Structural studies on the polymorphs of the organoselenium antioxidant ebselen and its derivative show the potential of organic selenium to form unusually short Se⋅⋅⋅O chalcogen bonds that lead to conserved supramolecular recognition units. Se⋅⋅⋅O interactions observed in these polymorphs are the shortest such chalcogen bonds known for organoselenium compounds. The FTIR spectral evolution characteristics of this interaction from solution state to solid crystalline state further validates the robustness of this class of supramolecular recognition units. The strength and electronic nature of the Se⋅⋅⋅O chalcogen bonds were explored using high-resolution X-ray charge density analysis and atons-in-molecules (AIM) theoretical analysis. A charge density study unravels the strong electrostatic nature of Se⋅⋅⋅O chalcogen bonding and soft-metal-like behavior of organoselenium. An analysis of the charge density around Se-N and Se-C covalent bonds in conjunction with the Se⋅⋅⋅O chalcogen bonding modes in ebselen and its analogues provides insights into the mechanism of drug action in this class of organoselenium antioxidants. The potential role of the intermolecular Se⋅⋅⋅O chalcogen bonding in forming the intermediate supramolecular assembly that leads to the bond cleavage mechanism has been proposed in terms of electron density topological parameters in a series of molecular complexes of ebselen with reactive oxygen species (ROS).

In the present study, the synthesis and characterization of a series of N-methylimidazole-based thiourea and selenourea derivatives are described. The new compounds were also studied for their ability to inhibit peroxynitrite (PN)- and peroxidase-mediated nitration of protein tyrosine residues. It has been observed that the selenourea derivatives are more efficient than the thiourea-based compounds in the inhibition of protein nitration. The higher activity of selenoureas as compared to that of the corresponding thioureas can be ascribed to the zwitterionic nature of the selenourea moiety. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies on some of the thiourea and selenourea derivatives reveal that the C=S bonds in thioureas possess more of double bond character than the C=Se bonds in the corresponding selenoureas. Therefore, the selenium compounds can react with PN or hydrogen peroxide much faster than their sulfur analogues. The reactions of thiourea and selenourea derivatives with PN or hydrogen peroxide produce the corresponding sulfinic or seleninic acid derivatives, which upon elimination of sulfurous/selenous acids produce the corresponding N-methylimdazole derivatives.

A series of di- and tripeptide-based ebselen analogues has been synthesized. The compounds were characterized by (1)H, (13)C, and (77)Se NMR spectroscopy and mass spectral techniques. The glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like antioxidant activity has been studied by using H(2)O(2) , tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBuOOH), and cumene hydroperoxide (Cum-OOH) as substrates, and glutathione (GSH) as a cosubstrate. Although all the peptide-based compounds have a selenazole ring similar to that of ebselen, the GPx activity of these compounds highly depends on the nature of the peptide moiety attached to the nitrogen atom of the selenazole ring. It was observed that the introduction of a phenylalanine (Phe) amino acid residue in the N-terminal reduces the activity in all three peroxide systems. On the other hand, the introduction of aliphatic amino acid residues such as valine (Val) significantly enhances the GPx activity of the ebselen analogues. The difference in the catalytic activity of dipeptide-based ebselen derivatives can be ascribed mainly to the change in the reactivity of these compounds toward GSH and peroxide. Although the presence of the Val-Ala-CO(2) Me moiety facilitates the formation of a catalytically active selenol species, the reaction of ebselen analogues that has a Phe-Ile-CO(2) Me residue with GSH does not generate the corresponding selenol. To understand the antioxidant activity of the peptide-based ebselen analogues in the absence of GSH, these compounds were studied for their ability to inhibit peroxynitrite (PN)-mediated nitration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and oxidation of dihydrorhodamine 123. In contrast to the GPx activity, the PN-scavenging activity of the Phe-based peptide analogues was found to be comparable to that of the Val-based compounds. However, the introduction of an additional Phe residue to the ebselen analogue that had a Val-Ala dipeptide significantly reduced the potency of the parent compound in PN-mediated nitration.

Conformational transitions are thought to be the prime mechanism of amyloid formation in prion diseases. The prion proteins are known to exhibit polymorphic behavior that explains their ability of "conformation switching" facilitated by structured "seeds" consisting of transformed proteins. Oligopeptides containing prion sequences showing the polymorphism are not known even though amyloid formation is observed in these fragments. In this work, we have observed polymorphism in a 15-residue peptide PrP (113-127) that is known to form amyloid fibrils on aging. To see the polymorphic behavior of this peptide in different solvent environments, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic studies on an aqueous solution of PrP (113-127) in different trifluoroethanol (TFE) concentrations were carried out. The results show that PrP (113-127) have sheet preference in lower TFE concentration whereas it has more helical conformation in higher TFE content (>40%). The structural transitions involved in TFE solvent were studied using interval-scan CD and FT-IR studies. It is interesting to note that the alpha-helical structure persists throughout the structural transition process involved in amyloid fibril formation implicating the involvement of both N- and C-terminal sequences. To unravel the role of the N-terminal region in the polymorphism of the PrP (113-127), CD studies on another synthetic peptide, PrP (113-120) were carried out. PrP(113-120) exhibits random coil conformation in 100% water and helical conformation in 100% TFE, indicating the importance of full-length sequence for beta-sheet formation. Besides, the influence of different chemico-physical conditions such as concentration, pH, ionic strength, and membrane like environment on the secondary structure of the peptide PrP (113-127) has been investigated. At higher concentration, PrP (113-127) shows features of sheet conformation even in 100% TFE suggesting aggregation. In the presence of 5% solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate, PrP (113-127) takes high alpha-helical propensity. The environment-dependent conformational polymorphism of PrP (113-127) and its marked tendency to form stable beta-sheet structure at acidic pH could account for its conformation switching behavior from alpha-helix to beta-sheet. This work emphasizes the coordinative involvement of N-terminal and C-terminal sequences in the self-assembly of PrP (113-127).

A hydrophobic pentadecapeptide, AGAAAA-GAVVGGLGG (1), part of the prion sequence PrP (106-127), on fresh aqueous dissolution takes a mixture of random and sheet conformations which forms a stable monolayer with a high beta-sheet content when compressed at the air-water interface. This also develops into a kinetically stabilized beta-sheet structure on sonication.

l-Selenocystine (5) and l-tellurocystine (6) have been prepared and the reactivity of these amino acids, i.e., oxidation of 5 and 6, has been performed at various pH values. Hydrogen peroxide was used as an oxidant and it was treated with 5 and 6 in excess in acidic and basic media. Compound 5, upon oxidation, afforded Se and Se products. Selenocysteic acid [HO SeCH CH(NH )COOH] 9, a novel Se compound, was isolated and characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. In contrast, l-tellurocystine, upon oxidation with H O , afforded Te and Te products. Zwitterionic organotellurolate(IV), [TeCl CH CH(NH )COOH] 13, was isolated and characterised by NMR and IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. Compound 13 crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group. l-Tellurocystine, when reduced with NaBH , produced the desired tellurolate intermediate, which was trapped with bromoacetic acid. Furthermore, l- and d-tellurocysteine derivatives, [(RTeCH CH(NH )COOH) R=phenyl, substituted phenyl and naphthyl (24-39)] were synthesised and evaluated for their glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like activities. The results show that l-tellurocysteine derivatives have higher activity than their D-tellurocysteine analogues. DFT calculations for l-tellurocysteine derivatives provided information about the bond lengths and bond angles. This study reveals that the introduction of naphthyl substituents (35-38) leads to twisted conformation of the amino acid derivatives.

Self-assembly of β-sheet domains resulting in the formation of pathogenic fibrillar protein aggregates (amyloids) is the causative factor in Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases. Even though different kinds of protein sequences are known to form toxic structures (amyloids), the underlying mechanism whereby protein aggregation leads to amyloid structure formation is yet to be explained clearly. In this investigation, we have shown that a simple polypeptide, poly(Leu-Glu), on aging in an aqueous solution undergoes structural transition from the soluble monomeric form to amyloid structured aggregates. Water-soluble poly(Leu-Glu) peptide slowly self-assembles into fibrillar structures as evidenced by Fourier transform infrared and circular dichroism spectroscopic methods and thioflavin T binding assay. The polypeptide underwent conformational change from a structure with a mixture of coil & turn to a macromolecular β-sheet conformation and formed amyloid-like fibrils. The fibrils were examined by Congo red staining and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that transition from a disordered to an ordered tertiary structure consists of both fundamental helical turns and β-sheet repeats. The comprehensive spectroscopic and microscopic studies suggest that synthetic poly(Leu-Glu) is capable of forming an amyloid-like structure.

The secondary structures of amyloidogenic proteins are largely influenced by various intra and extra cellular microenvironments and metal ions that govern cytotoxicity. The secondary structure of a prion fragment, PrP(111-126), was determined using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in various microenvironments. The conformational preferences of the prion peptide fragment were examined by changing solvent conditions and pH, and by introducing external stress (sonication). These physical and chemical environments simulate various cellular components at the water-membrane interface, namely differing aqueous environments and metal chelating ions. The results show that PrP(111-126) adopts different conformations in assembled and non-assembled forms. Aging studies on the PrP(111-126) peptide fragment in aqueous buffer demonstrated a structural transition from random coil to a stable β-sheet structure. A similar, but significantly accelerated structural transition was observed upon sonication in aqueous environment. With increasing TFE concentrations, the helical content of PrP(111-126) increased persistently during the structural transition process from random coil. In aqueous SDS solution, PrP(111-126) exhibited β-sheet conformation with greater α-helical content. No significant conformational changes were observed under various pH conditions. Addition of Cu2+ ions inhibited the structural transition and fibril formation of the peptide in a cell free in vitro system. The fact that Cu2+ supplementation attenuates the fibrillar assemblies and cytotoxicity of PrP(111-126) was witnessed through structural morphology studies using AFM as well as cytotoxicity using MTT measurements. We observed negligible effects during both physical and chemical stimulation on conformation of the prion fragment in the presence of Cu2+ ions. The toxicity of PrP(111-126) to cultured astrocytes was reduced following the addition of Cu2+ ions, owing to binding affinity of copper towards histidine moiety present in the peptide.