No abstract

The function of a protein is determined by its structure, which is intrinsically related to its solvent environment. Based on this paradigm, there has been a great deal of interest in the role that non-aqueous solvents play in regulating protein structure, with some debate in the literature regarding dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Thus, in this work we have used Raman and Raman optical activity (ROA) spectroscopies to investigate conclusively the changes induced by DMSO in the secondary structure of an array of proteins including human serum albumin (highly α-helical), bovine α-lactalbumin (mainly α-helical), bovine ribonuclease A (containing both α-helix and β-sheet), bovine β-lactoglobulin (mainly β-sheet), and bovine α-casein (disordered). Our results clearly demonstrate that 100% DMSO solutions destabilize α-helices completely, converting them into the poly(L-proline) II (PPII) helix conformation. However, low concentrations of DMSO (10% v/v) were found to have little effect on the structure of even the most helical protein, human serum albumin. In the case of α-casein, the natively unfolded protein rich in PPII helix was converted into a further disordered structure when dissolved in pure DMSO. By contrast, β-sheets remained mostly unaffected regardless of DMSO concentration. While providing new insights into protein structure in organic solvents, this work reinforces the capability of vibrational optical activity to assess conformations of biomolecules in conditions not accessible to other techniques, such as X-ray crystallography and NMR.

Chiral natural product molecules are generally assumed to be biosynthesized in an enantiomerically pure or enriched fashion. Nevertheless, a significant amount of racemates or enantiomerically enriched mixtures has been reported from natural sources. This number is estimated to be even larger since the enantiomeric purity of secondary metabolites is rarely checked in the natural product isolation pipeline. This latter fact may have drastic effects on the evaluation of the biological activity of chiral natural products. A second bottleneck is the determination of their absolute configurations. Despite the widespread use of optical rotation and electronic circular dichroism, most of the stereochemical assignments are based on empirical correlations with similar compounds reported in the literature. As an alternative, the combination of vibrational circular dichroism and quantum chemical calculations has emerged as a powerful and reliable tool for both conformational and configurational analysis of natural products, even for those lacking UV-Vis chromophores. In this review, we aim to provide the reader with a critical overview of the occurrence of enantiomeric mixtures of secondary metabolites in nature as well the best practices for their detection, enantioselective separation using liquid chromatography, and determination of absolute configuration by means of vibrational circular dichroism and density functional theory calculations.

Gaudichaudianic acid, a prenylated chromene isolated from Piper gaudichaudianum, has been described as a potent trypanocidal compound against the Y-strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. We herein describe its isolation as a racemic mixture followed by enantiomeric resolution using chiral HPLC and determination of the absolute configuration of the enantiomers as (+)-S and (-)-R by means of a combination of electronic and vibrational circular dichroism using density functional theory calculations. Investigation of the EtOAc extract of the roots, stems, and leaves from both adult specimens and seedlings of P. gaudichaudianum revealed that gaudichaudianic acid is biosynthesized as a racemic mixture from the seedling stage onward. Moreover, gaudichaudianic acid was found exclusively in the roots of seedlings, while it is present in all organs of the adult plant. Trypanocidal assays indicated that the (+)-enantiomer was more active than its antipode. Interestingly, mixtures of enantiomers showed a synergistic effect, with the racemic mixture being the most active.