Enhanced Fe3+ binding through cooperativity of 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one groups within a linear co-polymer: wrapping effect leading to superior antimicrobial activity.

To tackle the rise of antibiotic resistant pathogenic microbes, iron withdrawal agents have shown considerable promise as antibiotic alternatives due to the microbes' irreplaceable metabolic need for the essential element iron. DIBI is a water-soluble, linear co-polymer functionalized with 3-hydroxy-pyridin-4-one (HPO) chelators that selectively and strongly bind iron(III) in biological environments. Compared to HPO congeners, DIBI has over 1000 times higher antimicrobial activity against a broad-spectrum of Gram-(+) and Gram-(-) bacteria including highly antibiotic resistant clinical isolates. Herein, we explain the enhanced antimicrobial activity of DIBI by a cooperativity effect of the linear co-polymer wrapping around three iron(III) centres. DIBI's structural and iron(III) binding properties were investigated by comparative experiments against HPO monomer and deferiprone using chemical and physical characterization methods with direct biological implications such as pH stability, reductive off-loading of bound iron(III), trans-membrane permeability, and competition experiments with vertebrate transferrin class iron carrier. The three iron(III) ions bound to DIBI are preferentially incorporated into a tris-bidentate chelates, which forces the linear backbone of the polymer to wrap around the complexes, as the bound iron was much less susceptible to dithionite reduction than the tris iron(III) complexes of HPO monomers and deferiprone. The results suggest a high degree of cooperativity of the polymer-bound HPO groups to effect a wrapping of the polymer backbone around the chelated iron, shielding the iron(III) centres from ready access by microbes. The structural effect of DIBI is compared to polymers containing 3-hydroxy-pyridin-4-one chelators that do not undergo this wrapping effect.

DIBI, a 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one chelator iron-binding polymer with enhanced antimicrobial activity.

Depriving microorganisms of bioavailable iron is a promising strategy for new anti-infective agents. The new, highly water-soluble, low molecular weight co-polymer DIBI was developed to selectively bind iron(iii) ions as a tris chelate and acts as a standalone anti-infective. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) studies show DIBI is effective against representative reference strains for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria S. aureus and A. baumannii, and the fungus C. albicans. Compared to the small molecule iron chelators, deferiprone and deferoxamine, DIBI outclassed these by factors of 100 to 1000 for inhibition of initial growth. DIBI and a series of related co-polymers (Mw of 2-9 kDa) were synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of a chelating 3-hydroxypyridin-4-one (HPO) methacrylamide monomer and N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP). Full incorporation of the HPO monomer into the co-polymers from the reaction solution was determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy and ranged from 4.6 to 25.6 mol%. UV-vis spectroscopy showed that all the HPO in DIBI binds readily to iron(iii) in a tris chelate mode to the maximum theoretical iron(iii) binding capacity of the co-polymer. Chemical characterization including single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses of the O-benzyl protected and the functional HPO monomer are discussed. By design, DIBI is highly water soluble; the highest mass fraction in water tested was 70% w/w, without the need of organic co-solvents.

Structure and spectroscopic properties of N,S-coordinating 2-methyl-sulfanyl-N-[(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methyl-idene]aniline methanol monosolvate.

The reaction of pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde and 2-(methyl-sulfan-yl)aniline in refluxing methanol gave an olive-green residue in which yellow crystals of the title compound, C12H12N2S·CH3OH, were grown from slow evaporation of methanol at 263 K. In the crystal, hydrogen-bonding inter-actions link the aniline mol-ecule and a nearby methanol solvent mol-ecule. These units are linked by a pair of weak C-H⋯Omethanol interactions, forming inversion dimers consisting of two main molecules and two solvent molecules.

A trinuclear palladium(II) complex containing N,S-coordinating 2-(benzylsulfanyl)anilinide and 1,3-benzothiazole-2-thiolate ligands with a central square-planar PdN4 motif.

The reaction of dichlorido(cod)palladium(II) (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) with 2-(benzylsulfanyl)aniline followed by heating in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) produces the linear trinuclear Pd3 complex bis(µ2-1,3-benzothiazole-2-thiolato)bis[µ2-2-(benzylsulfanyl)anilinido]dichloridotripalladium(II) N,N-dimethylformamide disolvate, [Pd3(C7H4NS2)2(C13H12NS)2Cl2]·2C3H7NO. The molecule has -1 symmetry and a Pd...Pd separation of 3.2012 (4) Å. The outer Pd(II) atoms have a square-planar geometry formed by an N,S-chelating 2-(benzylsulfanyl)anilinide ligand, a chloride ligand and the thiolate S atom of a bridging 1,3-benzothiazole-2-thiolate ligand, while the central Pd(II) core shows an all N-coordinated square-planar geometry. The geometry is perfectly planar within the PdN4 core and the N-Pd-N bond angles differ significantly [84.72 (15)° for the N atoms of ligands coordinated to the same outer Pd atom and 95.28 (15)° for the N atoms of ligands coordinated to different outer Pd atoms]. This trinuclear Pd3 complex is the first example of one in which 1,3-benzothiazole-2-thiolate ligands are only N-coordinated to one Pd centre. The 1,3-benzothiazole-2-thiolate ligands were formed in situ from 2-(benzylsulfanyl)aniline.

Binuclear ruthenium η6-arene complexes with tetradentate N,S-ligands containing the ortho-aminothiophenol motif.

A series of cationic binuclear (η(6)-cymene-Ru)2 complexes with N2S2-ligands were synthesized in 64% to 85% yield by reaction of [Ru(η(6)-cymene)Cl2]2 with bis-S,S'-(ortho-aminothiophenol)-xylenes as BF4(-) and PF6(-) salts. The compounds were studied using NMR, HRMS, UV-vis and IR spectroscopy, EA and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) MS. It was determined that the hinged binuclear Ru complexes were anti and syn diastereomers obtained in 2 : 1 ratio for ortho- and meta-xylylene bridged ligands and in a 1 : 1 ratio for the para-xylylene bridged ligand. An anion effect was found for the presence of NaBF4 with the meta-xylylene bridged system yielding the targeted binuclear Ru complex and a mononuclear Ru complex. This mononuclear S,S'-coordinated η(6)-cymene Ru chloride structure lacked amine-metal coordination and was obtained in a 1 : 3 ratio of anti : syn diastereomers which were insoluble in CH2Cl2 and soluble in DMSO and DMF. X-ray crystallographic analysis was obtained for the N2S2 ligand, 1,2-bis{(2-aminophenyl)thiomethyl}benzene, showing a CS symmetry with amine groups facing outwards with a tilt of 28.95° from the ortho-aminothiophenol pendant ring. The interatomic sulfur-sulfur distance (S-S') is 4.6405 Å within the crystal structure while accommodating a potential metal bite angle from 1.0 Å to 5.9 Å when allowing rotation of the methylene phenyl bond.

Coordinatively diverse ortho-phosphinoaniline complexes of ruthenium and isolation of a putative intermediate in ketone transfer hydrogenation catalysis.

Amine-functionalized mono- and diphosphines have been used to prepare a series of ruthenium complexes which exhibit a variety of coordination modes depending on the number of donors possessed by the ligands, the degree of amine methylation, the solvent system used, and the oxidation state of the metal. Reactions of the monophosphinoanilines, Ph(2)PAr or Ph(2)PAr' (Ar = o-C(6)H(4)NHMe, Ar' = o-C(6)H(4)NMe(2)), with 0.5 equiv of [RuCl(mu-Cl)(eta(6)-p-cymene)](2) in dichloromethane result in the formation of [RuCl(2)(eta(6)-p-cymene)(P-Ph(2)PAr)] or [RuCl(eta(6)-p-cymene)(P,N-Ph(2)PAr')]Cl, respectively. In refluxing methanol, [RuCl(2)(eta(6)-p-cymene)(P-Ph(2)PAr)] gradually undergoes chloride ion dissociation to afford the P,N-chelate, [RuCl(eta(6)-p-cymene)(P,N-Ph(2)PAr)]Cl. This chelate can then be deprotonated to afford the amido complex, [RuCl(eta(6)-p-cymene)(P,N-Ph(2)PAr(-))] (Ar(-) = o-C(6)H(4)NMe(-)), which is an active ketone transfer hydrogenation catalyst. Reactions of the diphosphines, Ar(2)PCH(2)PAr(2) (mapm) or Ar'(2)PCH(2)PAr'(2) (dmapm) with 0.5 equiv of [RuCl(mu-Cl)(eta(6)-p-cymene)](2) result in the formation of [RuCl(2)(P,P',N,N'-mapm)] or [RuCl(eta(6)-p-cymene)(P,P'-dmapm)]Cl, respectively, in which increased methyl substitution in the latter actually inhibits amine coordination with retention of the p-cymene fragment. Reaction of mapm with 1 equiv of [Ru(CO)(4)(eta(2)-C(2)H(4))] in dichloromethane initially produces [Ru(CO)(4)(P-mapm)] which, over a 24 h period with exposure to ambient light, is completely converted to the P,P'-chelate, [Ru(CO)(3)(P,P'-mapm)], by photodissociation of carbon monoxide. The same reaction with 2 equiv of [Ru(CO)(4)(eta(2)-C(2)H(4))] generates a mixture of [Ru(3)(CO)(10)(mu-P,P'-mapm)] and the mononuclear P,P'-chelate. The trinuclear complex can also be synthesized by direct reaction of mapm with 1 equiv of [Ru(3)(CO)(12)].

Mono- and binuclear complexes of rhodium involving a new series of hemilabile o-phosphinoaniline ligands.

Monophosphines of the type Ph(x)PAr(3-x) (x = 0, 1 or 2, Ar = o-N-methylanilinyl) and the diphosphine, Ar(2)PCH(2)PAr(2) (mapm) have been synthesized for use as chelating and/or bridging P,N-ligands within mono- and binuclear rhodium(i) complexes, respectively. The previously prepared phosphines, Ph(x)PAr'(3-x) (x = 0, 1 or 2, Ar' = o-N,N-dimethylanilinyl) and Ar'(2)PCH(2)PAr'(2) (dmapm), have also been used to prepare analogous mono- and binuclear complexes. Variable temperature (1)H NMR spectroscopy of the mononuclear complexes, [RhCl(CO)(L)] (L = PhPAr(2), PhPAr'(2), PAr(3) and PAr'(3)), and line-shape analyses of the resultant spectra indicate the substantially increased lability of the N,N-dimethylanilinyl donors relative to the related monomethylanilinyl groups. X-Ray structural analyses of the mononuclear complexes suggest that the enhanced Type II hemilability in the dimethylanilinyl complexes compared to their monomethyl analogues results from increased steric interactions involving the coordinated dimethylanilinyl substituents. In the case of the binuclear, dmapm-bridged compound [Rh(2)Cl(2)(CO)(2)(micro-dmapm)], there are additional transannular repulsions between the chloro ligand on one metal and the coordinated dimethylanilinyl group on the other, which result in a Rh-Rh separation of over 4.1 A. For the analogous mapm-bridged species, the transannular interactions between the chloro ligands and the amine hydrogens are in fact attractive, resulting in a much closer Rh-Rh separation (3.450 A). The chloride substituents of [Rh(2)Cl(2)(CO)(2)(micro-mapm)] can be replaced to generate the complexes, [Rh(2)(X)(2)(CO)(2)(micro-mapm)] (X = I, CF(3)SO(3), CH(3)CO(2)), the last of which also exhibits pronounced transannular hydrogen-bonding interactions in the solid state.

Various coordination modes of the bis(di(o-N,N-dimethylanilinyl)phosphino)methane ligand in mononuclear and binuclear complexes of group 8 and group 9 metals.

The synthesis and characterization of a series of compounds involving the bis(di(o-N,N-dimethylanilinyl)phosphino)methane (dmapm) ligand are described. The mononuclear complexes [MCl(CO)(P,N-dmapm)] (M = Rh, Ir) have a square-planar geometry in which the dmapm ligand chelates via a phosphine functionality and an adjacent amino group. The carbonyl ligand lies opposite the amine, while the chloro ligand is trans to the phosphine. The related complex [RhI(CO)(P,N-dmapm)] has also been prepared. All compounds are highly fluxional by at least three independent processes, as discussed for the rhodium-chloro species. A diiridium complex, [Ir(2)Cl2(CO)2(P,N,P',N'-dmapm)], and the closely related rhodium/iridium analogue, [RhIrCl2(CO)2(P,N,P',N'-dmapm)], have been prepared in which the metals are bridged by the diphosphine group while an amino group at each end of the diphosphine is also coordinating to each metal on opposite faces of the MIrP2 plane (M = Ir or Rh). For the Ir2 species, the carbonyl and chloro groups are again shown to be opposite the amine and phosphine functionalites, respectively. The mononuclear complex [Ru(CO)3(P,P'-dmapm)] has also been prepared. In contrast to the mononuclear species of rhodium and iridium, the dmapm group chelates the ruthenium center through both phosphorus atoms, occupying one axial and one equatorial site of Ru in a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry. Reaction of this Ru species with 1/2 equiv of the complexes [RhClL2]2 (L2 = COD, (C2H4)2, (CO)2) yields the unstable Rh/Ru product [RhRuCl(CO)3(P,N,P',N'-dmapm)].