Mechanism of Antiradical Activity of Newly Synthesized 4,7-Dihydroxycoumarin Derivatives-Experimental and Kinetic DFT Study

Coumarin derivatives have proven beneficial biological activities, but the mechanism of their radical scavenging potency is not fully understood. In this study, the antiradical capacity of two newly synthesized 4,7-dihydroxycoumarin derivatives: (E)-3-(1-((3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)amino)-ethylidene)-2,4-dioxochroman-7-yl acetate (A-3OH) and (E)-3-(1-((4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)amino)ethylidene)-2,4-dioxochroman-7-yl acetate (A-4OH) towards HO• were examined by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory (DFT). The compounds were fully characterized by the elemental microanalysis, IR, and NMR spectroscopies. The effect of pH on the acid–base equilibria is separately discussed and the predominant species at the physiological pH were determined. Several common mechanisms (Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT), Single-Electron Transfer followed by Proton Transfer (SET-PT), Sequential Proton Loss followed by Electron Transfer (SPLET), Radical Adduct Formation (RAF), and Intramolecular Hydrogen Atom Abstraction (iHAA)) of radical scavenging were investigated based on thermodynamic and kinetic parameters. EPR results indicated that both compounds significantly reduce the amount of present HO•. The results of the kinetic DFT study demonstrated that both compounds predominantly exhibit antiradical capacity through HAT and SPLET mechanisms. The estimated overall rate constants (koverall) proved that A-4OH shows better antioxidant capacity than A-3OH which is well-correlated with the results obtained by EPR measurement.

Theoretical Calculation on the Reaction Mechanisms, Kinetics and Toxicity of Acetaminophen Degradation Initiated by Hydroxyl and Sulfate Radicals in the Aqueous Phase

The •OH and SO4•− play a vital role on degrading pharmaceutical contaminants in water. In this paper, theoretical calculations have been used to discuss the degradation mechanisms, kinetics and ecotoxicity of acetaminophen (AAP) initiated by •OH and SO4•−. Two significant reaction mechanisms of radical adduct formation (RAF) and formal hydrogen atom transfer (FHAT) were investigated deeply. The results showed that the RAF takes precedence over FHAT in both •OH and SO4•− with AAP reactions. The whole and branched rate constants were calculated in a suitable temperature range of 198–338 K and 1 atm by using the KiSThelP program. At 298 K and 1 atm, the total rate constants of •OH and SO4•− with AAP were 3.23 × 109 M−1 s−1 and 4.60 × 1010 M−1 s−1, respectively, considering the diffusion-limited effect. The chronic toxicity showed that the main degradation intermediates were harmless to three aquatic organism, namely, fish, daphnia, and green algae. From point of view of the acute toxicity, some degradation intermediates were still at harmful or toxic level. These results provide theoretical guidance on the practical degradation of AAP in the water.

Antioxidant and UV-radiation absorption activity of aaptamine derivatives – Potential application for natural organic sunscreens

Antioxidant and UV absorption activities of three marine product originated - aaptamine derivatives including piperidine[3,2-b]demethyl(oxy)aaptamine (<b>C1</b>), 9-amino-2-ethoxy-8-methoxy-3H-benzo[de][1,6]naphthyridine-3-one (<b>C2</b>), and 2-(sec-butyl)-7,8-dimethoxybenzo[de]imidazo[4,5,1-ij][1,6]-naphthyridin-10(9H)-one (<b>C3</b>) were theoretically studied by density functional theory (DFT). Direct antioxidant activities of C1–C3 were firstly evaluated via their intrinsic thermochemical properties and radical scavenging activity of the potential antioxidants with the HOO●/HO● radicals via four mechanisms, including: hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), single electron transfer (SET), proton loss (PL) and radical adduct formation (RAF). Kinetic calculation reveals that HOO● scavenging in water is occurred via HAT mechanism with C1 (kapp, 7.13x10⁶ M-1 s-1) while RAF is more dominant with C2 (k_app, 1.40x10⁵ M-1 s-1) and C3 (kapp, 2.90x10⁵ M-1 s-1). Antioxidant activity of aaptamine derivatives can be classified as <b>C1 </b>> <b>C3 </b>> <b>C2</b>. Indirect antioxidant properties based on Cu(I) and Cu(II) ions chelating activity were also investigated in aqueous phase. All three studied compounds show spontaneous and favorable Cu(I) ion chelating activity with DG0 being -15.4, -13.7, and -15.7 kcal.mol-1, whereas DG0 for Cu(II) chelation are -10.4, -10.8, and -2.2 kcal.mol-1 for C1, C2 and C3, respectively. In addition, all compounds show UVA and UVB absorption; in which the excitations are determined mostly as π-π* transition. Overall, the results suggest the potential applications of the aaptamines in pharmaceutics and cosmetics, i.e. as sunscreen and antioxidant ingredient.<br>

Radical-Scavenging and UV-Radiation Absorption Activities of Aaptamine Derivatives: DFT and TD-DFT Studies

Antioxidant and UV absorption activities of three aaptamine derivatives including piperidine[3,2-b]demethyl(oxy)aaptamine (C1), 9-amino-2-ethoxy-8-methoxy-3H-benzo[de][1,6]naphthyridine-3-one (C2), and 2-(sec-butyl)-7,8-dimethoxybenzo[de]imidazo[4,5,1-ij][1,6]-naphthyridin-10(9H)-one (C3) were theoretically studied by density functional theory (DFT). Optimized geometries of C1C3 and theirs intrinsic thermochemical properties such as bond dissociation energy, proton affinity, and ionization potential were calculated at DFT/M05-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory in vacuo and in water. The results show that C1C3 exhibited similar potent antioxidant activities, which are comparable to well-known antioxidants such as Trolox or cembrene. The radical scavenging activity of the antioxidants were then investigated by evaluation the Gibbs free energy (ΔrG0) of the reaction between C1C3 and the HOO●/HO● radicals via four mechanisms, including: hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), single electron transfer (SET), proton loss (PL) and radical adduct formation (RAF). Kinetic calculation reveals that HOO● scavenging in water is occurred via HAT mechanism with C1@C19 while RAF is more dominant with C2 and C3. Antioxidant activity of aaptamine derivatives can be classified as C1 > C3 > C2. In addition, all compounds are active in UV-Vis absorption; the excitations of which are determined as π-π* transition. Overall, the results suggest the potential applications of the aaptamines in pharmaceutics and cosmetics, i.e. as sunscreen and antioxidant ingredient<br>

Radical-Scavenging and UV-Radiation Absorption Activities of Aaptamine Derivatives: DFT and TD-DFT Studies

Antioxidant and UV absorption activities of three aaptamine derivatives including piperidine[3,2-b]demethyl(oxy)aaptamine (C1), 9-amino-2-ethoxy-8-methoxy-3H-benzo[de][1,6]naphthyridine-3-one (C2), and 2-(sec-butyl)-7,8-dimethoxybenzo[de]imidazo[4,5,1-ij][1,6]-naphthyridin-10(9H)-one (C3) were theoretically studied by density functional theory (DFT). Optimized geometries of C1C3 and theirs intrinsic thermochemical properties such as bond dissociation energy, proton affinity, and ionization potential were calculated at DFT/M05-2X/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory in vacuo and in water. The results show that C1C3 exhibited similar potent antioxidant activities, which are comparable to well-known antioxidants such as Trolox or cembrene. The radical scavenging activity of the antioxidants were then investigated by evaluation the Gibbs free energy (ΔrG0) of the reaction between C1C3 and the HOO●/HO● radicals via four mechanisms, including: hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), single electron transfer (SET), proton loss (PL) and radical adduct formation (RAF). Kinetic calculation reveals that HOO● scavenging in water is occurred via HAT mechanism with C1@C19 while RAF is more dominant with C2 and C3. Antioxidant activity of aaptamine derivatives can be classified as C1 > C3 > C2. In addition, all compounds are active in UV-Vis absorption; the excitations of which are determined as π-π* transition. Overall, the results suggest the potential applications of the aaptamines in pharmaceutics and cosmetics, i.e. as sunscreen and antioxidant ingredient<br>

Antiradical Activity of Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) Betalains

Flavonoids, phenolic acids, and anthocyanidins are widely studied polyphenolics owing to their antiradical activity. Recently, beetroot dyes have drawn an attention as possible radical scavengers, but scant information can be found on this topic. In this study selected compounds were investigated using computational chemistry methods. Implicit water at physiological pH was chosen as the environment of interest. Betalains’ dissociation process and electronic structure were examined, as well as the reactivity in six pathways against some common radicals, such as hydroxyl, hydroperoxide, superoxide, and nitric oxide. The study showed that all carboxyl groups are dissociated in the given conditions. The dissociation process impacts the electronic structure, which has consequences for the overall activity. Highly stabilized conjugated structures favor the electron–accepting type of scavenging reactions, primarily by a radical adduct formation mechanism. Betanidin and indicaxanthin were found to be the most promising of the compounds studied. Nevertheless, the study established the role of betalains as powerful antiradical dietary agents.

Quantum Mechanical Predictions of the Antioxidant Capability of Moracin C Isomers

The antioxidant capability of moracin C and iso-moracin C isomers against the OOH free radical was studied by applying density functional theory (DFT) and choosing the M05-2X exchange-correlation functional coupled with the all electron basis set, 6-311++G(d,p), for computations. Different reaction mechanisms [hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), single electron transfer (SET), and radical adduct formation (RAF)] were taken into account when considering water- and lipid-like environments. Rate constants were obtained by applying the conventional transition state theory (TST). The results show that, in water, scavenging activity mainly occurs through a radical addition mechanism for both isomers, while, in the lipid-like environment, the radical addition process is favored for iso-moracin C, while, redox- and non-redox-type reactions can equally occur for moracin C. The values of pKa relative to the deprotonation paths at physiological pH were predicted in aqueous solution.

DIRECT SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF 4,7-DIHYDROXYCOUMARIN DERIVATIVE TOWARDS SERIES OF CHLOROMETHYLPEROXY RADICALS

In this study, the mechanisms of antiradical activity of the previously synthesized 4,7- dihydroxycoumarin derivative:(E)-3-(1-((4-hydroxyphenyl)amino)ethylidene)-2,4- dioxochroman-7-yl acetate (A-4OH) according to the series of chloromethylperoxy radicals: OOCH2Cl (chloromethylperoxy), OOCHCl2 (dichloromethylperoxy) and OOCCl3 (trichloromethyl peroxy) were investigated. To assess the mechanisms of antiradical activity of A-4OH against chloromethylperoxy radicals, the following mechanistic pathways were examined: Hydrogen Atom Transfer (HAT), Single-Electron Transfer followed by Proton Transfer (SET-PT), and Radical Adduct Formation (RAF). The investigations were performed in water using sophisticated computational methods. The results of the study show that the activity against selected radicals decreases in series •OOCCl3 > •OOCHCl2 > •OOCH2Cl. The results of thermodynamic and kinetic parameters indicate that A-4OH inactivates selected radicals via the HAT mechanism.

Comparative Analysis of Radical Adduct Formation (RAF) Products and Antioxidant Pathways between Myricetin-3-O-Galactoside and Myricetin Aglycone

The biological process, 3-O-galactosylation, is important in plant cells. To understand the mechanism of the reduction of flavonol antioxidative activity by 3-O-galactosylation, myricetin-3-O-galactoside (M3OGa) and myricetin aglycone were each incubated with 2 mol α,α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) and subsequently comparatively analyzed for radical adduct formation (RAF) products using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS) technology. The analyses revealed that M3OGa afforded an M3OGa–DPPH adduct (m/z 873.1573) and an M3OGa–M3OGa dimer (m/z 958.1620). Similarly, myricetin yielded a myricetin–DPPH adduct (m/z 711.1039) and a myricetin–myricetin dimer (m/z 634.0544). Subsequently, M3OGa and myricetin were compared using three redox-dependent antioxidant analyses, including DPPH•-trapping analysis, 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide radical (PTIO•)-trapping analysis, and •O2 inhibition analysis. In the three analyses, M3OGa always possessed higher IC50 values than those of myricetin. Conclusively, M3OGa and its myricetin aglycone could trap the free radical via a chain reaction comprising of a propagation step and a termination step. At the propagation step, both M3OGa and myricetin could trap radicals through redox-dependent antioxidant pathways. The 3-O-galactosylation process, however, could limit these pathways; thus, M3OGa is an inferior antioxidant compared to its myricetin aglycone. Nevertheless, 3-O-galactosylation has a negligible effect on the termination step. This 3-O-galactosylation effect has provided novel evidence that the difference in the antioxidative activities of phytophenols exists at the propagation step rather than the termination step.

Dual Effect of Glucuronidation of a Pyrogallol-type Phytophenol Antioxidant: A Comparison between Scutellarein and Scutellarin

To explore whether and how glucuronidation affects pyrogallol-type phytophenols, scutellarein and scutellarin (scutellarein-7-O-glucuronide) were comparatively investigated using a set of antioxidant analyses, including spectrophotometric analysis, UV-vis spectra analysis, and ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS) analysis. In spectrophotometric analyses of the scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS+•), and 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide radicals (PTIO•) and the reduction of Cu2+ ions, scutellarein showed lower IC50 values than scutellarin. However, in •O2−-scavenging spectrophotometric analysis, scutellarein showed higher IC50 value than scutellarin. The analysis of UV-Vis spectra obtained after the Fe2+-chelating reaction of scutellarin showed a typical UV-Vis peak (λmax = 611 nm), while scutellarein showed no typical peak. In UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis, mixing of scutellarein with DPPH• yielded MS peaks (m/z 678, 632, 615, 450, 420, 381, 329, 300, 288, 227, 196, 182, 161, and 117) corresponding to the scutellarein-DPPH adduct and an MS peak (m/z 570) corresponding to the scutellarein-scutellarein dimer. Scutellarin, however, generated no MS peak. On the basis of these findings, it can be concluded that glucuronidation of pyrogallol-type phytophenol antioxidants has a dual effect. On the one hand, glucuronidation can decrease the antioxidant potentials (except for •O2− scavenging) and further lower the possibility of radical adduct formation (RAF), while on the other hand, it can enhance the •O2−-scavenging and Fe2+-chelating potentials.