Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a family of detoxifying enzymes that catalyze the conjugation of glutathione (GSH) to electrophiles, thereby increasing the solubility of xenobiotics and aiding its excretion from the cell. The present work presents the inhibition of a mu-class GST of the marine shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei by copper (Cu2+) and cadmium (Cd2+). The protein was overexpressed in bacteria and its enzymatic activity measured using 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. The mean inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) for shrimp GST against Cu2+) was 4.77 microM and for Cd2+ was 0.39 microM. A molecular model of the protein based on the crystal structure of a maize GST bound to cadmium showed that the metal binds in the GSH-binding site by coordination with Asp and Gln residues. These results are consistent with the experimental data and suggest that sublethal concentration of metals may affect the capacity of the organism to detoxify pesticides or xenobiotics.

The cyclophanes 2,9,25,32-tetraoxo-4,7,27,30-tetrakis(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7,10,24,27,30,33-octaaza-17,40-dioxa[10.1.10.1]paracyclophane (PO) and 2,9,25,32-tetraoxo-4,7,27,30-tetrakis(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7,10,24,27,30,33-octaaza[10.1.10.1]paracyclophane (PC) were coordinated with iron to form cationic binuclear Fe(III) Fe2PO and Fe2PC complexes, respectively. Their antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase mimetic activity, as well as their toxicity toward peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated. Both Fe2PO and Fe2PC are interesting biomimetics with antioxidant capacity similar to that of ascorbic acid that prevent mortality in cultured PBMCs, with the potential to have bioactive and protective functions in disease animal models.

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With the objective of studying the conformational and macrocyclic effects of selected metal chelates on their peroxidase activities, Cu2+ and Fe3+ complexes were synthesized with a macrocyclic derivative of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and o-phenylenediamine (abbreviated as edtaodH2) and its new open-chain analogue (edtabzH2). The Fe3+ complex of edtaodH2 has a peroxidase-like activity, whereas the complex of edtabzH2 does not. The X-ray study of the former shows the formation of a dimeric molecule {[Fe(edtaod)]2O} in which each metal with an octahedral coordination is overposed over the macrocyclic cavity, as a result of rigid macrocyclic frame, to form an Fe–O–Fe bridge; the exposure of the central metal to the environment facilitates the capture of oxygen to drive the biomimetic activity. The peroxidase-inactive Fe3+ complex consists of a mononuclear complex ion [Fe(edtabz)(H2O)]+, the metal ion of which is suited in a distorted pentagonal bipyramid to be protected from environmental oxygen. The copper(II) complexes, which have mononuclear structures with high thermodynamic stability compared with the iron(III) complexes, show no peroxidase activity. The steric effects play a fundamental role in the biomimetic activity.

Previously we reported the capacity of the bio-inspired Fe(III) complexes, Fe 2 PO and Fe 2 PC, to mimic the activity of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzymes, as well as their capacity to reduce the cytotoxicity generated by superoxide radicals in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, under stress conditions. Based on those findings, we decided to evaluate the cytotoxicity, antioxidant and redox state modulation capacity of Fe 2 PO and Fe 2 PC complexes, pondering them as drug candidates against free radicals unbalance disorders. Fe 2 PO and Fe 2 PC deactivated the ABTS synthetic radical with an IC 50 value of 38.4 ± 0.9 µM and 28.9 ± 0.2 µM, respectively, while against the DPPH radical, the IC 50 value was over the higher concentration tested (>200 µM) for both complexes. As desirable for any drug candidate, none of the metallic complexes (at 25, 50 and 100 µM) induced cytotoxicity on M12.C3.F6 cells (a murine B-cell lymphoma model), but differences in the redox state modulation were observed on the basis of fluorescence detection of a 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin probe by flow cytometry. Cells under normal conditions and preincubated with Fe 2 PO and Fe 2 PC complexes slightly augmented the reactive oxygen species concentration, meanwhile, cells under stress condition preincubated with H 2 O 2 and metallic complexes, showed a higher augmentation in the reactive oxygen species concentration, in comparison to the controls. Finally, a cellular internalisation assay was performed, showing that Fe 2 PO and Fe 2 PC exert those effects from the outside of the cells. All these results suggest the ability of Fe 2 PO and Fe 2 PC complexes to selectively increase the reactive oxygen species concentration in cells with a free radical unbalance, without inducing mortality in cells under normal conditions.