Magnetically Induced Current Density in Nonplanar Fully Benzenoid Hydrocarbons.

In our recent paper, the effects of molecular planarity on the local aromaticity in several series of increasingly planar fully benzenoid hydrocarbons were examined. It was found that the Clar formulas can provide correct information on the local aromaticity distribution even in nonplanar fully benzenoid systems. In the present work, the influence of molecular planarity on the ab initio magnetically induced current densities was examined for the same sets of molecules. The planarity effects were rationalized by examining the origins of the induced current density through the virtual transitions between occupied and unoccupied molecular orbitals.

Mononuclear gold(III) complexes with phenanthroline ligands as efficient inhibitors of angiogenesis: A comparative study with auranofin and sunitinib.

Gold(III) complexes with 1,7- and 4,7-phenanthroline ligands, [AuCl3(1,7-phen-κN7)] (1) and [AuCl3(4,7-phen-κN4)] (2) were synthesized and structurally characterized by spectroscopic (NMR, IR and UV-vis) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. In these complexes, 1,7- and 4,7-phenanthrolines are monodentatedly coordinated to the Au(III) ion through the N7 and N4 nitrogen atoms, respectively. In comparison to the clinically relevant anti-angiogenic compounds auranofin and sunitinib, gold(III)-phenanthroline complexes showed from 1.5- to 20-fold higher anti-angiogenic potential, and 13- and 118-fold lower toxicity. Among the tested compounds, complex 1 was the most potent and may be an excellent anti-angiogenic drug candidate, since it showed strong anti-angiogenic activity in zebrafish embryos achieving IC50 value (concentration resulting in an anti-angiogenic phenotype at 50% of embryos) of 2.89µM, while had low toxicity with LC50 value (the concentration inducing the lethal effect of 50% embryos) of 128µM. Molecular docking study revealed that both complexes and ligands could suppress angiogenesis targeting the multiple major regulators of angiogenesis, such as the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR-2), the matrix metalloproteases (MMP-2 and MMP-9), and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR1), where the complexes showed higher binding affinity in comparison to ligands, and particularly to auranofin, but comparable to sunitinib, an anti-angiogenic drug of clinical relevance.

Aromaticity of Nonplanar Fully Benzenoid Hydrocarbons.

The Clar aromatic sextet theory can provide a qualitative description of the dominant modes of cyclic π-electron conjugation in benzenoid molecules and of the relative stability among a series of isomeric benzenoid systems. In a series of nonplanar fully benzenoid hydrocarbons, the predictions of the Clar theory were tested by means of several different theoretical approaches: topological resonance energy (TRE), energy effect (ef), harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) index, six center delocalization index (SCI), and nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS). To assess deviations from planarity in the examined molecules, four different planarity descriptors were employed. It was shown how the planarity indices can be used to quantify the effect of nonplanarity on the local and global aromaticity of the studied systems.

Importance of hydrogen bonding and aromaticity indices in QSAR modeling of the antioxidative capacity of selected (poly)phenolic antioxidants.

The quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models for predicting antioxidative capacity of 21 structurally similar natural and synthetic phenolic antioxidants was considered. The one-, two- and three-descriptor QSAR models were developed. For this purpose the literature data on the vitamin C equivalent antioxidative capacity (VCEAC) values were used as experimental descriptor of antioxidative capacity. Some thermodynamic and aromaticity properties, as well as the natural bond analysis (NBO) based quantities aimed at measuring the strength of intramolecular hydrogen bonds, were used as independent variables. It was examined whether a combination of these variables can yield a mathematical function that is in good correlation with the VCEAC values. It was shown that a combination of a certain thermodynamic descriptor (related to the single proton loss electron transfer mechanism) with the NBO-based quantities results in several two-descriptor models with the correlation coefficient greater than 0.950. Thus, a significant influence of internal hydrogen bonds on the antioxidative capacity of the studied molecules was confirmed. The best correlation with the VCEAC values was achieved within a three-descriptor QSAR model. This model was obtained by including a magnetic aromaticity index. It was found that aromaticity has only secondary effects on the antioxidative capacity.

Effect of benzo-annelation on local aromaticity in heterocyclic conjugated compounds.

The effect of benzo-annelation on the local aromaticity of the central ring of acridine (1), 9H-carbazole (2), dibenzofuran (3), and dibenzothiophene (4) was analyzed by means of the energy effects (ef), pairwise energy effects (pef), multicenter delocalization index (MCI), electron density at ring critical points (ρ(r(C))), harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA), and nucleus independent chemical shifts (NICS). According to energetic, electron delocalization, and geometrical indices, angular benzo-annelation increases, whereas linear benzo-annelation decreases, the extent of the local aromaticity of the central ring containing heteroatoms. The local aromaticity of the central heterocyclic ring in the examined molecules can significantly vary by applying different modes of benzo-annelation. The NICS values do not always support the results obtained by the other aromaticity indices and, in some cases, lead to completely opposite conclusions.