The ability of PPors to photo-oxidize Ir(III)Cp* to Ir(IV)Cp* indicates that they are promising photoanode components.

Mitochondria have emerged as the major regulatory platform responsible for coordination of numerous metabolic reactions as well as cell death processes, whereby the execution of intrinsic apoptosis includes the production of reactive oxygen species fueling oxidation of cardiolipin (CL) catalyzed by cytochrome (cyt) c. As this oxidation occurs within the peroxidase complex of cyt c with CL, the latter represents a promising target for the discovery and design of drugs with anti-apoptotic mechanism of action. In this work, we designed and synthesized a new group of mitochondria-targeted imidazole-substituted analogues of stearic acid TPP-n-ISA with different positions of the attached imidazole group on the fatty acid (n=6, 8, 10, 13 and 14). By using a combination of absorption spectroscopy and EPR protocols (continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance, and electron spin echo envelope modulation) we demonstrated that TPP-n-ISA indeed were able to potently suppress CL induced structural re-arrangements in cyt c paving the way to its peroxidase competence. TPP-n-ISA analogues preserved the low spin hexa-coordinated heme iron state in cyt c/CL complexes whereby TPP-6-ISA displayed a significantly more effective preservation pattern than TPP-14-ISA. Elucidation of these intermolecular stabilization mechanisms of cyt c identified TPP-6-ISA as an effective inhibitor of the peroxidase function of cyt c/CL complexes with a significant anti-apoptotic potential realized in mouse embryonic cells exposed to ionizing irradiation. These experimental findings were detailed and supported by all atom molecular dynamics simulations. Based on the experimental data and computations predictions, we identified TPP-6-ISA as a candidate drug with optimized anti-apoptotic potency.

We evaluated the use of colony formation (CFU-GM, BFU-E, and CFU-GEMM) by human umbilical cord blood (CB) hematopoietic progenitor cells for testing novel small molecule ionizing irradiation protectors and mitigators. Each of 11 compounds was added before (protection) or after (mitigation) ionizing irradiation including: GS-nitroxides (JP4-039 and XJB-5-131), the bifunctional sulfoxide MMS-350, the phosphoinositol-3-kinase inhibitor (LY294002), TPP-imidazole fatty acid, (TPP-IOA), the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (MCF-201-89), the p53/mdm2/mdm4 inhibitor (BEB55), methoxamine, isoproterenol, propanolol, and the ATP sensitive potassium channel blocker (glyburide). The drugs XJB-5-131, JP4-039, and MMS-350 were radiation protectors for CFU-GM. JP4-039 was also a radiation protector for CFU-GEMM. The drugs, XJB-5-131, JP4-039, and MMS-350 were radiation mitigators for BFU-E, MMS-350 and JP4-039 were mitigators for CFU-GM, and MMS350 was a mitigator for CFU-GEMM. In contrast, other drugs that were effective in murine assays: TTP-IOA, LY294002, MCF201-89, BEB55, propranolol, isoproterenol, methoxamine, and glyburide showed no significant protection or mitigation in human CB assays. These data support testing of new candidate clinical radiation protectors and mitigators using human CB clonogenic assays early in the drug discovery process, reducing the need for animal experiments.

Oxazolium salts were successfully employed for the first time as organocatalysts for benzoin, Stetter, and redox esterification reactions. An N-mesityl oxazolium salt catalyzed homobenzoin reaction of aromatic, heteroaromatic, and aliphatic aldehydes delivered α-hydroxy ketones in high yields. This new type of catalyst proved remarkably effective for the Stetter reaction of challenging substrates such as βalkyl-α,β-unsaturated ketones and electron-rich aromatic aldehydes in comparison to common thiazolium and triazolium salts.