Mononuclear Ni(II) Complexes with a S3O Coordination Sphere Based on a Tripodal Cysteine-Rich Ligand: pH Tuning of the Superoxide Dismutase Activity.

Abstract

The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of mononuclear NiII complexes, whose structures are inspired by the NiSOD, has been investigated. They have been designed with a sulfur-rich pseudopeptide ligand, derived from nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), where the three acid functions are grafted with cysteines (L3S). Two mononuclear complexes, which exist in pH-dependent proportions, have been fully characterized by a combination of spectroscopic techniques including 1H NMR, UV-vis, circular dichroism, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, together with theoretical calculations. They display similar square-planar S3O coordination, with the three thiolates of the three cysteine moieties from L3S coordinated to the NiII ion, together with either a water molecule at physiological pH, as [NiL3S(OH2)]-, or a hydroxo ion in more basic conditions, as [NiL3S(OH)]2-. The 1H NMR study has revealed that contrary to the hydroxo ligand, the bound water molecule is labile. The cyclic voltammogram of both complexes displays an irreversible one-electron oxidation process assigned to the NiII/NiIII redox system with Epa = 0.48 and 0.31 V versus SCE for NiL3S(OH2) and NiL3S(OH), respectively. The SOD activity of both complexes has been tested. On the basis of the xanthine oxidase assay, an IC50 of about 1 μM has been measured at pH 7.4, where NiL3S(OH2) is mainly present (93% of the NiII species), while the IC50 is larger than 100 μM at pH 9.6, where NiL3S(OH) is the major species (92% of the NiII species). Interestingly, only NiL3S(OH2) displays SOD activity, suggesting that the presence of a labile ligand is required. The SOD activity has been also evaluated under catalytic conditions at pH 7.75, where the ratio between NiL3S(OH2)/ NiL3S(OH) is about (86:14), and a rate constant, kcat = 1.8 × 105 M-1 s-1, has been measured. NiL3S(OH2) is thus the first low-molecular weight, synthetic, bioinspired Ni complex that displays catalytic SOD activity in water at physiological pH, although it does not contain any N-donor ligand in its first coordination sphere, as in the NiSOD. Overall, the data show that a key structural feature is the presence of a labile ligand in the coordination sphere of the NiII ion.