tested against colon carcinoma. Moreover, the determined values of IC₅₀ were confronted with the cytotoxic activity of cisplatin.

Di-μ-iodido-bis[(dimethyl 2,2′-biquinoline-4,4′-dicarboxylate-κ2 N,N′)copper(I)]

In the centrosymmetric dinuclear title complex, [Cu₂I₂(C₂₂H₁₆N₂O₄)₂], the Cu^I atom is coordinated in a distorted tetra­hedral geometry by an N,N′-bidentate dimethyl 2,2′-biquinoline-4,4′-dicarboxyl­ate ligand and two symmetry-related I atoms, which act as bridges to a symmetry-related Cu^I atom. The distance between the Cu^I atoms within the dinuclear unit is 2.6723 (11) Å.

The Cu(II)-fluconazole complex revisited. Part I: Structural characteristics of the system

Protonation equilibria and Cu(II) binding processes by an antifungal agent fluconazole, α-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-α-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl-methyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-ethanol, were studied using the UV-Vis, EPR and NMR spectroscopic techniques. The protonation constant of fluconazole was determined from NMR titration and attributed to N4' nitrogen atoms using the DFT methods. The spectroscopic data suggest that at pH as low as 0.4 the first complex is formed, in which one or two Cu(II) ions are bound to one of the nitrogen atoms (N4') from triazole rings. Above pH 1.5 each Cu(II) ion is surrounded by two nitrogen atoms (also N4') from two different ligand molecules, forming primary monomeric complexes and above pH=5, both dimeric or oligomeric species occur, which is well registered by the EPR technique. The mixture of Cu(NO(3))(2) with fluconazole in a 1:1 molar ratio in a water (pH=4.5)/ethanol solution gave crystals of [Cu(2)(H(2)O){(C(6)H(3)-2,4-F(2))(CH(2)N(3)C(2)H(2))(2)C-OH}{(C(6)H(3)-2,4-F(2))(CH(2)N(3)C(2)H(2))(2)C-O}(NO(3))](NO(3))(2)·9(H(2)O). This complex is the first example of a cupric 3D polymeric structure with a fluconazole ligand coordinated via both N2' and N4' atoms from the same triazole rings. At higher pH values, we obtained a binuclear complex [Cu(2)(L)(2)(H(2)O)(2)(NO(3))(2)], in which the copper(II) atoms were bridged by the oxygen atoms of the deprotonated OH group of fluconazole. The hypothetical oxidative properties of this system were also examined, however it failed to generate either reactive oxygen species or DNA scission products.