Self-consistent Reaction Field Research Articles

Biophysical chemistry of macrocycles for drug delivery: a theoretical study

Ab initio (RHF/STO-3G) quantum chemical calculations using the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) model were carried out to analyze the effect of solvent polarity on the relative Gibbs free energies, the dipole moments, and the structural stability of peptide macrocycles based on unsubstituted cyclo[Gly6] and its trisubstituted derivatives containing Me, NH2, or OH groups at the Cα atom. The macrocycles studied are stable in water at both room temperature and at body fever temperature, which is important for the design of a stable nanovehicle for drug delivery in water.

Geometry and quadratic nonlinearity of charge transfer complexes in solution: A theoretical study

In this paper, we have computed the quadratic nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a class of weak charge transfer (CT) complexes. These weak complexes are formed when the methyl substituted benzenes (donors) are added to strong acceptors like chloranil (CHL) or di-chloro-di-cyano benzoquinone (DDQ) in chloroform or in dichloromethane. The formation of such complexes is manifested by the presence of a broad absorption maximum in the visible range of the spectrum where neither the donor nor the acceptor absorbs. The appearance of this visible band is due to CT interactions, which result in strong NLO responses. We have employed the semiempirical intermediate neglect of differential overlap (INDO∕S) Hamiltonian to calculate the energy levels of these CT complexes using single and double configuration interaction (SDCI). The solvent effects are taken into account by using the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) scheme. The geometry of the complex is obtained by exploring different relative molecular geometries by rotating the acceptor with respect to the fixed donor about three different axes. The theoretical geometry that best fits the experimental energy gaps, β(HRS) and macroscopic depolarization ratios is taken to be the most probable geometry of the complex. Our studies show that the most probable geometry of these complexes in solution is the parallel displaced structure with a significant twist in some cases.

Geometry and quadratic nonlinearity of charge transfer complexes in solution using depolarized hyper-Rayleigh scattering

We report large quadratic nonlinearity in a series of 1:1 molecular complexes between methyl substituted benzene donors and quinone acceptors in solution. The first hyperpolarizability, β(HRS), which is very small for the individual components, becomes large by intermolecular charge transfer (CT) interaction between the donor and the acceptor in the complex. In addition, we have investigated the geometry of these CT complexes in solution using polarization resolved hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS). Using linearly (electric field vector along X direction) and circularly polarized incident light, respectively, we have measured two macroscopic depolarization ratios D=I(2ω,X,X)/I(2ω,Z,X) and D(')=I(2ω,X,C)/I(2ω,Z,C) in the laboratory fixed XYZ frame by detecting the second harmonic scattered light in a polarization resolved fashion. The experimentally obtained first hyperpolarizability, β(HRS), and the value of macroscopic depolarization ratios, D and D('), are then matched with the theoretically deduced values from single and double configuration interaction calculations performed using the Zerner's intermediate neglect of differential overlap self-consistent reaction field technique. In solution, since several geometries are possible, we have carried out calculations by rotating the acceptor moiety around three different axes keeping the donor molecule fixed at an optimized geometry. These rotations give us the theoretical β(HRS), D and D(') values as a function of the geometry of the complex. The calculated β(HRS), D, and D(') values that closely match with the experimental values, give the dominant equilibrium geometry in solution. All the CT complexes between methyl benzenes and chloranil or 1,2-dichloro-4,5-dicyano-p-benzoquinone investigated here are found to have a slipped parallel stacking of the donors and the acceptors. Furthermore, the geometries are staggered and in some pairs, a twist angle as high as 30° is observed. Thus, we have demonstrated in this paper that the polarization resolved HRS technique along with theoretical calculations can unravel the geometry of CT complexes in solution.

Self-Consistent Field and Polarizable Continuum Model: A New Strategy of Solution for the Coupled Equations.

We present a new strategy for the solution of the self-consistent field (SCF) equations when solvent effects are included by means of the polarizable continuum model (PCM). By exploiting the recently introduced variational formalism of the PCM (VPCM), we are able to recast the self-consistent reaction field problem as an energy functional of both electronic and polarization degrees of freedom. The variational minimization of such a functional leads to the free energy of the solvated molecule at a given geometry. In this contribution we describe an effective procedure and its implementation to achieve the solution of such a variational problem. Moreover, we present numerical evidence that the new approach is superior to the traditional one in terms of performance, especially when a relatively inexpensive semiempirical method is used to describe medium- and large-size solutes.

Drug Development for Eradication with InclusionComplex of Multifunctional-modifiedβCD

We studied the properties of an inclusion complex of amoxicillin (AMPC) in a multifunctional-modified β-cyclodextrin (mf-βCD) having an affinity for bacteria. The mf-βCDs used were βCDs modified by the introduction, on the end of a hydrocarbon chain linker, of a saccharide or urea substituent group expected to have affinity for bacteria. Using quantum chemical methods, we showed that the use of mf-βCD stabilizes AMPC against acid, and that formation of an inclusion complex should produce bacterial affinity and improve bactericidal efficiency. The chemical stabilization of AMPC by mf-βCD was tested by hydrolysis. We also showed that in order to form a 1:1 complex of AMPC and mf-βCD (AMPC-mf-βCD) functioning as a drug delivery system (DDS), the optimal conditions require mixing mf-βCD with AMPC at a molar ratio between 1:5 and 1:10 (AMPC:mf-βCD). We used Gaussian program to determine the precedence of inclusion of AMPC by mf-βCDs and to obtain optimized structures of the complex. We demonstrated the importance of orbital interactions and electronic correlations during complexation for the emergence of chemotaxis in Helicobacter pylori1) toward the urea substituent on mf-βCDs. We further used the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) method to study the effects of solvent. Using the optimized structures under solvent-free conditions, we calculated the energies of each AMPC-mf-βCD complex in water by the SCRF method using B3LYP/6-31G* levels.

Mössbauer properties of the diferric cluster and the differential iron(ii)-binding affinity of the iron sites in protein R2 of class Ia Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase: a DFT/electrostatics study

The R2 subunit of class-Ia ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) from Escherichia coli (E. coli) contains a diiron active site. Starting from the apo-protein and Fe(II) in solution at low Fe(II)/apoR2 ratios, mononuclear Fe(II) binding is observed indicating possible different Fe(II) binding affinities for the two alternative sites. Further, based on their Mössbauer spectroscopy and two-iron-isotope reaction experiments, Bollinger et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1997, 119, 5976-5977) proposed that the site Fe1, which bonds to Asp84, should be associated with the higher observed (57)Fe Mössbauer quadrupole splitting (2.41 mm s(-1)) and lower isomer shift (0.45 mm s(-1)) in the Fe(III)Fe(III) state, site Fe2, which is further from Tyr122, should have a greater affinity for Fe(II) binding than site Fe1, and Fe(IV) in the intermediate X state should reside at site Fe2. In this paper, using density functional theory (DFT) incorporated with the conductor-like screening (COSMO) solvation model and with the finite-difference Poisson-Boltzmann self-consistent reaction field (PB-SCRF) methodologies, we have demonstrated that the observed large quadrupole splitting for the diferric state R2 does come from site Fe1(III) and it is mainly caused by the binding position of the carboxylate group of the Asp84 sidechain. Further, a series of active site clusters with mononuclear Fe(II) binding at either site Fe1 or Fe2 have been studied, which show that with a single dielectric medium outside the active site quantum region, there is no energetic preference for Fe(II) binding at one site over another. However, when including the explicit extended protein environment in the PB-SCRF model, the reaction field favors the Fe(II) binding at site Fe2 rather than at site Fe1 by ~9 kcal mol(-1). Therefore our calculations support the proposal of the previous Mössbauer spectroscopy and two-iron-isotope reaction experiments by Bollinger et al.

Insights into amine-based CO2 capture: an ab initio self-consistent reaction field investigation

Ab initio many-body perturbation theory (MP2/6-311++G(,dp)), density functional theory (B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p)) and self-consistent reaction field (IEF-PCM UA HF/6-31G(d)) calculations have been used to study the CO2 capture reagents NH3, 2-hydroxyethylamine (MEA), diaminoethane (EN), 2-amino-1-propanol (2A1P), diethanolamine (DEA), N-methyl-2-hydroxyethylamine (N-methylMEA), 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), trishydroxymethylaminomethane (tris), piperazine (PZ) and piperidine (PD). This study involved full conformational searches of the capture amines in their native and protonated forms, and their carbamic acid and carbamate derivatives. Using this data, we were able to compute Boltzmann-averaged thermodynamic values for the amines, carbamates and carbamic acid derivatives, as well as equilibrium constants for a series of ‘universal’ aqueous capture reactions. Important findings include (i) relative pK a values for the carbamic acid derivatives are a useful measure of carbamate stability, due to a particular chemical resonance which is also manifest in short computed N–CO2H bonds at both levels of theory, (ii) the computational results for sterically hindered amines such as AMP and tris are consistent with these species forming carbamates which readily hydrolyse and (iii) the amine-catalysed reaction between OH− and CO2 to generate bicarbonate correlates with amine pK a. Thermodynamic data from the ab initio computations predicts that the heterocycles PD and PZ and the acyclic sorbent EN are good choices for a capture solvent. AMP and tris perform poorly in comparison.

Intramolecular hydroxycarbene C-H-insertion: The curious case of (o-methoxyphenyl)hydroxycarbene.

The first C–H insertion of a hydroxycarbene species in the gas phase has been observed experimentally by means of high vacuum flash pyrolysis (HVFP) and subsequent matrix isolation: (o-Methoxyphenyl)glyoxylic acid gives non-isolable (o-methoxyphenyl)hydroxycarbene upon pyrolysis at 600 °C, which rapidly inserts into the methyl C–H bond. The insertion product, 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-3-ol, was trapped in an excess of Ar at 11 K and characterized by infrared spectroscopy. The insertion process kinetically outruns the alternative [1,2]H-tunneling reaction to o-anisaldehyde, a type of reaction observed for other hydroxycarbenes. Traces of the dehydration product, benzo[b]furan, were also detected. The potential energy hypersurface including the insertion and hydrogen migration processes was computed at the all-electron coupled-cluster level of theory encompassing single and double substitutions and perturbatively included triple excitations [AE-CCSD(T)] in conjunction with a correlation-consistent double-ζ basis set (cc-pVDZ) by utilizing density functional theory (DFT) optimized geometries (M06-2X/cc-pVDZ) with zero-point vibrational energy (ZPVE) corrections. Exchange of the methoxy for a trifluoromethoxy group successfully prevents insertion and (o-trifluoromethoxy)benzaldehyde is produced instead; however, the carbene cannot be observed under these conditions. Thermal decomposition of (o-methoxyphenyl)glyoxylic acid in refluxing xylenes does not give the insertion product but yields o-anisaldehyde. This unanticipated outcome can be rationalized by protonation of the hydroxycarbene intermediate leading to the tautomeric formyl group. Thermochemical computations at M06-2X/cc-pVDZ in conjunction with a self-consistent solvent reaction field model support this suggested reaction pathway.

Theoretical study on the solvent effect of the nitrosyl cation (NO+ ) generating reaction

Nitrosyl cation (NO+) generating reaction HONO + H+ NO+ + H2O has been theoretically investigated by B3LYP and high-electron-correlation QCISD methods with 6-31G (d,p) basis set. The solvent effects on the geometries, reaction path properties, energies, thermodynamic, and kinetic characters in four solvents (benzene, tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile, and water) have been calculated using self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) approach with the polarizable continuum model (PCM). The results show that the activation energy barriers and the relative energies of the products are decreased with increase of the polarities of the solvents, and the reaction is favored in polar solvents thermodynamically and kinetically. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011

THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOLVENTS AND TEMPERATURES ON STABILITY OF SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBE: A QM/MD STUDY

In the present work, we have investigated solvent effects on the relative energies and dipole moment values and studied the structural properties of water, methanol, and ethanol surrounding single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) and mixtures of them as well, using Molecular Dynamics simulation. Because some of the physicochemical parameters are related to structural properties of SWCNT, we used different force fields to determine energy and other types of geometrical parameters, on the particular SWCNT. Because of the differences among force fields, the energy of a molecule calculated using two different force fields will not be the same. In this study, the difference in the force fields is illustrated by comparing the calculated energies by using force fields such as MM+, AMBER, and BIO+. The Quantum Mechanics (QM) calculations were carried out with the GAUSSIAN 98 program based on HF/3-21G level. In this study, we have compared gas phase and solvent calculations that considered solvents such as water, methanol, ethanol, and mixtures of them. So, in this work, we investigated polar solvents effects on SWCNT within the Onsager self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) model using a Hartree–Fock method and the temperature effect on the stability of SWCNT in various solvents.

Theoretical study of 2-phenylbenzoxazole derivatives and derived phenolic Schiff compounds in gas and solution phases: Electronic structures and optical properties

Theoretical investigation has been carried out for the electronic structures, optical properties and electron transition mechanism of R-substituted 2-phenylbenzoxazole complexes ( nb) and derived phenolic Schiff bases ( na) ( n = 1, R = CH 3; n = 2, R = N(CH 3) 2; n = 3, R = Cl; n = 4, R = NO 2). In the gas phase, the ground and excited states were fully optimized at the B3LYP/cc-pVDZ, HF/cc-pVDZ and CIS/cc-pVDZ, respectively. For each derivative, two conformations are available, one with a downward hydrogen (H2) and the other with an upward hydrogen, and the former one is more stable than the latter one. Absorption and emission spectra of all species were calculated by the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) based on the ground and excited states geometries. The absorption and emission spectra were consistently blue shifted in going from na to nb. The solvent effects on molecular geometries and optical properties were characterized in several solvents from B3LYP/cc-pVDZ and HF/cc-pVDZ calculations employing the Onsager model within the framework of the self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) theory. The SCRF calculations provide reliable information regarding the solvent effects on the geometries and optical properties of the conjugate compounds.

High resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy of water and aqueous ions using the micro-jet technique

Soft X-ray absorption (XA) and emission (XE) spectroscopy is a powerful method for probing the local electronic structure of light elements (e.g. C, O, N, S) and transition metals, which are all of importance for biochemical systems. Here, we report for the first time on the XE spectra of a liquid micro-jet sample in a vacuum environment. We developed a high resolution X-ray emission spectrometer and recorded the spectra of pure water in full agreement with those of the literature, as well as of an aqueous solution of NiCl 2. For the latter system, ground state Hartree–Fock calculations using a self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) approach were carried out to specify the nature of the d-occupied orbital. Our results confirm the dark-channel-fluorescence-yield mechanism that we recently proposed for the case of metal ions in aqueous solutions. The ability to record absorption and emission spectra of an aqueous liquid-jet opens the way for the study of biochemical systems in physiological media.

Conformational Preferences of Proline Analogues with a Fused Benzene Ring

The intrinsic conformational preferences of indoline-2-carboxylic acid (Inc) and its α-methylated derivative (αMeInc) have been investigated using quantum mechanical calculations. Specifically, the behavior of their N-acetyl-N'-methylamide derivatives, Ac-L-Inc-NHMe and Ac-L-αMeInc-NHMe, has been explored at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level. Such amino acids are analogues of proline and (α-methyl)proline, respectively, bearing a benzene ring fused to the C(γ)-C(δ) bond of the five-membered pyrrolidine ring. The additional aromatic group has been shown to significantly restrict the conformational space available to these residues by reducing the flexibility of both the five-membered cycle and the peptide backbone. The fused benzene ring also plays a critical role in determining the cis-trans arrangement of the amide bond involving the pyrrolidine nitrogen, which is also modulated by the presence of the α-methyl group in the αMeInc derivative. Furthermore, the influence of the environment on the conformational propensities of these compounds has been evaluated by using both a self-consistent reaction field model and a recently developed interface in a hybrid QM/MM scheme, in which the solvent molecules are treated explicitly with classical mechanics while the solute is described by quantum mechanics at the density functional theory level.

Redox Mechanism of Glycosidic Bond Hydrolysis Catalyzed by 6-Phospho-α-glucosidase: A DFT Study

Glycosidic bonds are remarkably resistant to cleavage by chemical hydrolysis. Glycoside hydrolases catalyze their selective hydrolysis in oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates by following nonredox catalytic pathways or a net redox-neutral catalytic pathway using NAD(+) and divalent metal ions as cofactors. GlvA (6-phospho-alpha-glucosidase) is a glycosidase belonging to family GH4 and follows a regioselective redox-neutral mechanism of glycosidic-bond hydrolysis that favors alpha- over beta-glycosides. Its proposed catalytic mechanism can be divided into two half-reactions: the first one activates the glucopyranose ring by successively forming intermediates that are oxidized at the 3-, 2-, and 1-positions of the ring, which ultimately facilitate the heterolytic deglycosylation. The second half-reaction is essentially the reverse of the first half-reaction, beginning with the pyranose ring hydroxylation at the anomeric carbon, and it is followed by 3-reduction and regeneration of the active forms of the catalytic site and its cofactors. We investigated the NAD(+)-dependent redox mechanism of glycosidic bond hydrolysis as catalyzed by GlvA through the combined application of density functional theory and a self-consistent reaction field to a large active-site model obtained from the crystallographic structure of the enzyme, then we applied natural bond orbital and second-order perturbation analyses to monitor the electron flow and change in oxidation state on each atomic center along the reaction coordinate to rationalize the energetics and regioselectivity of this catalytic mechanism. We find that in GlvA, the redox catalytic mechanism of hydrolysis is driven by the gradual strengthening of the axial endo-anomeric component within the hexose ring along the reaction coordinate to facilitate the heterolytic dissociation of the axial C1-O bond. In addition, the combined influence of specific components of the generalized anomeric effect fully explains the regioselectivity observed in the catalytic activity of GlvA.

A DFT study on the catalytic mechanism of UDP-glucose dehydrogenase

Uridine 5′-diphosphate glucuronic acid (UDPGlcUA) is a key intermediary metabolite in many species, including pathogenic bacteria and humans. It is biosynthesized from UDP-glucose (UDPGlc) by uridine diphosphate glucose dehydrogenase (UDPGlcDH) via a twofold two-electron–one-proton oxidation that successively transforms the 6-hydroxymethyl of glucopyranose into a formyl, and the latter into the final carboxylic function. The catalytic mechanism of UDPGlcDH was investigated using a large enzyme active-site model in combination with the B3LYP method and the polarizable continuum model (IEF-PCM) self-consistent reaction field. The latter was used to correct for the long-range electrostatic effect of the protein environment. The overall mechanism consists of four catalytic steps: (i) NAD+-dependent oxidation of glucose to glucuronaldehyde, (ii) nucleophilic addition of Cys260–SH to glucuronaldehyde to form a 6-thiohemiacetal intermediate, (iii) NAD+-dependent oxidation of the 6-thiohemiacetal to form a 6-thioester intermediate, and finally, (iv) hydrolysis of the 6-thioester to give glucuronic acid. In addition, this study also provides insight into the debated roles of Lys204 and Asp264, and the most likely protonation state of a reactive Michaelis complex of UDPGlcDH.

A variational formulation of the polarizable continuum model

Continuum solvation models are widely used to accurately estimate solvent effects on energy, structural and spectroscopic properties of complex molecular systems. The polarizable continuum model (PCM) is one of the most versatile among the continuum models because of the variety of properties that can be computed and the diversity of methods that can be used to describe the solute from molecular mechanics (MM) to sophisticated quantum mechanical (QM) post-self-consistent field methods or even hybrid QM/MM methods. In this contribution, we present a new formulation of PCM in terms of a free energy functional whose variational parameters include the continuum polarization (represented by the apparent surface charges), the solute's atomic coordinates and-possibly-its electronic density. The problem of finding the optimized geometry of the (polarized) solute, with the corresponding self-consistent reaction field, is recast as the minimization of this free energy functional, simultaneously with respect to all its variables. The numerous potential applications of this variational formulation of PCM are discussed, including simultaneous optimization of solute's geometry and polarization charges and extended Lagrangian dynamics. In particular, we describe in details the simultaneous optimization procedure and we include several numerical examples.

Density functional theory analysis of structure, energetics, and spectroscopy for the Mn-Fe active site of Chlamydia trachomatis ribonucleotide reductase in four oxidation states.

Models for the Mn-Fe active site structure of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) from pathogenic bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) in different oxidation states have been studied in this paper, using broken-symmetry density functional theory (DFT) incorporated with the conductor like screening (COSMO) solvation model and also with finite-difference Poisson-Boltzmann self-consistent reaction field (PB-SCRF) calculations. The detailed structures for the reduced Mn(II)-Fe(II), the met Mn(III)-Fe(III), the oxidized Mn(IV)-Fe(III) and the superoxidized Mn(IV)-Fe(IV) states are predicted. The calculated properties, including geometries, (57)Fe Mossbauer isomer shifts and quadrupole splittings, and (57)Fe and (55)Mn electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) hyperfine coupling constants, are compared with the available experimental data. The Mössbauer and energetic calculations show that the (mu-oxo, mu-hydroxo) models better represent the structure of the Mn(IV)-Fe(III) state than the di-mu-oxo models. The predicted Mn(IV)-Fe(III) distances (2.95 and 2.98 A) in the (mu-oxo, mu-hydroxo) models are in agreement with the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) experimental value of 2.92 A (Younker et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 15022-15027). The effect of the protein and solvent environment on the assignment of the Mn metal position is examined by comparing the relative energies of alternative mono-Mn(II) active site structures. It is proposed that if the Mn(II)-Fe(II) protein is prepared with prior addition of Mn(II) or with Mn(II) richer than Fe(II), Mn is likely positioned at metal site 2, which is further from Phe127.

Accounting for Polarization Cost When Using Fixed Charge Force Fields. I. Method for Computing Energy

Although it is not currently standard practice, the cost to change the electronic polarization from one appropriate for the gas phase to that implied by the charge model should be considered when deriving force fields based on fits to certain types of experimental data and for using force fields to compute observables that involve changes in molecular polarization. We present mathematical expressions and a method to estimate this polarization cost implied by a fixed charge model force field, where the fixed charge model can be any combination of point charges, higher-order multipoles, or even distributed charge densities, as long as they do not change in response to environment. These expressions illuminate the relationship between polarization costs associated with fixed charge models, self-polarization energies of polarizable models, and quantum chemical based approaches that use continuum representations of the solvent, such as the self-consistent reaction field and polarizable continuum models. The technique takes account of the tensorial nature of the polarizabilities and includes quadrupole as well as dipole polarization. The consistency of this approach to one that estimates polarization cost using an implicit solvent quantum chemistry method (PCM) is demonstrated.

A Theoretical Investigation on N7(H)→N9(H) Tautomerization of Isolated and Monohydrated 2,6‐Dithiopurine Combined with IPCM Solvent Model

AbstractThe tautomerization reaction mechanism has been reported between N7(H) and N9(H) of isolated and monohydrated 2,6‐dithiopurine using B3LYP/6‐311+G(d,p). The isodensity polarized continuum model (IPCM) in the self‐consistent reaction field (SCRF) method is employed to account for the solvent effect of water on the tautomerization reaction activation energies. The results show that the two pathways P(1) (via the carbene intermediate I1) and P(2) (via the sp3‐hybrid intermediate I2) are found in intramolecular proton transfer, and each pathway is composed by two primary steps. The calculated activation energy barriers of the rate‐determining steps in isolated 2,6‐dithiopurine N7(H)→N9(H) tautomerism are 308.2 and 220.0 kJ·mol−1 in the two pathways, respectively. Interestingly, in one‐water molecule catalyst, it dramatically lowers the N7(H)→N9(H) energy barriers by the concerted double proton transfer mechanism in P(1), favoring the formation of 2,6‐dithiopurine N9(H). However, the single proton transfer mechanism assisted with out‐of‐plane water in the first step of P(2) increases the activation energy barrier from 220.0 to 232.3 kJ·mol−1, while the second step is the out‐of‐plane concerted double proton transfer mechanism, indicating that they will be less preferable for proton transfer. Additionally, the results also show that all the pathways are put into the aqueous solution, and the activation energy barriers have no significant changes. Therefore, the long‐range electrostatic effect of bulk solvent has no significant impact on proton transfer reactions and the interaction with explicit water molecules will significantly influence proton transfer reactions.

Substituent and solvent effects on the structural bioactivity and anticancer characteristic of catechin as a bioactive constituent of green tea

In this study, quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory and 6-311G (d) basis set have been applied to analyze the substituent effect on the electronic structural properties including thermochemical parameters as well as anticancer characteristics of catechin as a bioactive constituent of green tea. It has been found out that different substituents with two kinds of electron donating and electron withdrawing groups including NO2, NH2, Cl, OCH3, and CH3 leaded to different structural stabilities. The catechin with chloro substituents has been referred to the most stable catechin derivatives based on the minimum energy of investigated compounds. In this study, the calculated values have been compared in gas phase and different solvent media with a wide range of solvent dielectrics using the self-consistent reaction field method with polarizable continuum model. Relative interaction energies between solute and solvent as well as dipole moment values have been analyzed. The results of solvent effect study revealed that the formation of hydrogen bonds accounts for the stabilization of catechin. These calculated data were found to be a logical way in predicting the relative stability of catechin derivatives and can be useful for drug design of anticancer drugs and would open a new door for the researchers who are interested in natural products. The results presented in this article will be helpful to improve existing model and will open up a whole new arena of study to understand the anticancer characteristic of these antioxidant drugs derived from natural products against the photosensitizing DNA damage induce by catechin extracts and enable a much clearer understanding of how anticancer drugs mediate their effects on the specific spot. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011