Dithiolane Ring Research Articles

Isolipoic acid-linked gold nanoparticles bearing the thomsen friedenreich tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen: Stability and in vitro studies.

We have previously prepared gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) bearing the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen disaccharide (TFag), a pan-carcinoma, Tumor-Associated Carbohydrate Antigen (TACA), as tools for various assays and biological applications. Conjugation to AuNPs typically involves the use of thiols due to the affinity of sulfur for the gold surface of the nanoparticle. While a use of a single thiol-containing ligand bound to the gold surface is standard practice, several studies have shown that ligands bearing multiple thiols can enhance the strength of the conjugation in a nearly linear fashion. (R)-(+)-α-Lipoic acid (LA), a naturally occurring disulfide-containing organic acid that is used as a cofactor in many enzymatic reactions, has been used as a linker to conjugate various molecules to AuNPs through its branched di-thiol system to enhance nanoparticle stability. We sought to use a similar system to increase nanoparticle stability that was devoid of the chiral center in (R)-(+)-α-lipoic acid. Isolipoic acid, an isomer of LA, where the exocyclic pentanoic acid chain is shifted by one carbon on the dithiolane ring to produce an achiral acid, was thought to act similarly as LA without the risk of any contaminating (L)-(−) isomer. We synthesized AuNPs with ligands of both serine and threonine glycoamino acids bearing the TFag linked to isolipoic acid and examined their stability under various conditions. In addition, these particles were shown to bind to Galectin-3 and inhibit the interaction of Galectin-3 with a protein displaying copies of the TFag. These agents should prove useful in the design of potential antimetastatic therapeutics that would benefit from achiral linkers that are geometrically linear and achiral.

Synthesis of the Core Ring System of the Antiosteoporotic Citrofulvicin.

Synthesis of the octacyclic ring system of citrofulvicin is described in nine steps from readily available starting materials. Blocking undesired intramolecular cyclization of a reactive β-diketone intermediate by transient incorporation of a dithiolane ring led to the formation of the requisite 1-hydroxy-2,4,6-trioxaadamantane ring system of citrofulvicin.

R-enantiomer of α-lipoic acid. Opportunities and prospects for clinical use

The paper presents an analysis of current literature data on the use of the R-enantiomer of α-lipoic acid as an antihypertensive treatment in patients with hypertension and metabolic syndrome. An analysis of the literature was carried out on its use as an antiinflammatory agent in inflammatory diseases. Currently, a very important aspect of researches is the possibility of using R-α-lipoic acid as a micronutrient and therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetic polyneuropathy and neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer’s disease, carbohydrate metabolism disorders and metabolic syndrome. Lipoic acid has now become an important ingredient in multivitamin formulas, anti-aging supplements. R-α-lipoic acid is a metabolic antioxidant, its molecule contains a dithiolane ring in oxidized form, this ring has the ability to cleave with formation of dihydrolipoic acid. And since α-lipoic acid, a physiological form of thioctic acid, is a strong antioxidant that relieves the symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, the literature review analyzed data from various authors on the antioxidant effects of the R-enantiomer of α-lipoic acid and found that it had strong antioxidant effects, and its dose of 300 mg is bioequivalent to 600mg of racemic α-lipoic acid. As presented in a sufficient number of analyzed sources, the biological role of lipoic acid is quite diverse. It is important to determine the exact causal relationship between lipoic acid and its immediate cellular targets. Lipoic acid can have a number of important and diverse physiological effects on the stimulation of neurohormonal function and, thus, indirectly affect multiple cellular signaling pathways in peripheral tissues.

Molecularly Engineered Cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b′]dithiophene-Based Hole-Transporting Materials for High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiency over 19%

Three cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b′]dithiophene (CPDT)-based organic semiconductors LYC-1-LYC-3 consisting of a central dithiolane ring with triarylamine-based side groups were prepared and utilized as h...

Functionalization of Elongated Tetrahexahedral Au Nanoparticles and Their Antimicrobial Activity Assay.

Gold nanoparticles are inert for the human body, and therefore, they have been functionalized to provide them with antibacterial properties. Here, elongated tetrahexahedral (ETHH) Au nanoparticles were synthesized, characterized, and functionalized with lipoic acid (LA), a natural antioxidant with a terminal carboxylic acid and a dithiolane ring, to generate ETHH-LA Au nanoparticles. The antioxidant activity of Au nanoparticles was investigated in vitro, showing that LA enhances the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free-radical scavenging and Fe3+ ion reducing activity of ETHH-LA at higher amounts. The antimicrobial propensities of the nanoparticles were investigated against Gram-positive ( Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative ( Escherichia coli) bacteria through propidium iodide assay as well as disk diffusion assay. ETHH-LA Au nanoparticles showed significantly higher antimicrobial activity against B. subtilis compared with E. coli. Furthermore, ETHH-LA Au nanoparticles also showed significantly better antimicrobial activity against both bacterial strains when compared with ETHH. ETHH Au nanoparticles also bring about the oxidation of bacterial cell membrane fatty acids and produce lipid peroxides. ETHH-LA showed higher lipid peroxidation potential than that of ETHH against both bacteria tested. The hemolytic potential of Au nanoparticles was investigated using human red blood cells and ETHH-LA showed reduced hemolytic activity than that of ETHH. The cytotoxicity of Au nanoparticles was investigated using human cervical cancer cells, HeLa, and ETHH-LA Au nanoparticles showed reduced cytotoxicity than that of ETHH. Taken together, LA enhances the antimicrobial activity of ETHH Au nanoparticles and Au nanoparticles interact with the bacteria through electrostatic interactions as well as hydrophobic interactions and damage the bacterial cell wall followed by oxidation of cell membrane fatty acids.

Quantum Chemical Study of Mechanisms of Organic Reactions: VII. Reaction of Ethane-1,2-dithiol with 1,3-Dichloropropene in the System Hydrazine Hydrate–KOH

A mechanism has been proposed for the reaction of 1,3-dichloropropene with ethane-1,2-dithiol in the system hydrazine hydrate–potassium hydroxide on the basis of DFT quantum chemical calculations [B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)]. The proposed mechanism involves several consecutive steps, in particular nucleophilic substitution of chlorine at the sp3-hybridized carbon atom by sulfur, prototropic allylic rearrangement of the monosubstitution product with double bond migration toward the sulfur atom, dithiolane ring closure via nucleophilic attack of the second thiolate group on the carbon atom in the γ-position with respect to the second chlorine atom, and prototropic allylic rearrangement of 2-vinyl-1,3-dithiolane to more stable 2-ethylidene-1,3-dithiolane.

Aqueous Growth of Gold Clusters with Tunable Fluorescence Using Photochemically Modified Lipoic Acid-Based Ligands

We report a one-phase aqueous growth of fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with tunable emission in the visible spectrum, using a ligand scaffold that is made of poly(ethylene glycol) segment appended with a metal coordinating lipoic acid at one end and a functional group at the other end. This synthetic scheme exploits the ability of the UV-induced photochemical transformation of LA-based ligands to provide DHLA and other thiol byproducts that exhibit great affinity to metal nanoparticles, obviating the need for chemical reduction of the dithiolane ring using classical reducing agents. The influence of various experimental conditions, including the photoirradiation time, gold precursor-to-ligand molar ratios, time of reaction, temperature, and the medium pH, on the growth of AuNCs has been systematically investigated. The photophysical properties, size, and structural characterization were carried out using UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM, DOSY-NMR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hydrodynamic size (RH) obtained by DOSY-NMR indicates that the size of these clusters follows the trend anticipated from the absorption and PL data, with RH(red) > RH(yellow) > RH(blue). The tunable emission and size of these gold nanoclusters combined with their high biocompatibility would make them greatly promising for potential use in imaging and sensing applications.

Structural Analysis of Crystalline R(+)-α-Lipoic Acid-α-cyclodextrin Complex Based on Microscopic and Spectroscopic Studies.

R(+)-α-lipoic acid (RALA) is a naturally-occurring substance, and its protein-bound form plays significant role in the energy metabolism in the mitochondria. RALA is vulnerable to a variety of physical stimuli, including heat and UV light, which prompted us to study the stability of its complexes with cyclodextrins (CDs). In this study, we have prepared and purified a crystalline RALA-αCD complex and evaluated its properties in the solid state. The results of 1H NMR and PXRD analyses indicated that the crystalline RALA-αCD complex is a channel type complex with a molar ratio of 2:3 (RALA:α-CD). Attenuated total reflection/Fourier transform infrared analysis of the complex showed the shift of the C=O stretching vibration of RALA due to the formation of the RALA-αCD complex. Raman spectroscopic analysis revealed the significant weakness of the S–S and C–S stretching vibrations of RALA in the RALA-αCD complex implying that the dithiolane ring of RALA is almost enclosed in glucose ring of α-CD. Extent of this effect was dependent on the direction of the excitation laser to the hexagonal morphology of the crystal. Solid-state NMR analysis allowed for the chemical shift of the C=O peak to be precisely determined. These results suggested that RALA was positioned in the α-CD cavity with its 1,2-dithiolane ring orientated perpendicular to the plane of the α-CD ring.

Cyclodextrin inclusion complexes of the antioxidant α-lipoic acid

Owing to its potent antioxidant activity,α-lipoic acid (1,2-dithiolane-3-pentanoic acid) is widely used as a supplement and is recommended for treating a number of conditions including chronic liver disease and diabetes. The poor aqueous solubility of the acid (~0.003 M at 250C) has prompted studies of its interaction with cyclodextrins (CDs) as a possible route to improving its solubility. However, relatively few studies have focused on the isolation of solid CD inclusion complexes of the antioxidant, and in most cases the racemic form of the acid was employed. In the comprehensive study reported here, the bioactive (R)-(+)-enantiomeric form of the molecule was used exclusively, resulting in the isolation and structural characterization of its inclusion complexes with each of the native host CDs (α-, β- and γ-CD) as well as permethylated α-CD (TRIMEA), permethylated β-CD (TRIMEB) and 2,6-dimethylated-β-CD (DIMEB). The α-CD complex crystallizes in the trigonal system, space group R32, with three independent CD molecules in the asymmetric unit and is not isostructural with any known CD complex while the β-CD complex crystallizes in the monoclinic system (C2). With the host γ-CD, an orthorhombic (pseudo-tetragonal) inclusion complex was identified, an unusual result as γ-CD complexes generally crystallize in the tetragonal space group P4212. The complexes with TRIMEA and TRIMEB crystallize in the orthorhombic system (P212121), the modes of inclusion of the (R)-(+)-α-lipoic acid molecule in the respective hosts being reversed: the guest molecule is fully encapsulated by the former host with the dithiolane ring located at the secondary rim, while in the latter host, the dithiolane ring rests on the concave surface of the host cavity at the primary side. A significant level of guest disorder was detected in the inclusion complex with DIMEB (P21). Thermal and phase-solubility analyses complemented the X-ray structural studies.

The Electronic and Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship Properties of Modified Telaprevir Compounds as HCV NS3 Protease Inhibitors

This work investigates the possibility of improving the biological activity of Telaprevir; an HCV NS3 protease inhibitor. This is carried out through the suggestion of 11 modified compounds of Telaprevir and calculating their electronic and Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) parameters using molecular modeling via PM3 method. Results show that the compound number 6 (with 1,3dithiolane ring at position R2) has more favorable electronic and QSAR parameters compared to Telaprevir. Therefore, this modified compound would be considered as a promising novel HVC NS3 protease inhibitor.

Photoligation combined with zwitterion-modified lipoic acid ligands provides compact and biocompatible quantum dots.

We describe the design and synthesis of a series of compact ligands made of lipoic acid (LA)-based coordinating anchors and hydrophilic zwitterion groups. This ligand design is combined with a novel photoligation strategy to promote the transfer of QDs to polar and buffer media. This approach has provided hydrophilic QDs that exhibit great colloidal stability over a broad range of pHs and in the presence of cell culture media. Our photoligation strategy drastically improves previous phase transfer methods by eliminating the need for chemical reduction of the dithiolane ring using NaBH4 prior to the cap exchange, and it is adapted to several LA-based ligands. We also found that QDs stabilized with these compact zwitterionic ligands are fully compatible with metal-histidine-driven self-assembly where the protein activity is maintained after forming conjugation with the QDs.

Chemical Modifications of BDH-TTP [2,5-Bis(1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidene)-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene]: Control of Electron Correlation

Organic molecular conductors with a strongly correlated electron system, in which the itinerancy of electrons (or holes) and the electron correlation (U/W, U, the on-site Coulomb repulsion, W, the bandwidth) compete with each other, are promising candidates for achieving superconductivity and also for exploring remarkable physical properties induced by external stimuli such as pressure, light, voltage and current. Our synthetic approach to the construction of strongly correlated organic electron systems is based on chemical modifications to the donor molecule BDH-TTP [2,5-bis(1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidene)-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene] capable of producing metallic CT (charge-transfer) salts stable down to low temperatures (4.2–1.5 K). This aims at enhancing the electron correlation in the itinerant electron system by decreasing the bandwidth. Chemical modifications of BDH-TTP such as ring expansion of two outer dithiolane rings, replacement of one sulfur atom in an outer dithiolane ring with an oxygen atom and introduction of two methyl substituents into an outer ditiolane ring led to BDA-TTP [2,5-bis(1,3-dithian-2-ylidene)-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene], DHOT-TTP [2-(1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidene)-5-(1,3-oxathiolan-2-ylidene)-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene] and DMDH-TTP [2-(4,5-dimethyl-1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidene)-5-(1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidene)-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene], respectively. In this review, the physical properties and the crystal and electronic structures of molecular conductors derived from these donor molecules will be described.

1-{4-Chloro-2-[2-(2-fluorophenyl)-1,3-dithiolan-2-yl]phenyl}-2-methyl-1H-imidazole-5-carbaldehyde

There are two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit of the title imidazole derivative, C20H16ClFN2OS2. In one mol­ecule, the dithiol­ane ring is disordered over two positions in a 0.849 (9):0.151 (10) ratio. The imidazole ring makes dihedral angles of 79.56 (9) and 18.45 (9)° with the 4-chloro­phenyl and 2-fluoro­phenyl rings, respectively, in one mol­ecule; in the other mol­ecule, the corresponding angles are 82.72 (9) and 17.39 (10)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by weak C—H⋯O inter­actions and these linked mol­ecules are stacked along the b axis by π–π inter­actions with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.4922 (11) Å. In addition, π–π inter­actions between the imidazole and 2-fluoro­phenyl rings are also observed, with centroid–centroid distances of 3.4867 (11) and 3.4326 (10) Å. The crystal is further consolidated by weak C—H⋯π inter­actions. Cl⋯S [3.5185 (8) Å], C⋯O [3.192 (3) Å] and C⋯C [3.326 (2)–3.393 (3) Å] short contacts are also observed.

6,6-[Ethylenebis(sulfanediyl)]-2-(2-methoxyethyl)-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydro-1,5-methano-1H-azocino[4,3-b]indol-3-one

The title compound, C19H22N2O2S2, consists of a tetra­cyclic ring system containing an azocine skeleton with methoxy­ethyl and dithiol­ane groups as substituents. The benzene and five-membered N-heterocyclic rings are nearly coplanar, making a dihedral angle of 0.81 (12)°. The dithiol­ane ring adopts an envelope conformation. Inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding and weak C—H⋯π inter­actions are present in the crystal structure.

3-(1,3-Dithiolan-2-ylidene)-1-phenylpyridine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione

The title compound, C14H11NO2S2, was synthesized by reaction of 2-(1,3-dithio­lan-2-yl­idene)-3-oxo-N-phenyl­butanamide with N,N′-dimethyl­formamide dimethyl acetal in N,N′-dimethyl­formamide. The mol­ecule exhibits a V-shaped conformation in the crystal, with a dihedral angle of 65.9 (2)° between the benzene and pyridine rings. In the crystal. C—H⋯O and C—H⋯S interactions are observed. Two C atoms of the dithiolane ring are disordered with occupancies in the ratio 0.541 (13)/0.459 (13).

Synthesis and evaluation of some novel isochroman carboxylic acid derivatives as potential anti-diabetic agents

A series of novel isochroman mono-carboxylic acid derivatives were synthesized, characterized and evaluated for their ability to inhibit protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) in vitro in order to use them as potential anti-diabetic agents. Analysis of structure–activity relationships led to the identification of potent compound 4n which inhibited PTP1B with IC 50 value of 51.63 ± 0.91 nM. In general, high potency was associated with a dithiolane ring with a spacer of five carbons to the isochroman ring. Compound 4n has been selected for in vivo evaluation as drug candidate for anti-diabetic activity.

3,3-Ethylenedithio-3,3a,4,5,10,10b-hexahydro-2H-furo[2,3-a]carbazole

The title compound, C16H17NOS2, consists of a carbazole skeleton with tetra­hydro­furan and dithiol­ane rings. In the indole ring system, the benzene and pyrrole rings are nearly coplanar, forming a dihedral angle of 1.57 (15)°. The cyclo­hexenone and tetra­hydro­furan rings have envelope conformations, while the dithiol­ane ring adopts a twist conformation. In the crystal structure, pairs of weak inter­molecular N—H⋯S hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into centrosymmetric dimers with R 2 2(16) ring motifs. Weak C—H⋯π inter­actions may further stabilize the structure.

The Degradation and Regeneration of α-Lipoic Acid under the Irradiation of UV Light in the Existence of Homocysteine

α-Lipoic acid (LA) is the one of the strongest antioxidants to be utilized in supplement, skin ointment and so on. The distorted five membered dithiolane ring of LA, which is necessary structure to work as a cofactor of enzyme, is considerably vulnerable to UV irradiation. LA is easily decomposed by photoirradiation resulting in the loss of its characteristic absorption band at 333 nm. The photodegradation of LA means loss of its physiological activity, so that protection of LA from UV light is eagerly desired. Thiol compounds can be regarded as a potential candidate. In order to pursue the possibility of the thiol compounds in prevention of LA degradation, we examined the photoirradiation of LA in the presence and absence of homocysteine.

Snapshots of catalysis in the E1 subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex.

SummaryThe pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme assembly (PDH) generates acetyl coenzyme A and reducing equivalents from pyruvate in a multiple-step process that is a nexus of central metabolism. We report crystal structures of the Geobacillus stearothermophilus PDH E1p subunit with ligands that mimic the prereaction complex and the postdecarboxylation product. The structures implicate residues that help to orient substrates, nurture intermediates, and organize surface loops so that they can engage a mobile lipoyl domain that receives the acetyl group and shuttles it to the next active site. The structural and enzymatic data suggest that H128β performs a dual role: first, as electrostatic catalyst of the reaction of pyruvate with the thiamine cofactor; and second, as a proton donor in the second reaction of acetyl group with the lipoate. We also identify I206α as a key residue in mediating the conformation of active-site loops. We propose that a simple conformational flip of the H271α side chain assists transfer of the acetyl group from thiamine cofactor to lipoyl domain in synchrony with reduction of the dithiolane ring.

Comparative molecular dynamics simulations of the potent synthetic classical cannabinoid ligand AMG3 in solution and at binding site of the CB1 and CB2 receptors

The C-1′-dithiolane Δ 8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 8-THC) amphiphilic analogue (−)-2-(6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydro-6,6,9-trimethylhydroxy-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyranyl)-2-hexyl-1,3-dithiolane (AMG3) is considered as one of the most potent synthetic analgesic cannabinoid (CB) ligands. Its structure is characterized by rigid tricyclic and flexible alkyl chain segments. Its conformational properties have not been fully explored. Structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies on classical CBs showed that the alkyl side chain is the most critical structural part for the receptor activation. However, reported low energy conformers of classical CB analogues vary mainly in the conformation of their alkyl side chain segment. Therefore, comparative molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of low energy conformers of AMG3 were performed in order to investigate its structural and dynamical properties in two different systems. System-I includes ligand and amphoteric solvent DMSO, simulating the biological environment and system-II includes ligand at active site of the homology models of CB1 and CB2 receptors in the solvent. The trajectory analysis results are compared for the systems I and II. In system-I, the dihedral angle defined between aromatic ring and dithiolane ring of AMG3 shows more resistance to be transformed into another torsional angle and the dihedral angle adjacent to dithiolane ring belonging in the alkyl chain has flexibility to adopt gauche± and trans dihedral angles. The rest of the dihedral angles within the alkyl chain are all trans. These results point out that wrapped conformations are dynamically less favored in solution than linear conformations. Two possible plane angles defined between the rigid and flexible segments are found to be the most favored and adopting values of ∼90° and ∼140°. In system-II, these values are ∼90° and ∼120°. Conformers of AMG3 at the CB1 receptor favor to establish a cis conformation defined between aromatic and dithiolane ring and a trans conformation in the CB2 receptor. These different orientations of ligand inside the binding pocket of CB1 and CB2 receptors may explain its different binding affinity in the two receptors. The results of this study can be applied to other synthetic classical CB ligands to produce low energy conformations and can be of general use for the molecules possessing flexible alkyl chain(s). In addition, this study can be useful when restraint of the alkyl chain is sought for optimizing drug design.