Probing the Influence of Novel Organometallic Copper(II) Complexes on Spinach PSII Photochemistry Using OJIP Fluorescence Transient Measurements.

Modern agricultural cultivation relies heavily on genetically modified plants that survive after exposure to herbicides that kill weeds. Despite this biotechnology, there is a growing need for new sustainable, environmentally friendly, and biodegradable herbicides. We developed a novel [CuL2]Br2 complex (L = bis{4H-1,3,5-triazino[2,1-b]benzothiazole-2-amine,4-(2-imidazole) that is active on PSII by inhibiting photosynthetic oxygen evolution on the micromolar level. [CuL2]Br2 reduces the FV of PSII fluorescence. Artificial electron donors do not rescind the effect of [CuL2]Br2. The inhibitory mechanism of [CuL2]Br2 remains unclear. To explore this mechanism, we investigated the effect of [CuL2]Br2 in the presence/absence of the well-studied inhibitor DCMU on PSII-containing membranes by OJIP Chl fluorescence transient measurements. [CuL2]Br2 has two effects on Chl fluorescence transients: (1) a substantial decrease of the Chl fluorescence intensity throughout the entire kinetics, and (2) an auxiliary "diuron-like" effect. The initial decrease dominates and is observed both with and without DCMU. In contrast, the "diuron-like" effect is small and is observed only without DCMU. We propose that [CuL2]Br2 has two binding sites for PSII with different affinities. At the high-affinity site, [CuL2]Br2 produces effects similar to PSII reaction center inhibition, while at the low-affinity site, [CuL2]Br2 produces effects identical to those of DCMU. These results are compared with other PSII-specific classes of herbicides.

Effects of Novel Photosynthetic Inhibitor [CuL2]Br2 Complex on Photosystem II Activity in Spinach.

The effects of the novel [CuL2]Br2 complex (L = bis{4H-1,3,5-triazino [2,1-b]benzothiazole-2-amine,4-(2-imidazole)}copper(II) bromide complex) on the photosystem II (PSII) activity of PSII membranes isolated from spinach were studied. The absence of photosynthetic oxygen evolution by PSII membranes without artificial electron acceptors, but in the presence of [CuL2]Br2, has shown that it is not able to act as a PSII electron acceptor. In the presence of artificial electron acceptors, [CuL2]Br2 inhibits photosynthetic oxygen evolution. [CuL2]Br2 also suppresses the photoinduced changes of the PSII chlorophyll fluorescence yield (FV) related to the photoreduction of the primary quinone electron acceptor, QA. The inhibition of both characteristic PSII reactions depends on [CuL2]Br2 concentration. At all studied concentrations of [CuL2]Br2, the decrease in the FM level occurs exclusively due to a decrease in Fv. [CuL2]Br2 causes neither changes in the F0 level nor the retardation of the photoinduced rise in FM, which characterizes the efficiency of the electron supply from the donor-side components to QA through the PSII reaction center (RC). Artificial electron donors (sodium ascorbate, DPC, Mn2+) do not cancel the inhibitory effect of [CuL2]Br2. The dependences of the inhibitory efficiency of the studied reactions of PSII on [CuL2]Br2 complex concentration practically coincide. The inhibition constant Ki is about 16 µM, and logKi is 4.8. As [CuL2]Br2 does not change the aromatic amino acids' intrinsic fluorescence of the PSII protein components, it can be proposed that [CuL2]Br2 has no significant effect on the native state of PSII proteins. The results obtained in the present study are compared to the literature data concerning the inhibitory effects of PSII Cu(II) aqua ions and Cu(II)-organic complexes.

Evaluation of new Cu(II) complexes as a novel class of inhibitors against plant carbonic anhydrase, glutathione reductase, and photosynthetic activity in photosystem II.

Increasing inefficiency of production of important agricultural plants raises one of the biggest problems in the modern world. Herbicide application is still the best method of weed management. Traditional herbicides blocking only one of the plant metabolic pathways is ineffective due to the rapid growth of herbicide-resistant weeds. The synthesis of novel compounds effectively suppressing several metabolic processes, and therefore achieving the synergism effect would serve as the alternative approach to weed problem. For this reason, recently, we synthesized a series of nine novel Cu(II) complexes and four ligands, characterized them with different analyses techniques, and carried out their primary evaluation as inhibitors of photosynthetic electron transfer in spinach thylakoids (design, synthesis, and evaluation of a series of Cu(II) based metal-organic complexes as possible inhibitors of photosynthesis, J Photochem Photobiol B, submitted). Here, we evaluated in vitro inhibitory potency of these agents against: photochemistry and carbonic anhydrase activity of photosystem II (PSII); α-carbonic anhydrase from bovine erythrocytes; as well as glutathione reductase from chloroplast and baker's yeast. Our results show that all Cu(II) complexes excellently inhibit glutathione reductase and PSII carbonic anhydrase activity. Some of them also decently inhibit PSII photosynthetic activity.

Characterization of nineteen antimony(III) complexes as potent inhibitors of photosystem II, carbonic anhydrase, and glutathione reductase.

Nineteen antimony(III) complexes were obtained and examined as possible herbicides. Six of these were synthesized for the first time, and their structures were identified using elemental analyses, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, FTIR, LCMS, magnetic susceptibility, and conductivity measurement techniques. For the nineteen examined antimony(III) complexes their most-stable forms were determined by DFT/B3LYP/LanL2DZ calculation method. These compounds were examined for effects on photosynthetic electron transfer and carbonic anhydrase activity of photosystem II, and glutathione reductase from chloroplast as well were investigated. Our results indicated that all antimony(III) complexes inhibited glutathione reductase activity of chloroplast. A number of these also exhibited good inhibitory efficiency of the photosynthetic and carbonic anhydrase activity of Photosystem II.

Antimony(III) complexes with 2-amino-4,6-dimethoxypyrimidines: Synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation.

Novel pyrimidine compound bearing disulfide bridge, 5,5'-disulfanediylbis(2-amino-4,6-dimetoxypyrimidine) (3) was synthesized by reduction of 2-amino-4,6-dimethoxy-5-thiocyanatopyrimidine for the first time, and its structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Novel binuclear antimony(III) compound of (3), {Sb[5,5'-disulfanediylbis(2-amino-4,6-dimetoxypyrimidine)]Cl3}2 (4) and mononuclear antimony(III) compounds, SbL2Cl3, [L: 2-amino-5-thiol-4,6-dimethoxy pyrimidine (2) and 2-amino-5-(1H-tetrazol-5-ylthio)-4,6-dimethoxypyrimidine (6)] were synthesized and characterized with the help of elemental analysis, molecular conductivity, FT-IR, (1)H-NMR and LC-MS techniques. The geometrical structures optimized by a DFT/B3LYP/LANL2DZ method of the compounds, indicated that monomeric compounds have square pyramidal shape. Both antileishmanial activity against Leishmania tropica promastigote and glutathione reductase inhibitory activity were determined in vitro. The results showed that (3) has the best biological activity.

DNA cleavage, antimicrobial studies and a DFT-based QSAR study of new antimony(III) complexes as glutathione reductase inhibitor.

New antimony(III) complexes, [Sb(2-aminopyridine)2Cl3] (1a), [Sb(2-aminopyridine)2Br3] (1b), [Sb(5-methyl-2-aminopyridine)2Cl3] (2a), [Sb(5-methyl-2-aminopyridine)2Br3] (2b), [Sb(2-aminopyrimidine)2Cl3] (3a), [Sb(2-aminopyrimidine)2Br3] (3b), [Sb(4,6-dimethoxy-2-aminopyrimidine)2Cl3] (4a), [Sb(4,6-dimethoxy-2-aminopyrimidine)2Br3] (4b), [Sb(2-amino-1,3,5-triazine)2Cl3] (5a), [Sb(2-amino-1,3,5-triazine)2Br3] (5b), [Sb(2-guanidinobenzimidazole) Cl3] (6a), [Sb(2-guanidinobenzimidazole)Br3] (6b) [Sb(2- benzyl-2-thiopseudeourea)2Cl3] (7a) and [Sb(2- benzyl-2-thiopseudeourea)2Br3] (7b) were synthesized. Their structures were characterized by elemental analysis, molecular conductivity, FT-IR, (1)H NMR, LC-MS techniques. Glutathione reductase inhibitor activity, antimicrobial activity and DNA cleavage studies of the complexes were determined. The geometrical structures of the complexes were optimized by DFT/B3LYP method with LANL2DZ as basis set. Calculation results indicated that the equilibrium geometries of all complexes have square pyramidal shape. About 350 molecular descriptors (constitutional, topological, geometrical, electrostatic and quantum chemical parameters) of the complexes were calculated by DFT/B3LYP/LANL2DZ method with CODESSA software. Calculated molecular parameters were correlated to glutathione reductase inhibitory activity values (pIC50) of all complexes by Best Multi-Linear Regression (BMLR) method. Obtained two-parameter QSAR equation shows that increase in "maximum partial charge for a H atom" and decrease in HOMO-LUMO gap would be favorable for the glutathione reductase inhibitory activity.

Screening of novel chemical compounds as possible inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase and photosynthetic activity of photosystem II.

Thirty novel chemical compounds were designed and synthesized expecting that they would be possible inhibitors. From this number eleven were organic bases, twenty-four were their organic derivatives and fourteen were metal complexes. Screening of these chemicals by their action on photosynthetic electron transfer (PET) and carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity (CAA) of photosystem II (PSII), α-CA, as well as ß-CA was done. Several groups were revealed among them. Some of them are capable to suppress either one, two, three, or even all of the measured activities. As example, one of the Cu(II)-phenyl sulfonylhydrazone complexes (compound 25) suppresses CAA of α-CA by 88%, CAA of ß-CA by 100% inhibition; CAA of PSII by 100% and the PSII photosynthetic activity by 66.2%. The Schiff base compounds (12, 15) and Cu(II)-phenyl sulfonylhydrazone complexes (25, 26) inhibited the CAA and PET of PSII significantly. The obtained data indicate that the PSII donor side is a target of the inhibitory action of these agents. Some physico- or electrochemical properties such as diffusion coefficient, number of transferred electrons, peak potential and heterogeneous standard rate constants of the compounds were determined in nonaqueous media. pKa values were also determined in nonaqueous and aqueous media. Availability in the studied group of novel chemical agents possessing different inhibitory activity allow in future to isolate the "active part" in the structure of the inhibitors responsible for different inhibitory mechanisms, as well as to determine the influence of side substituters on its inhibitory efficiency.

Quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis of perfluoroiso-propyldinitrobenzene derivatives known as photosystem II electron transfer inhibitors.

Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis of the twenty-six perfluoroisopropyl-dinitrobenzene (PFIPDNB) derivatives was performed to explain their ability to suppress photochemical activity of the plants photosystem II using chloroplasts and subchloroplast thylakoid membranes enriched in photosystem II, called DT-20. Compounds were optimized by semi-empirical PM3 and DFT/B3LYP/6-31G methods. The Heuristic and the Best Multi-Linear Regression (BMLR) method in CODESSA were used to select the most appropriate molecular descriptors and to develop a linear QSAR model between experimental pI(50) values and the most significant set of the descriptors. The obtained models were validated by cross-validation (R(2)(cv)) and internal validation to confirm the stability and good predictive ability. The obtained eight models with five-parameter show that: (a) coefficient (R(2)) value of the chloroplast samples are slightly higher than that of the DT-20 samples both of Heuristic and BMLR models; (b) the coefficients of the BMLR models are slightly higher than that of Heuristic models both of chloroplasts and DT-20 samples; (c) The YZ shadow parameter and the indicator parameter, for presence of NO(2) substituent in the ring, are the most important descriptor at PM3-based and DFT-based QSAR models, respectively. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Photosynthesis Research for Sustainability: from Natural to Artificial.

Simultaneous preconcentration and removal of iron, chromium, nickel with N,N'-etylenebis-(ethane sulfonamide) ligand on activated carbon in aqueous solution and determination by ICP-OES.

In this study, Fe, Cr and Ni have been preconcentrated and removed by using N,N'-ethylenebis (ethane sulfonamide), (ESEN) ligand on activated carbon (AC) in aqueous solution. For this purpose, complexes between these metals and ligands have been investigated and used in preconcentration and removal studies. Factors which have affected adsorption of metals on activated carbon have been optimized. Adsorbed metals have been preconcentrated 10-fold and determined by ICP-OES. Interferences of Ca, Mg and K to this process have been investigated. The proposed method has been applied to the tap water and Ankara Creek water in order to Fe, Cr, and Ni remediation and preconcentration. Determination of metals by ICP-OES has been checked with standard reference material (NIST 1643e). The proposed method provides the recoveries of 87%, 108% and 106% for Fe, Cr and Ni, respectively, in preconcentration. It also provides the removal of Fe, Cr and Ni by 93%, 100% and 100% removal from waters, respectively.