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Herein, we report a novel flavin analogue as singular chemical component for lysosome bioimaging, and inherited photosensitizer capability of the flavin core was demonstrated as a promising candidate for photodynamic therapy (PDT) application. Fine-tuning the flavin core with the incorporation of methoxy naphthyl appendage provides an appropriate chemical design, thereby offering photostability, selectivity, and lysosomal colocalization, along with the aggregation-induced emissive nature, making it suitable for lysosomal bioimaging applications. Additionally, photosensitization capability of the flavin core with photostable nature of the synthesized analogue has shown remarkable capacity for generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells, making it a promising candidate for photodynamic therapy (PDT) application., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Enzymatic electrophilic halogenation is a mild tool for functionalization of diverse organic compounds. Only a few groups of native halogenases are capable of catalyzing such a reaction. In this study, we used a mechanism-guided strategy to discover the electrophilic halogenation activity catalyzed by non-native halogenases. As the ability to form a hypohalous acid (HOX) is key for halogenation, flavin-dependent monooxygenases/oxidases capable of forming C4a-hydroperoxyflavin (Fl C4a-OOH ), such as dehalogenase, hydroxylases, luciferase and pyranose-2-oxidase (P2O), and flavin reductase capable of forming H 2 O 2 were explored for their abilities to generate HOX in situ. Transient kinetic analyses using stopped-flow spectrophotometry/fluorometry and product analysis indicate that Fl C4a-OOH in dehalogenases, selected hydroxylases and luciferases, but not in P2O can form HOX; however, the HOX generated from Fl C4a-OOH cannot halogenate their substrates. Remarkably, in situ H 2 O 2 generated by P2O can form HOI and also iodinate various compounds. Because not all enzymes capable of forming Fl C4a-OOH can react with halides to form HOX, QM/MM calculations, site-directed mutagenesis and structural analysis were carried out to elucidate the mechanism underlying HOX formation and characterize the active site environment. Our findings shed light on identifying new halogenase scaffolds besides the currently known enzymes and have invoked a new mode of chemoenzymatic halogenation., (© 2024 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The flavoprotein Cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) is the unique electron pathway from NADPH to Cytochrome P450 (CYPs). The conformational dynamics of human CPR in solution, which involves transitions from a "locked/closed" to an "unlocked/open" state, is crucial for electron transfer. To date, however, the factors guiding these changes remain unknown. By Site-Directed Spin Labelling coupled to Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy, we have incorporated a non-canonical amino acid onto the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) domains of soluble human CPR, and labelled it with a specific nitroxide spin probe. Taking advantage of the endogenous FMN cofactor, we successfully measured for the first time, the distance distribution by DEER between the semiquinone state FMNH • and the nitroxide. The DEER data revealed a salt concentration-dependent distance distribution, evidence of an "open" CPR conformation at high salt concentrations exceeding previous reports. We also conducted molecular dynamics simulations which unveiled a diverse ensemble of conformations for the "open" semiquinone state of the CPR at high salt concentration. This study unravels the conformational landscape of the one electron reduced state of CPR, which had never been studied before., (© 2024 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Single component flavin-dependent halogenases (FDHs) possess both flavin reductase and FDH activity in a single enzyme. We recently reported that the single component FDH AetF catalyzes site-selective bromination and iodination of a variety of aromatic substrates and enantioselective bromolactonization and iodoetherification of styrenes bearing pendant carboxylic acid or alcohol substituents. Given this inherent reactivity and selectivity, we explored the utility of AetF as catalyst for alkene and alkyne C-H halogenation. We find that AetF catalyzes halogenation of a range of 1,1-disubstituted styrenes, often with high stereoselectivity. Despite the utility of haloalkenes for cross-coupling and other applications, accessing these compounds in a stereoselective manner typically requires functional group interconversion processes, and selective halogenation of 1,1'-disubstituted olefins remains rare. We also establish that AetF and homologues of this enzyme can halogenate terminal alkynes. Mutagenesis studies and deuterium kinetic isotope effects are used to support a mechanistic proposal involving covalent catalysis for halogenation of unactivated alkynes by AetF homologues. These findings expand the scope of FDH catalysis and continue to show the unique utility of single component FDHs for biocatalysis., (© 2024 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Fatty acid photodecarboxylase is a newly discovered flavin photoenzyme that converts a carboxylic acid into a hydrocarbon and a carbon dioxide molecule through decarboxylation. The enzymatic reactions are poorly understood. In this study, we carefully characterized its dynamic evolution with femtosecond spectroscopy. We observed initial electron transfer from the substrate to the flavin cofactor in 347 ps with a stretched dynamic behavior and subsequently captured the critical carbonyloxy radical. The dominant process following this step was decarboxylation in 5.8 ns to form an alkyl radical and a carbon dioxide molecule. We further identified the absorption bands of two carbonyloxy and alkyl radical intermediates. The overall enzymatic quantum efficiency determined by our obtained timescales is 0.81, consistent with the steady-state value. The results are essential to the elucidation of the enzyme mechanism and catalytic photocycle, providing a molecular basis for potential design of flavin-based artificial photoenzymes., (© 2022 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A new flavin-based gelator is reported which forms micellar structures at high pH and gels at low pH. This flavin can be used for the photooxidation of thiols under visible light, with the catalytic efficiency being linked to the self-assembled structures present., (© 2022 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A new activity for the [NiFe] uptake hydrogenase 1 of Escherichia coli (Hyd1) is presented. Direct reduction of biological flavin cofactors FMN and FAD is achieved using H 2 as a simple, completely atom-economical reductant. The robust nature of Hyd1 is exploited for flavin reduction across a broad range of temperatures (25-70 °C) and extended reaction times. The utility of this system as a simple, easy to implement FMNH 2 or FADH 2 regenerating system is then demonstrated by supplying reduced flavin to Old Yellow Enzyme "ene-reductases" to support asymmetric alkene reductions with up to 100 % conversion. Hyd1 turnover frequencies up to 20.4 min -1 and total turnover numbers up to 20 200 were recorded during flavin recycling., (© 2021 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The interest in indole dearomatization, which serves as a useful tool in the total synthesis of related alkaloid natural products, has recently been renewed with the intention of developing new methods efficient in both yield and stereoselective control. Here, we report an enzymatic approach for the oxidative dearomatization of indoles in the asymmetric synthesis of a variety of furoindolines with a vicinal quaternary carbon stereogenic center. This approach depends on the activity of a flavin-dependent monooxygenase, TsrE, which is involved in the biosynthesis of bicyclic thiopeptide antibiotic thiostrepton. TsrE catalyzes 2,3-epoxidation and subsequent epoxide opening in a highly enantioselective manner during the conversion of 2-methyl-indole-3-acetic acid or 2-methyl-tryptophol to furoindoline, with up to >99 % conversion and >99 % ee under mild reaction conditions. Complementing current chemical methods for oxidative indole dearomatization, the TsrE activity-based approach enriches the toolbox in the asymmetric synthesis of products possessing a furoindoline skeleton., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Acid dissociation constants (pK a ) of nine kinds of flavin analogues as molecular catalyst candidates were determined by CZE. Although some of the analogues are instable and degradable under the light exposure or in alkaline aqueous solutions, the effective electrophoretic mobility of the flavin analogue of interest has been measured with the residual substance. The pK a values of the flavin analogues were analyzed through the changes in the effective electrophoretic mobility with varying pH of the separation buffer. One or two steps pK a values were determined by the analysis. One of the degraded species from the flavin analogues, lumichrome, was also detected in the CZE analysis, and its pK a values were also determined. While coexisting impurities generated over the storage conditions were found in some analogues, the pK a values of the target analogues were successfully determined with the help of the CZE separations. A pressure-assisted CZE was utilized for the determination or the estimation of the pK a values of such analogues as possessing carboxylic acid moiety., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Riboflavin-derived photocatalysts have been extensively studied in the context of alcohol oxidation. However, to date, the scope of this catalytic methodology has been limited to benzyl alcohols. In this work, mechanistic understanding of flavin-catalyzed oxidation reactions, in either the absence or presence of thiourea as a cocatalyst, was obtained. The mechanistic insights enabled development of an electrochemically driven photochemical oxidation of primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols using a pair of flavin and dialkylthiourea catalysts. Electrochemistry makes it possible to avoid using O 2 and an oxidant and generating H 2 O 2 as a byproduct, both of which oxidatively degrade thiourea under the reaction conditions. This modification unlocks a new mechanistic pathway in which the oxidation of unactivated alcohols is achieved by thiyl radical mediated hydrogen-atom abstraction., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Flavin-based catalysts are photoactive in the visible range which makes them useful in biology and chemistry. Herein, we present electrospray-ionization mass-spectrometry detection of short-lived intermediates in photooxidation of toluene catalysed by flavinium ions (Fl + ). Previous studies have shown that photoexcited flavins react with aromates by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) on the microsecond time scale. For Fl + , PCET leads to FlH .+ with the H-atom bound to the N5 position. We show that the reaction continues by coupling between FlH .+ and hydroperoxy or benzylperoxy radicals at the C4a position of FlH .+ . These results demonstrate that the N5-blocking effect reported for alkylated flavins is also active after PCET in these photocatalytic reactions. Structures of all intermediates were fully characterised by isotopic labelling and by photodissociation spectroscopy. These tools provide a new way to study reaction intermediates in the sub-second time range., (© 2019 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.)

A novel strategy to regulate cofactor balance in vivo for whole-cell biotransformation using a synthetic flavin analogue is reported. High efficiency, easy operation, and good applicability were observed for this system. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was employed to verify that the synthetic flavin analogue can directly permeate into Escherichia coli cells without modifying the cell membrane. This work provides a promising intracellular redox regulatory approach to construct more efficient cell factories., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A covalently bound flavin cofactor is predominant in the succinate-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (SQR; Complex II), an essential component of aerobic electron transport, and in the menaquinol-fumarate oxidoreductase (QFR), the anaerobic counterpart, although it is only present in approximately 10 % of the known flavoenzymes. This work investigates the role of this 8α-N3-histidyl linkage between the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor and the respiratory Complex II. After parameterization with DFT calculations, classical molecular-dynamics simulations and quantum-mechanics calculations for Complex II:FAD and Complex II:FADH 2 , with and without the covalent bond, were performed. It was observed that the covalent bond is essential for the active-center arrangement of the FADH 2 /FAD cofactor. Removal of this bond causes a displacement of the isoalloxazine group, which influences interactions with the protein, flavin solvation, and possible proton-transfer pathways. Specifically, for the noncovalently bound FADH 2 cofactor, the N1 atom moves away from the His-A365 and His-A254 residues and the N5 atom moves away from the glutamine-62A residue. Both of the histidine and glutamine residues interact with a chain of water molecules that cross the enzyme, which is most likely involved in proton transfer. Breaking this chain of water molecules could thereby compromise proton transfer across the two active sites of Complex II., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Electrostatic effects on the redox photochemistry of synthetic probes (1, 2, and 1-Zn) are examined by adjusting the thermodynamic driving force of their oxidation reactions. The redox photochemistry was simply controlled by introducing a zinc binding site (2,2'-dipicolylamine (DPA)) on the coumarin moiety of probe 2. Zinc complexation produced a positively charged environment on the coumarin (1-Zn), which lowered the electron density of a nearby 9 H-xanthene ring, attenuating the auto-oxidation of 1-Zn by 45 % compared with that of probe 1 at 298 K. The positive net charge of 1-Zn also provided an attractive Coulombic force toward the phosphate of flavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide, which lowered the reduction potential of the electron acceptor (isoalloxazine) and improved intermolecular electron transfer from the 9 H-xanthene ring to isoalloxazine. The flavin-mediated oxidation rate of 1-Zn was increased to 1.5 times that of probe 2. Probe 1-Zn showed highly selective sensing behaviour toward flavins, producing an intense brightness (ϵΦ F =2.80×10 3  m -1  cm -1 ) in the long-wavelength regions (λ max =588 nm) upon flavin-mediated oxidation. Furthermore, probes 1-Zn and 2 were successfully applied to eosinophil imaging and the differential diagnosis of eosinophilia; this demonstrates their use as diagnostic tools., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Natural and engineered nitroreductases have rarely supported full reduction of nitroaromatics to their amine products, and more typically, transformations are limited to formation of the hydroxylamine intermediates. Efficient use of these enzymes also requires a regenerating system for NAD(P)H to avoid the costs associated with this natural reductant. Iodotyrosine deiodinase is a member of the same structural superfamily as many nitroreductases but does not directly consume reducing equivalents from NAD(P)H, nor demonstrate nitroreductase activity. However, exchange of its flavin cofactor with a 5-deazaflavin analogue dramatically suppresses its native deiodinase activity and leads to significant nitroreductase activity that supports full reduction to an amine product in the presence of the convenient and inexpensive NaBH 4 ., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Anion-π interactions have been shown to stabilize flavoproteins and to regulate the redox potential of the flavin cofactor. They are commonly attributed to electrostatic forces. Herein we show that anion-flavin interactions can have a substantial charge-transfer component. Our conclusion emanates from a multi-approach theoretical analysis and is backed by previously reported observations of absorption bands, originating from charge transfer between oxidized flavin and proximate cysteine thiolate groups. This partial covalency of anion-flavin contacts renders classical simulations of flavoproteins questionable., (© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

This study establishes structure-property relationships for four synthetic flavin molecules as bioinspired redox mediators in electro- and photocatalysis applications. The studied flavin compounds were disubstituted with polar substituents at the N1 and N3 positions (alloxazine) or at the N3 and N10 positions (isoalloxazines). The electrochemical behavior of one such synthetic flavin analogue was examined in detail in aqueous solutions of varying pH in the range from 1 to 10. Cyclic voltammetry, used in conjunction with hydrodynamic (rotating disk electrode) voltammetry, showed quasi-reversible behavior consistent with freely diffusing molecules and an overall global 2e(-) , 2H(+) proton-coupled electron transfer scheme. UV/Vis spectroelectrochemical data was also employed to study the pH-dependent electrochemical behavior of this derivative. Substituent effects on the redox behavior were compared and contrasted for all the four compounds, and visualized within a scatter plot framework to afford comparison with prior knowledge on mostly natural flavins in aqueous media. Finally, a preliminary assessment of one of the synthetic flavins was performed of its electrocatalytic activity toward dioxygen reduction as a prelude to further (quantitative) studies of both freely diffusing and tethered molecules on various electrode surfaces., (© 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

[3+2] in the wild: Biomimetic natural product syntheses and theoretical considerations have indicated that 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions take place in nature. Now, the structure, biosynthesis, and function of a heavily modified prenylated flavin cofactor have been elucidated. In the azomethine ylide form, it undergoes [3+2] cycloadditions with aromatic acids and promotes their decarboxylation., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Unprecedented intense fluorescent emission was observed for a variety of flavin compounds bearing a perpendicular cyclic imide moiety at the C7 position of an isoalloxazine platform. A series of alloxan-substituted flavins was prepared selectively by reduction of the corresponding N-aryl-2-nitro-5-alkoxyanilines with zinc dust and subsequent reaction with alloxan monohydrate in the presence of boric acid. Analogues bearing oxazolidine-2,4-dione functionality were obtained on methylation of the alloxan-substituted flavins with methyl iodide and subsequent rearrangement in the presence of an inorganic base. The flavin compounds exhibit intense white-green fluorescent emission in the solution state under UV excitation at 298 K, with emission efficiencies Φ298 K greater than 0.55 in CH3 CN, which are higher than the values for all reported flavin compounds under similar conditions. The highest Φ298 K value of 0.70 was obtained in CH3 CN for isoalloxazine bearing C7-alloxan and N10-2,6-diisopropylphenyl groups. The temperature dependence of the emission intensities indicates that the pronounced emission properties at 298 K are attributable to the highly heat resistant properties towards emission decay with increasing temperature. Mechanistic studies, including X-ray diffraction analysis, revealed that the good emission properties and high heat resistance of the alloxan-substituted flavins are due to a synergetic effect of the associative nature of the C7-alloxan unit and the repulsive nature of the perpendicular bulky substituents at the C7 and N10 positions., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A porphyrin-flavin-linked dyad and its zinc and palladium complexes (MPor-Fl: 2-M, M=2 H, Zn, and Pd) were newly synthesized and the X-ray crystal structure of 2-Pd was determined. The photodynamics of 2-M were examined by femto- and nanosecond laser flash photolysis measurements. Photoinduced electron transfer (ET) in 2-H2 occurred from the singlet excited state of the porphyrin moiety (H2 Por) to the flavin (Fl) moiety to produce the singlet charge-separated (CS) state (1) (H2 Por(.+) -Fl(.-) ), which decayed through back ET (BET) to form (3) [H2 Por]*-Fl with rate constants of 1.2×10(10) and 1.2×10(9)  s(-1) , respectively. Similarly, photoinduced ET in 2-Pd afforded the singlet CS state, which decayed through BET to form (3) [PdPor]*Fl with rate constants of 2.1×10(11) and 6.0×10(10)  s(-1) , respectively. The rate constant of photoinduced ET and BET of 2-M were related to the ET and BET driving forces by using the Marcus theory of ET. One and two Sc(3+) ions bind to the flavin moiety to form the Fl-Sc(3+) and Fl-(Sc(3+) )2 complexes with binding constants of K1 =2.2×10(5)  M(-1) and K2 =1.8×10(3)  M(-1) , respectively. Other metal ions, such as Y(3+) , Zn(2+) , and Mg(2+) , form only 1:1 complexes with flavin. In contrast to 2-M and the 1:1 complexes with metal ions, which afforded the short-lived singlet CS state, photoinduced ET in 2-Pd⋅⋅⋅Sc(3+) complexes afforded the triplet CS state ((3) [PdPor(.+) -Fl(.-) (Sc(3+) )2 ]), which exhibited a remarkably long lifetime of τ=110 ms (kBET =9.1 s(-1) )., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The iron-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 has a dual directional electronic conduit involving 40 heme redox centers in flavin-binding outer-membrane c-type cytochromes (OM c-Cyts). While the mechanism for electron export from the OM c-Cyts to an anode is well understood, how the redox centers in OM c-Cyts take electrons from a cathode has not been elucidated at the molecular level. Electrochemical analysis of live cells during switching from anodic to cathodic conditions showed that altering the direction of electron flow does not require gene expression or protein synthesis, but simply redox potential shift about 300 mV for a flavin cofactor interacting with the OM c-Cyts. That is, the redox bifurcation of the riboflavin cofactor in OM c-Cyts switches the direction of electron conduction in the biological conduit at the cell-electrode interface to drive bacterial metabolism as either anode or cathode catalysts., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Bacterial bioluminescence (BL) has been successfully applied in water-quality monitoring and in vivo imaging. The attention of researchers has been attracted for several decades, but the mechanism of bacterial BL is still largely unknown due to the complexity of the multistep reaction process. Debates mainly focus on three key questions: How is the bioluminophore produced? What is the exact chemical form of the bioluminophore? How does the protein environment affect the light emission? Using quantum mechanics (QM), combined QM and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) and molecular dynamic (MD) calculations in gas-phase, solvent and protein environments, the entire process of bacterial BL was investigated, from flavin reduction to light emission. This investigation revealed that: 1) the chemiluminescent decomposition of flavin peroxyhemiacetal does not occur through the intramolecular chemical initiated electron exchange luminescence (CIEEL) or the "dioxirane" mechanism, as suggested in the literature. Instead, the decomposition occurs according to the charge-transfer initiated luminescence (CTIL) mechanism for the thermolysis of dioxetanone. 2) The first excited state of 4a-hydroxy-4a,5-dihydroFMN (HFOH) was affirmed to be the bioluminophore of bacterial BL. This study provides details regarding the mechanism by which bacterial BL is produced and is helpful in understanding bacterial BL in general., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A series of 10-arylflavins (10-phenyl-, 10-(2',6'-dimethylphenyl)-, 10-(2',6'-diethylphenyl)-, 10-(2',6'-diisopropylphenyl)-, 10-(2'-tert-butylphenyl)-, and 10-(2',6'-dimethylphenyl)-3-methylisoalloxazine (2 a-f)) was prepared as potentially nonaggregating flavin photocatalysts. The investigation of their structures in the crystalline phase combined with (1)H-DOSY NMR spectroscopic experiments in CD(3)CN, CD(3)CN/D(2)O (1:1), and D(2)O confirm the decreased ability of 10-arylflavins 2 to form aggregates relative to tetra-O-acetyl riboflavin (1). 10-Arylflavins 2 a-d do not interact by π-π interactions, which are restricted by the 10-phenyl ring oriented perpendicularly to the isoalloxazine skeleton. On the other hand, N3-H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bonds were detected in their crystal structures. In the structure of 10-aryl-3-methylflavin (2 f) with a substituted N3 position, weak C-H⋅⋅⋅O bonds and weak π-π interactions were found. 10-Arylflavins 2 were tested as photoredox catalysts for the aerial oxidation of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde (model reaction), thus showing higher efficiency relative to 1. The quantum yields of 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol oxidation reactions mediated by arylflavins 2 were higher by almost one order of magnitude relative to values in the presence of 1., (Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Affinity ligands for flavoenzymes were synthesized based on the natural structure of flavo-coenzymes. Two typical flavoenzymes, cholesterol oxidase from Brevibacterium sp. and xanthine oxidase from bovine milk, were employed as standard enzymes. Fluorescent probes were synthesized from eight isoalloxazine-like chemicals and 5-aminofluorescein. Probe-enzyme interactions were analyzed via fluorescence spectra. Chemicals with high binding abilities to flavoenzymes were coupled with Sepharose through spacers composed of epichlorohydrin, ethylenediamine, 1,3-diaminopropane, 2-hydroxy-1,3-diaminopropane, and 1,4-diaminobutane, and subjected to adsorption analysis with flavoenzymes. The results indicated that ligands synthesized from 2,4-dioxohexahydropyrimidine-5-carboxylic acid, cytosine, 7-chloroalloxazine, and 8-chloroalloxazine had high binding abilities to the flavoenzymes. The affinity sorbent based on these ligands revealed a high theoretical maximum adsorption (Q(max)). Protein and bioactivity recoveries were tested after one step of affinity binding via chromatographic analysis on small columns. Results showed that ligands linked with sorbents through long hydrophilic spacers had higher activity recoveries., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A versatile reducing agent, diimide, can be generated efficiently by the aerobic oxidation of hydrazine with neutral and cationic synthetic flavin catalysts 1 and 2. This technique provides a convenient and safe method for the aerobic reduction of olefins, which proceeds with 1 equiv of hydrazine under an atmosphere of O(2) or air. The synthetic advantage over the conventional gas-based method has been illustrated through high hydrazine efficiency, easy and safe handling, and characteristic chemoselectivity. Vitamin B(2) derivative 6 acts as a highly practical, robust catalyst for this purpose because of its high availability and recyclability. Association complexes of 1b with dendritic 2,5-bis(acylamino)pyridine 15 exhibit unprecedented catalytic activities, with the reduction of aromatic and hydroxy olefins proceeding significantly faster when a higher-generation dendrimer is used as a host pair for the association catalysts. Contrasting retardation is observed upon similar treatment of non-aromatic or non-hydroxy olefins with the dendrimer catalysts. Control experiments and kinetic studies revealed that these catalytic reactions include two independent, anaerobic and aerobic, processes for the generation of diimide from hydrazine. Positive and negative dendrimer effects on the catalytic reactions have been ascribed to the specific inclusion of hydrazine and olefinic substrates into the enzyme-like reaction cavities of the association complex catalysts., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is reduced by NADPH-E. coli flavin reductase (Fre) to FADH(2) in aqueous buffer at pH 7.4 under argon. Under the same conditions, FADH(2) in turn cleanly reduces the antimalarial drug methylene blue (MB) to leucomethylene blue. The latter is rapidly re-oxidized by artemisinins, thus supporting the proposal that MB exerts its antimalarial activity, and synergizes the antimalarial action of artemisinins, by interfering with redox cycling involving NADPH reduction of flavin cofactors in parasite flavin disulfide reductases. Direct treatment of the FADH(2) generated from NADPH-Fre-FAD by artemisinins and antimalaria-active tetraoxane and trioxolane structural analogues under physiological conditions at pH 7.4 results in rapid reduction of the artemisinins, and efficient conversion of the peroxide structural analogues into ketone products. Comparison of the relative rates of FADH(2) oxidation indicate optimal activity for the trioxolane. Therefore, the rate of intraparastic redox perturbation will be greatest for the trioxolane, and this may be significant in relation to its enhanced in vitro antimalarial activities. (1)H NMR spectroscopic studies using the BNAH-riboflavin (RF) model system indicate that the tetraoxane is capable of using both peroxide units in oxidizing the RFH(2) generated in situ. Use of the NADPH-Fre-FAD catalytic system in the presence of artemisinin or tetraoxane confirms that the latter, in contrast to artemisinin, consumes two reducing equivalents of NADPH. None of the processes described herein requires the presence of ferrous iron. Ferric iron, given its propensity to oxidize reduced flavin cofactors, may play a role in enhancing oxidative stress within the malaria parasite, without requiring interaction with artemisinins or peroxide analogues. The NADPH-Fre-FAD system serves as a convenient mimic of flavin disulfide reductases that maintain redox homeostasis in the malaria parasite., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

To investigate the parameters and rates that determine excess-electron transfer processes in DNA duplexes, we developed a DNA double-duplex system containing a reduced and deprotonated flavin donor at the junction of two duplexes with either the same or different electron acceptors in the individual duplex substructures. This model system allows us to bring the two electron acceptors in the duplex substructures into direct competition for injected electrons and this enables us to decipher how the kind of acceptor influences the transfer data. Measurements with the electron acceptors 8-bromo-dA (BrdA), 8-bromo-dG (BrdG), 5-bromo-dU (BrdU), and a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer, which is a UV-induced DNA lesion, allowed us to obtain directly the maximum overall reaction rates of these acceptors and especially of the T=T dimer with the injected electrons in the duplex. In line with previous observations, we detected that the overall dimer cleavage rate is about one order of magnitude slower than the debromination of BrdU. Furthermore, we present a more detailed explanation of why sequence dependence cannot be observed when a T=T dimer is used as the acceptor and we estimate the absolute excess-electron hopping rates., (Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The antimalarial drug methylene blue (MB) affects the redox behaviour of parasite flavin-dependent disulfide reductases such as glutathione reductase (GR) that control oxidative stress in the malaria parasite. The reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide cofactor FADH(2) initiates reduction to leucomethylene blue (LMB), which is oxidised by oxygen to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MB. MB then acts as a subversive substrate for NADPH normally required to regenerate FADH(2) for enzyme function. The synergism between MB and the peroxidic antimalarial artemisinin derivative artesunate suggests that artemisinins have a complementary mode of action. We find that artemisinins are transformed by LMB generated from MB and ascorbic acid (AA) or N-benzyldihydronicotinamide (BNAH) in situ in aqueous buffer at physiological pH into single electron transfer (SET) rearrangement products or two-electron reduction products, the latter of which dominates with BNAH. Neither AA nor BNAH alone affects the artemisinins. The AA-MB SET reactions are enhanced under aerobic conditions, and the major products obtained here are structurally closely related to one such product already reported to form in an intracellular medium. A ketyl arising via SET with the artemisinin is invoked to explain their formation. Dihydroflavins generated from riboflavin (RF) and FAD by pretreatment with sodium dithionite are rapidly oxidised by artemisinin to the parent flavins. When catalytic amounts of RF, FAD, and other flavins are reduced in situ by excess BNAH or NAD(P)H in the presence of the artemisinins in the aqueous buffer, they are rapidly oxidised to the parent flavins with concomitant formation of two-electron reduction products from the artemisinins; regeneration of the reduced flavin by excess reductant maintains a catalytic cycle until the artemisinin is consumed. In preliminary experiments, we show that NADPH consumption in yeast GR with redox behaviour similar to that of parasite GR is enhanced by artemisinins, especially under aerobic conditions. Recombinant human GR is not affected. Artemisinins thus may act as antimalarial drugs by perturbing the redox balance within the malaria parasite, both by oxidising FADH(2) in parasite GR or other parasite flavoenzymes, and by initiating autoxidation of the dihydroflavin by oxygen with generation of ROS. Reduction of the artemisinin is proposed to occur via hydride transfer from LMB or the dihydroflavin to O1 of the peroxide. This hitherto unrecorded reactivity profile conforms with known structure-activity relationships of artemisinins, is consistent with their known ability to generate ROS in vivo, and explains the synergism between artemisinins and redox-active antimalarial drugs such as MB and doxorubicin. As the artemisinins appear to be relatively inert towards human GR, a putative model that accounts for the selective potency of artemisinins towards the malaria parasite also becomes apparent. Decisively, ferrous iron or carbon-centered free radicals cannot be involved, and the reactivity described herein reconciles disparate observations that are incompatible with the ferrous iron-carbon radical hypothesis for antimalarial mechanism of action. Finally, the urgent enquiry into the emerging resistance of the malaria parasite to artemisinins may now in one part address the possibilities either of structural changes taking place in parasite flavoenzymes that render the flavin cofactor less accessible to artemisinins or of an enhancement in the ability to use intra-erythrocytic human disulfide reductases required for maintenance of parasite redox balance.

Photoinduced electron transfer (ET) of a series of aromatic electron donors (D) to the singlet or triplet excited state of a flavin analogue (10-methylisoalloxazine: MeFl) and intermolecular back electron transfer (BET) from MeFl(*-) to D(*+) in benzonitrile (PhCN) has been investigated in light of the Marcus theory of ET. The rate constants of intermolecular photoinduced ET (k(et)) from D to the singlet excited state ((1)MeFl*) and the triplet excited state ((3)MeFl*) were determined by fluorescence quenching and enhanced decay rates of triplet-triplet (T-T) absorption by the presence of D, respectively. The k(et) values increase with an increase in the ET driving force to reach the diffusion-limit value that remains constant with a further increase in the ET driving force. Nanosecond laser flash photolysis was performed to determine the rate constants of intermolecular BET (k(bet)) from MeFl(*-) to D(*+) in PhCN. In contrast to the case of k(et), the driving force dependence of k(bet) shows a pronounced decrease towards the highly exothermic region. The reorganization energy (lambda) of intermolecular BET is determined to be 0.68 eV by applying the Marcus equation in the inverted region, where the k(bet) value decreases with increasing the BET driving force. The slowest BET was observed for BET from MeFl(*-) to N,N-dimethylaniline radical cation (DMA(*+)) with the k(bet) value of 3.5 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1), which is 1600 times smaller than the diffusion rate constant in PhCN (5.6 x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1)). Then, DMA was linked to the 10-position of isoalloxazine to synthesize a DMA-flavin linked dyad (10-[4'-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenyl]-isoalloxazine: DMA-Fl). Photoexcitation of DMA-Fl results in photoinduced ET from the DMA moiety to the singlet excited state of Fl moiety to form the charge-separated (CS) state (DMA(*+)-Fl(*-)) that has an extremely long lifetime (2.1 ms) in PhCN at 298 K.

Oxetane is a potential intermediate that is enzymatically formed during the repair of (6-4) DNA lesions by special repair enzymes (6-4 DNA photolyases). These enzymes use a reduced and deprotonated flavin to cleave the oxetane by single electron donation. Herein we report synthesis of DNA hairpin model compounds containing a flavin as the hairpin head and two different oxetanes in the stem structure of the hairpin. The data show that the electron moves through the duplex even over distances of 17 A. Attempts to trap the moving electron with N2O showed no reduction of the cleavage efficiency showing that the electron moves through the duplex and not through solution. The electron transfer is sequence dependent. The efficiency is reduced by a factor of 2 in GC rich DNA hairpins.

Flavin-catalyzed green oxidation of heteroatom compounds such as sulfides and amines with molecular oxygen and even air in the presence of hydrazine monohydrate in a fluorous solvent such as 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol at room temperature gives the corresponding oxidation products highly efficiently and selectively along with water and molecular nitrogen, which are environmentally benign by-products. The proposed reaction mechanism is based on the kinetics, solvent effect, and redox properties of flavin catalysts.

Eight different flavin derivatives have been synthesized and the electronic effects of substituents in various positions on the flavin redox chemistry were investigated. The redox potentials of the flavins, determined by cyclic voltammetry, correlated with their efficiency as catalysts in the H2O2 oxidation of methyl p-tolyl sulfide. Introduction of electron-withdrawing groups increased the stability of the reduced catalyst precursor.

The introduction of a flavin chromophore on the myoglobin (Mb) surface and an effective electron-transfer (ET) reaction through the flavin were successfully achieved by utilizing the self-assembly of heterostranded coiled-coil peptides. We have prepared a semiartificial Mb, named Mb-1alphaK, in which an amphiphilic and cationic alpha-helix peptide is conjugated at the heme propionate (Heme-1alphaK). Heme-1alphaK has a covalently bound iron-protoporphyrin IX (heme) at the N terminus of a 1alphaK peptide sequence. This sequence was designed to form a heterostranded coiled-coil in the presence of a counterpart amphiphilic and anionic 1alphaE peptide sequence in a parallel orientation. Two peptides, Fla(1)-1alphaE and Fla(31)-1alphaE, both incorporating a 10-methylisoalloxazine moiety as an artificial flavin molecule, were also prepared (Fla=2-[7-(10-methyl)isoalloxazinyl]-2-oxoethyl). Heme-1alphaK was successfully inserted into apomyoglobin to give Mb-1alphaK. Mb-1alphaK recognized the flavin-modified peptides and a two-alpha-helix structure was formed. In addition, an efficient ET from reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide to the heme center through the flavin unit was observed. The ET rate was faster in the presence of Fla(1)-1alphaE than in the presence of Fla(31)-1alphaE or the equivalent molecule that has no peptide chain. These results demonstrate that the introduction of a functional chromophore on the Mb surface can be achieved by using specific peptide-peptide interactions. Moreover, the dependence of the ET rate on the position of the flavin indicated that the distance between the heme active site and the flavin chromophore was regulated by the three-dimensional structure of the designed polypeptide.