The Role of Side Chains in the Fine-Tuning of the Metal-Binding Ability of Multihistidine Peptides.

The systematic studies of copper(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II) ion complexes of protected multihistidine peptides containing amino acids with different side chains (Ac-SarHAH-NH2, Ac-HADH-NH2, Ac-HDAH-NH2, Ac-HXHYH-NH2 X, Y = A, F, D or K, Ac-HXHAHXH-NH2, X = F or D) have provided information about the metal ion and protein interaction and have made it possible to draw conclusions regarding general trends in the coordination of metal complexes of multihistidine peptides. The stability of the metal complexes significantly depends on the position of the histidines and amino acids, which are present in the neighbourhood of the histidine amino acids as well. The most significant effect was observed on peptides containing aspartic acid or phenylalanine. The redox parameters of complexes, however, depend on the number and position of histidines, and the other side chain donor atoms have practically no effect on the electrochemical properties of imidazole-coordinated species. However, the presence of aspartic acid side chains results in a more distorted geometry of amide-coordinated species and increases the reducibility of these complexes.

Bio-Inspired Casein-Derived Antioxidant Peptides Exhibiting a Dual Direct/Indirect Mode of Action.

Antioxidant compounds are chemicals of primary importance, especially for their applications in nutrition and healthcare, thanks to their abilities to prevent oxidation processes and to limit and/or rebalance the oxidative stress, well-known for its impact on a wide variety of diseases. While several biomolecules are well-known for their antioxidant properties (e.g., ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolic derivatives), bio-sourced antioxidants have drawn considerable attention in the last decades, especially bioactive peptides, mainly obtained by the hydrolysis process. Antioxidant peptide sequences are mainly identified a posteriori, thanks to fastidious and time-consuming approaches and techniques, limiting the discovery of new efficient peptides. In this context and taking inspiration from nature, we report herein on a new series of three bio-inspired antioxidant peptides derived from the milk protein casein. These phosphopeptides, designed to chelate the redox-active iron(III) and forming highly soluble complexes up to pH 9, act both as indirect (i.e., inhibition of the metal redox activity) and direct (i.e., radical scavenging) antioxidants.

Ambivalent role of ascorbic acid in the metal-catalyzed oxidation of oligopeptides.

The effect of ascorbic acid on the metal-catalyzed oxidation of a human prion protein model peptide has been studied. The complex formation of the peptide was clarified first. The studied model peptide contains a methionine and a histidine amino acids which are important both as binding sites for metal ions and sensitive parts of the protein for oxidation. pH-potentiometric, UV-Vis and circular dichroism spectroscopic techniques were applied to study the stoichiometry, stability and structure of the copper(II) complexes, while HPLC-MS and MS/MS were used for identifying the products of metal-catalyzed oxidation. 3N and 4N complexes with (Nim,N-,N-,S) and (Nim,N-,N-,N-) coordination modes are formed at pH 7.4, where the oxidation was studied. Singly, doubly and triply oxidized products are formed in which the methionine and/or the histidine side chain is oxidized. The oxidation was carried out with hydrogen peroxide solution by the addition of metal ions, namely copper(II) and iron(III) and/or ascorbic acid.

Metabolomics approach based on LC-HRMS for the fast screening of iron(II)-chelating peptides in protein hydrolysates.

Production of iron-chelating peptides from protein hydrolysates requires robust and adequate screening methods to optimize their purification and subsequently valorize their potential antioxidant properties. An original methodology was developed for direct and sensitive screening of iron(II)-chelating peptides based on ion-pair reverse phase liquid chromatography (IP-RPLC) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Peptide mixture was first added to iron(II) solution to form iron(II)-peptide complexes. Then IP-RPLC-HRMS analysis was conducted on this iron-peptide mixture and on the iron-free peptide solution for comparative mass spectra analysis. This protocol, initially applied to a range of low molecular weight standard peptides, allowed detection of [(Peptide-H)+56FeII]+ complex ion for iron(II)-chelating peptides (GGH, EAH, DAH, ßAH, DMH, DTH, DSH). GGH was added in complex peptide mixtures and targeted analysis of [(GGH-H)+56FeII]+ complex showed a limit of detection (LOD) below 0.77 mg L-1 of GGH. This protocol was finally tested in combination with metabolomics software and additional digital processing for non-targeted search for iron(II)-chelating peptides. Applicability of this new screening methodology has been validated by detection of GGH as iron(II)-chelating peptide when added at 0.77 mg L-1 in casein hydrolysate. Graphical abstract.

Both metal-chelating and free radical-scavenging synthetic pentapeptides as efficient inhibitors of reactive oxygen species generation.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are major sources of oxidative stress playing prominent roles in the development of several pathologies including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases or cancers. The presence of transition biometal ions, specifically copper and iron, induces ROS formation by catalyzing the reduction of molecular oxygen to superoxide anion (O2˙-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl (HO˙) radical. To limit ROS production and their detrimental effects, we report on the synthesis, physicochemical studies and antioxidant assays of an innovative series of synthetic pentapeptides exhibiting a dual direct/indirect mode of action, both as iron(iii)-chelators and as radical scavengers. These combined effects lead to a drastic reduction of in vitro reactive oxygen species production up to 95% for the more reactive hydroxyl radical.

Complex formation processes and metal ion catalyzed oxidation of model peptides related to the metal binding site of the human prion protein.

Interaction of copper(II) and nickel(II) ions with the Ac-PHAAAGTHSMKHM-NH2 tridecapeptide containing the His85, His96 and His111 binding sites of human prion protein has been studied by various techniques. pH-potentiometry, UV-Vis and circular dichroism spectroscopy were applied to study the stoichiometry, stability and structure of the copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes, while HPLC-MS and MS/MS were used for identifying the products of copper(II) catalyzed oxidation. The copper binding ability of shorter fragments, namely the nonapeptide Ac-PHAAAGTHS-NH2 and pentapeptide Ac-PHAAA-NH2 have also been studied. The tridecapeptide is able to bind three equivalent of copper(II) ion, since the histidine residues behave as independent metal binding sites. Nevertheless, the metal binding ability of histidine residue mimicking the octarepeat domain (His85) is decreased, while the other parts of the peptide mimicking the histidines outside the octarepeat domain bind the copper ions in comparable concentration. On the other hand, this peptide is able to coordinate only two equivalents of nickel ion on the domains outside the octarepeat region. Furthermore the His96 binding site is more effective for the nickel ions. Both histidine and methionine residues are sensitive for oxidation, the oxidation of these residues are proved, and in the case of the histidine residues follows the order His96 > His85 ≫ His111.

The ability of the NiSOD binding loop to chelate zinc(ii): the role of the terminal amino group in the enzymatic functions.

Equilibrium and detailed spectroscopic characterization of zinc(ii) complexes with NiSOD binding loop and their related model fragments are reported in the whole investigated pH-range. The zinc(ii) complexes of L1 (HCDLPCGVY-NH2), L2 (Ac-HCDLPCGVY-NH2) and L3 (HCDLACGVY-NH2) and the nickel(ii) and zinc(ii) complexes of L4 (HCDLPCG-NH2) were studied by pH-potentiometric and several spectroscopic methods. The results indicated that the macrochelate coordinated zinc(ii) complexes are dominant in a whole pH-range and the side chain donors of the peptides are involved in the metal binding. Therefore, the deprotonation and coordination of the peptide backbone occur only in a strongly alkaline solution. The acetylation of the peptide amino terminus (L2) significantly enhances the zinc(ii) binding ability compared to the corresponding nickel(ii) complexes. L2 complexes of zinc(ii) are 2 or 3 orders of magnitude more stable than the corresponding nickel(ii) complexes. This effect clearly shows the crucial role of the terminal amino group in the nickel binding for the NiSOD enzyme.

Stabilization of the Nickel Binding Loop in NiSOD and Related Model Complexes: Thermodynamic and Structural Features.

Detailed equilibrium and spectroscopic characterization of the complex formation processes of the nickel binding loop in NiSOD and its related fragments is reported in the slightly acidic-alkaline pH range. The N-terminally free and protected nonapeptides HCDLPCGVY-NH2 (NiSODM1), HCDLACGVY-NH2 (NiSODM3), and Ac-HCDLPCGVY-NH2 (NiSODM2) and the N-terminally shortened analogues HCDL-NH2 and HCA-NH2 were synthesized, and their nickel(II) complexes were studied by potentiometric and several spectroscopic techniques. EPR spectroscopy was also used to assign the coordinating donor sites after the in situ oxidation of nickel(II) complexes. The terminal amino groups are the primary metal binding sites for nickel(II) ion in NiSODM1 and NiSODM3, resulting in the high nickel(II) binding affinity of this peptide via the formation of a square-planar, (NH2,N-,S-,S-) or (NH2,NImN-,S-) coordinated species in a wide pH range. The latter coordination sphere prevents the formation of the active structure of NiSOD under physiological pH, reflecting the crucial role of proline in nickel(II) binding. In situ oxidation of the Ni(II) complexes yielded Ni(III) transient species in the case of nonapeptides. The square-pyramidal coordination environment with axial imidazole ligation provides the active structure of the oxidized form of NiSOD in the case of N-terminally free peptides. Consequently, these ligands are promising candidates for modeling NiSOD. The acylation of the amino terminus significantly reduces the nickel(II) binding affinity of the nonapeptide, while the oxidation results in coordination isomers.

Copper(ii)-benzotriazole coordination compounds in click chemistry: a diagnostic reactivity study.

This diagnostic study aims to shed light on the catalytic activity of a library of Cu(ii) based coordination compounds with benzotriazole-based ligands. We report herein the synthesis and characterization of five new coordination compounds formulated as [CuII(L4)(MeCN)2(CF3SO3)2] (1), [CuII(L5)2(CF3SO3)2] (2), [CuII(L6)2(MeCN)(CF3SO3)]·(CF3SO3) (3), [CuII(L6)2(H2O)(CF3SO3)]·(CF3SO3)·2(Me2CO) (4), and [Cu(L1)2(L1')2(CF3SO3)2]2·4(CF3SO3)·8(Me2CO) (5), derived from similar nitrogen-based ligands. The homogeneous catalytic activity of these compounds along with our previously reported coordination compounds (6-13), derived from similar ligands, is tested against the well-known Cu(i)-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction. The optimal catalyst [CuII(L1)2(CF3SO3)2] (10) activates the reaction to afford 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles with yields up to 98% and without requiring a reducing agent. Various control experiments are performed to optimize the method and examine parameters such as ligand variation, metal coordination geometry and environment, in order to elucidate the behaviour of the catalytic system.

Coordination, redox properties and SOD activity of Cu(II) complexes of multihistidine peptides.

The results of electrochemical and SOD activity measurements of such copper(II) complexes of terminally protected multihistidine peptides that may mimic the active site of CuZnSOD enzyme are submitted and completed with solution equilibrium studies of some copper(II)-ligand systems. The equilibrium data confirm that the thermodynamic stabilities increase with the increasing number of histidyl residues in the amino acid sequence, the stability order, however, can be finely tuned by the number and quality of amino acids between histidine residues. Based on the cyclic voltammetric studies we concluded that the formal reduction potential values of imidazole nitrogen coordinated complexes decrease with the increasing number of imidazole donor atoms in the coordination sphere. However, the redox parameters of [CuH-1L]+ and [CuH-2L] complexes containing amide nitrogen coordination can be determined as well. All formal potential values of [CuL]2+, [CuH-1L]+ and [CuH-2L] complexes fall in the middle potential range of SOD activity. Finally, after the detailed analysis of species distribution curves based upon the equilibrium data SOD activity of copper(II) containing systems at two pH (pH=6.8 and 7.4) were determined. The imidazole coordinated [CuL]2+ complexes of the multihistidine peptide containing the HXH sequence exhibit the most significant activity, but the presence of amide nitrogen coordinated species with slightly distorted geometry could considerably contribute to the SOD activity.

Copper(II) interaction with the Human Prion 103-112 fragment - Coordination and oxidation.

The prion protein (PrP) is a membrane-anchored cell surface glycoprotein containing 231 amino acids. It has been associated with a group of neurodegenerative disorders. Copper(II) interaction with the Human Prion 103-112 fragment and its mutants has been studied with various techniques. The studied human prion fragment contains both histidine and methionine residues, while methionine residues are systematically replaced or displaced in the studied mutants. pH-potentiometric, UV-Vis and circular dicroism spectroscopic techniques were applied to study the stoichiometry, stability and structure of the copper(II) complexes, while HPLC-MS and MS/MS were used for identifying the products of copper(II) catalyzed oxidation. The complex formation reactions of the studied ligands are rather similar; only 1:1 complexes are formed, where the imidazole nitrogen of the histidine residue is the main binding site beside the amide nitrogens of the peptide chain. The only difference is, that in the peptides which contain methionine in position 109, in addition to the (Nim,N-,N-) coordination mode, a weak interaction of thioether sulfur atoms can be supposed. The mutant peptide which does not contain methionine did not undergo oxidation, only the fragmentation of the peptide chain was perceived. However, in the case of methionine containing peptides, the peptide chain was not cleaved; but the oxidation of methionine to methionine sulfoxide occurred.