In contrast to the alpha-form permethylated at the aromatic ring, non-alpha-tocopherols possess free aromatic ring positions which enable them to act as potent scavengers of electrophiles in vivo and in vitro. In preparation of enzymatic studies involving peroxynitrite and other nitrating systems, the behavior of non-alpha-tocopherols under nitration conditions was studied. The nitration products of beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol were identified, comprehensively analytically characterized, and their structure was supported by X-ray crystal structure analysis on truncated model compounds. Even under more drastic nitration conditions, no erosion of the stereochemistry at 2-C occurred. The nitrosation of gamma-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol was re-examined, showing the slow oxidation of the initial nitroso products to the corresponding nitro derivatives by air to be superimposed by a fast equilibrium with the tautomeric ortho-quinone monoxime, which only in the case of gamma-tocopherol released hydroxyl amine at elevated temperatures to afford the stable ortho-quinone. Mononitration of delta-tocopherol selectively proceeded at position 5. This selectivity can be explained by the theory of strain-induced bond localization (SIBL) to the quinoid nitration intermediates. Bisnitration was only insignificantly disfavored by the first nitro group, so that under normal nitration conditions offering an excess of nitrating species only the bisnitration product was found.
Tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-Toc) and tocopheryl quinones (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-TQ) were recently suggested to modulate mitochondrial electron transfer in mammals. Intriguingly, Tocs and stigmatellin, a potent inhibitor of the mitochondrial cytochrome (cyt) bc(1) complex, possess a common structural feature: the chroman core. Therefore, we studied the interference of Tocs as well as synthetic model compounds (low molecular weight TQ analogues and tetramethyl chromanones) at the mitochondrial cyt bc(1) complex. Enzymatic experiments revealed that besides the inhibitor stigmatellin, among natural vitamin E-related derivatives, gamma-TQ/delta-TQ and, among synthetic compounds, TMC2O (6-hydroxy-4,4,7,8-tetramethyl-chroman-2-one) were most effective in decreasing the cyt bc(1) activities. Stopped-flow photometric and low-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic experiments showed for TMC2O an inhibition of electron transfer to cyt c(1) and a modulation of the environment of the Rieske iron-sulfur protein (ISP). Docking experiments suggest a binding interaction of the 6-OH group and 1-O atom/2-C( horizontal lineO) group of TMC2O with Glu-271 (cyt b) and His-161 (ISP) in the cyt bc(1) complex, respectively. This binding pose is similar but not identical to the potent inhibitor stigmatellin. The data suggest that chroman-2-ones are possible templates for modulatory molecules for the cyt bc(1) target.
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