Under acidic and mild-temperature conditions, 1-methyl-2-phenylindole was found to react with malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxyalkenals to yield a stable chromophore with intense maximal absorbance at 586 nm. The use of methanesulfonic acid results in optimal yields of chromophore produced from MDA as well as from 4-hydroxynonenal. By contrast, the use of hydrochloric acid results in an optimal yield of chromophore produced from MDA and a negligible reaction of 4-hydroxynonenal. Taking advantage of such chromogenic reactions, we developed a new colorimetric assay of lipid peroxidation. Using a methanesulfonic acid-based medium, MDA and 4-hydroxyalkenals can be measured at the 586 nm wavelength. However, the presence of endogenous inhibitors of the reaction with 4-hydroxyalkenals is common, and this means that the latter may be underestimated in some biological samples. The assay performed in a hydrochloric acid-based medium enables the specific measurement of MDA in the presence of 4-hydroxyalkenals. Upon hydrolysis of Schiff bases in hydrochloric acid (pH 1.5), either assay can be used to specifically measure the amount of total MDA in biological samples because 4-hydroxyalkenals undergo an irreversible cyclization reaction under the hydrochloric acid-based conditions of hydrolysis. The two assays were applied to the determination of the amount of MDA alone and of MDA and 4-hydroxyalkenals in an in vitro model of lipid peroxidation. This methodology was also used to clarify complex patterns of tissue-specific MDA production in vivo, following hydrolysis of Schiff bases, in rodents treated with doxorubicin.

Under specific acidic conditions, both malondialdehyde (1, MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (2, 4-HNE) react with N-methyl-2-phenylindole (3) to give the same chromophoric cyanine 4 with maximal absorbance at 586 nm. Under such conditions, the reaction of 3 with 4-HNE (2) as well as with alkanals yields a second chromophoric cyanine 10 with maximal absorbance at 505 nm. The influence of different acids, iron(III), and oxygen on the reaction of 3 with such aldehydes was studied in detail. Under anaerobic conditions, the acid-induced reaction of 4-HNE with 3 afforded three rapidly interconverting intermediates, 5-7. Their subsequent fragmentation to 4 and hexanal in the presence of iron(III) and oxygen is consistent with the tandem beta-fragmentation of an indolyl radical cation. 1-Indolylalkenes were identified as essential intermediates in the acid-induced reaction of 3 with alkanals. A very mild iron(III)-catalyzed fragmentation of these intermediates afforded the corresponding 3-formylindole 11 as the direct precursor of the 505 nm chromophore 10. Such reactions were markedly influenced by the nature of the acid. Contrary to the rapid chromogenic reaction of 4-HNE which was observed in the presence of methanesulfonic acid, the HCl-induced reaction of 4-HNE with 3 did not afford the 586 nm chromophore. Furthermore, hexanal did not yield the 505 nm chromophore 10 upon reaction with 3 in the presence of HCl, again in contrast with the rapid chromogenic reaction which was observed in the presence of methanesulfonic acid. Comparison of the reaction mixtures under the two assay conditions confirmed that the same intermediates were formed. We conclude that the nature of the acid plays a crucial role in the oxidative fragmentation of intermediates into chromophores, allowing the selective assay of MDA in the presence of 4-HNE, using HCl acidic conditions.

The detailed preparation of 2,5‐diphenylthiophene 1‐oxide (2) is reported as well as the comparative study of the crystal structures of 2,5‐diphenylthiophene, 1, its sulfoxide 2 and sulfone 3 obtained by X‐ray diffraction. This work represents the first experimental study of a complete heterocyclic series, including a thiophene derivative, and the corresponding sulfoxide and sulfone. On the basis of the geometrical parameters, the first unequivocal experimental parameters obtained for a thiophene 1‐oxide derivative, we have also examined the evolution of the aromatic character of the thiophene ring when oxidizing the sulfur atom to the sulfoxide and the sulfone. Paolini's bond orders and Julg and Francois's aromaticity indices have also been calculated for the three compounds and compared to those previously calculated for related thiophene derivatives by semi‐empirical or ab initio methods [6], [7]. All the data examined showed that, in spite of its non planarity, the thiophene ring of 2,5‐diphenylthiophene 1‐oxide 2 could still exhibit some de localization of its p electrons indicating a certain degree of aromaticity lower than in thiophene 1 but higher than in the sulfone 3.

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