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We report here our studies of new nitrosyl complexes of iron of the cationic type - [Fe2(SR′)2(NO)4]2+ with R′ = cysteamine and penicillamine - and of the neutral type - [Fe2(SR″)2(NO)4]0 with R″ = benzthiazoline – on the enzymatic activity of hydrolases – cyclic guanosine monophosphate phosphodiesterase (PDEcGMP) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-Mg2+-dependent ATPase (SR-Ca2+-ATPase). All the complexes studied were found to be modulators of both enzymes. They produced weak inhibition of PDEcGMP activity and marked inhibition of active transport by SR Ca2+-ATPase. While having virtually no effect on the hydrolytic center of SR Ca2+-ATPase, the active transport of calcium was completely blocked over the concentration range 1 μM – 0.1 mM, with uncoupling of the hydrolytic and transport functions of this enzyme. This suggests that these complexes can induce structural-functional changes in SR Ca2+-ATPase at concentrations corresponding to an enzyme:inhibitor ratio of 1:1, which is consistent with the antimetastatic action of these compounds.

The review briefly outlines theoretical models developed in 1990s to describe electron transfer reactions (ETR) in proteins, as well as different variants of improvements in these models proposed by the present authors to describe ETR in reaction centers (RC) of photosynthetic bacteria with consideration of their molecular dynamics in a wide temperature range. Experimental data on electron transfer from reduced proximal heme c-559 of cytochrome to bacteriochlorophyll dimer radical cation P+ in RC from two types of bacteria, viz., native and mutant RC from Rps. viridis and native RC from Rps. sulfoviridis were analyzed within the framework of the models which take into account the quantum and classical (including diffusive) degrees of freedom responsible for reorganization of the protein globule.

The antioxidant properties of water-soluble amino acid derivatives of fullerene C60 (ADF) were studied. It was shown by the change in the concentration of malonic dialdehyde in rat brain mitochondria that the ADF are antioxidants. They were shown by the change in the luminol glow to possess antiradical activity, which is determined by the acceptor properties of the fullerene spheroid and is independent of the structure of the attached addends. Stereoselectivity of the antioxidant properties of the enantiomers of amino acid derivatives of fullerene C60 was found. The L-isomers of ADF inhibit lipid peroxidation, whereas the D-isomers do not inhibit. A reliable correlation between the development of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and the process of lipid peroxidation in the cell culture was established. An efficient inhibitor of the CMV infection from the class of amino acid derivatives of fullerene with antioxidant activity was obtained.

We studied the low-temperature dynamics of the Stokes shift of instantaneous phosphorescence spectra of eosin and eosin maleimide covalently bound to hemoglobin in a 66% v/v aqueous solution of glycerol under conditions of pulsed excitation. The kinetics of the Stokes shifts are described using the Cole-Davidson distribution function. From the experimental data, we obtain the parameters τ0 and β, which describe the Cole-Davidson distribution. Values of τ0 and β agree well with data obtained by other methods, and these parameters can be used to describe electron transfer reactions in polar solutions and proteins.

Kinetic curves of reduction of the oxidized bacteriochlorophyll dimer by the proximal heme of cytochrome in seven mutated reaction centers from Rps. viridis was measured in the temperature range of 295-10 K under an ambient potential when two high-potential hemes were reduced. The data are analyzed in frames of a model which accounts for slow medium dynamics (the diffusion-reaction equation) and the quantum effect in the modes responsible for reorganization of the cofactors and the medium. The model reproduces the observed nonexponential kinetics down to the lowest temperature where the fast kinetic component still survives. The modeling results in determination of an average characteristic time for re-orientation of dipoles of the protein matrix as a function of temperature. At temperatures above the glass-transition temperature, this function shows Arrhenius behavior with the activation energy varying between the values of 0.5 eV for wild type Rps. viridis and 0 eV for Rps. sulfoviridis found previously. Possible reasons for disappearance of the fast kinetic component in some reaction centers under study at low temperatures are discussed.

The hydrolysis of the iron nitrosyl complex [Fe2(μ2-SC4H3N2)2(NO)4](C4H3N2S− is pyrimidine-2-thiolate) in the presence of hemoglobin (Hb) is accompanied by the NO release into a solution. In the absence of Hb, the starting complex is oxidized by nitric oxide that is released into a solution, which leads to further transformations of NO, nitric oxide being present in the solution only partially. The effective rate constant for the decomposition of the complex is high and depends on its concentration. On the one hand, in the presence of Hb, NO molecules rapidly and irreversibly bind to Hb to form HbNO, which is the intermediate in the nitric oxide metabolism. On the other hand, the reversible binding of the iron nitrosyl complex to the surface functional groups of Hb leads to a decrease in its concentration in a solution and deceleration of the formation of NO. Therefore, Hb can ensure the complete and more prolonged assimilation of NO.

By an example of the iron cysteamine nitrosyl complex {Fe2[S(CH2)2NH3]2(NO)4}SO4··2.5H2O (CAC), it was shown for the first time that the hydrolysis of this NO donor in the presence of ferrocytochrome c (cyt c2+) affords the iron nitrosyl complex NO-cyt c2+, which serves as the NO depot. The rate constant of NO release from CAC was determined from the kinetics of the formation of NO-cyt c2+. At pH 3.0 the rate constant is (2.7±0.1)·10−3 s−1. Ferrocytochrome c produces a less stabilizing effect on CAC than deoxyhemoglobin (Hb). Thus in the presence of cyt c2+, the reaction is completed in 1 h, whereas NO is released from a solution of CAC (2·10−4 mol L−1) in the presence of Hb during 40 h. The previously unknown stabilization of iron nitrosyl complexes by hemoglobin was found.

By an example of cysteamine iron nitrosyl complex {Fe2[S(CH2)2NH3]2(NO)4}SO4 • 2.5H2O (CAC) it was shown for the first time that the NO donor hydrolysis in the presence of ferricytochrome c (cyt c3+) affords the iron nitrosyl complex NO—cyt c3+. It was found that cyt c3+ can serve as a depot for NO evolved during the hydrolysis of CAC. In the presence of CAC, the rate of NO—cyt c3+ complex decomposition to NO and cyt c3+ depends on the molar ratio [cyt c3+]: [CAC] and at [cyt c3+]: [CAC] = 0.3 it was found to be lower than that in decomposition of CAC in the absence of cyt c3+. As a result, the total NO evolving process becomes 5.6 times more prolonged. The number of NO groups evolved from CAC can be determined by the reaction of CAC with cyt c3+ in the presence of ferricyanide: at most one NO group is evolved to a solution in the spontaneous hydrolysis of CAC (pH 7.0), and no less than three of them are evolved from oxidized CAC.

It has been shown that amino acid derivatives of C60 fullerene (ADFs) are effective quenchers of phosphorescence of the triplet probes eosin and erythrosine. The rate constants of erythrosine phosphorescence quenching by ADFs in aqueous solutions and model membranes have been determined. Using the triplet probe technique, the ability of ADFs to be transported across the lipid bilayer into the inner space of liposomes have been revealed. By monitoring a change in the fluorescence intensity of a luminescent hybrid structure based on C60-proline and eosin, the distribution of the hybrid structure in animal organs was established. The stability of hybrid structures subjected to various chemical and biological impacts was studied by recording the fluorescence of a Gd@C82-based hybrid structure.

The dynamic properties of isobutanol are studied in a wide (90–350 K) temperature range by recording the relaxation shifts in the steady-state luminescence spectra of eosin and erythrosine and by kinetic phosphorescent spectroscopy invoking the Cole-Davidson model for dielectric relaxation. The characteristic dipole relaxation times and the activation energy of relaxation processes in the matrix in the temperature range of 140–170 K are determined from the correlation function of the dynamic Stokes shift of the phosphorescence spectrum of luminescent probe molecules.

New binuclear tetranitrosyl iron complex with pyrimidin-2-yl of the μ2-S type [Fe2(SC4H3N2)2(NO)4] (1) was synthesized by the exchange reaction of thiosulfate ligands in the [Fe(S2O3)2(NO)2]3s- anion for pyrimidin-2-yl ligands. The crystal structure of complex 1 was studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. According to the X-ray diffraction data, pyrimidin-2-yl is coordinated to the iron atom in the thiol form. According to the quantum chemical calculations, the low stability of complex 1 is related to a possibility of formation of the coordination bond of the iron atom with the atom of the pyrimidine cycle of the ligand after NO group detachment. The ability of complex 1 to donate NO and the kinetics of its hydrolysis in aqueous solutions were studied by electrochemical analysis using sensor electrodes ami NO-700, by spectrophotometry in the pH interval from 6.0 to 7.76, and in the reaction with hemoglobin. Complex 1 is most stable in a neutral medium and more vigorously evolves NO in acidic and alkaline media.

The NO-donor ability of new binuclear tetranitrosyl complexes of the μ-N—C—S type, namely, bis(5-methylbenzimidazol-2-ylthio)- (1), bis(benzimidazol-2-ylthio)- (2), and bis(benzothiazol-2-ylthio)(tetranitrosyl)diiron (3), was studied in aqueous solutions by spectrophotometry. All kinetic regularities obtained for complexes 1–3 are well described in terms of formalism of pseudo-first-order reactions. The apparent first-order reaction rate constants for NO evolution by the complexes to solution were determined. Complexes 1–3 are good donors of NO. The structures of the complexes and the effect of their stabilization by hemoglobin were compared. The stabilization effect is explained by different basicities of the sulfur-containing ligands in the complexes studied.

The reaction of hemoglobin (Hb), oxyhemoglobin (HbO2), and methemoglobin (metHb) with the tetranitrosyl iron complex of the fu2-S type [Fe2(SC4H3N2)2(NO)4] (1) was studied. The reaction results in the nitrosylation of the free SH group of 93-β-cysteine in these forms of hemoglobin. The change in the Hb, HbO2, and metHb concentrations was monitored by spectrophotometry, recording the difference absorption spectra of the experimental systems with these forms of hemoglobin and the buffer containing complex 1 in the same concentration. The absorption spectra were processed to obtain the components using the MATHCAD method. The nitrosothiol concentration was determined by the Saville reaction. In a protic medium containing 3.3% DMSO, complex 1 spontaneously generates NO due to hydrolysis (k = 3.7 · 10-4 s-1). Oxyhemoglobin reacts with evolved NO to form metHb. Complex 1 reduces metHb with a high rate to yield Hb (k = 6.7 · 10-3 s-1) followed by the formation of HbNO (k = 6.5 · 10-3 s-1). Oxidized complex 1 yields NO with a higher rate than the starting complex does. The reaction of HbO2 and metHb (0.02 mmo1 L-1) with complex 1 affords nitrosothiols in micromolar concentration during 5 min, and no nitrosothiol is formed in the case of Hb.

In the cycle of photosynthetic reaction centers, the initially oxidized special pair of bacteriochlorophyll molecules is subsequently reduced by an electron transferred over a chain of four hemes of the complex. Here, we examine the kinetics of electron transfer between the proximal heme c-559 of the chain and the oxidized special pair in the reaction center from Rps. sulfoviridis in the range of temperatures from 294 to 40 K. The experimental data were obtained for three redox states of the reaction center, in which one, two, or three nearest hemes of the chain are reduced prior to special pair oxidation. The experimental kinetic data are analyzed in terms of a Sumi–Marcus-type model developed in our previous paper,1 in which similar measurements were reported on the reaction centers from Rps. viridis. The model allows us to establish a connection between the observed nonexponential electron-transfer kinetics and the local structural relaxation dynamics of the reaction center protein on the microsecond time scale. The activation energy for relaxation dynamics of the protein medium has been found to be around 0.1 eV for all three redox states, which is in contrast to a value around 0.4–0.6 eV in Rps. viridis.1 The possible nature of the difference between the reaction centers from Rps. viridis and Rps. sulfoviridis, which are believed to be very similar, is discussed. The role of the protein glass transition at low temperatures and that of internal water molecules in the process are analyzed. España, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia BFU2004-04914-C02-01/BMC Junta de Andalucía PAI CVI-261

The tetranitrosyl iron complex with pyridine-2-yl [Fe2(SC5H4N)2(NO)4] (1) has higher NO-donating activity in 3% aqueous solutions of DMSO (pH 7.0, 25 °C) than the organic NO donor, viz., adduct of NO with diethylenetriamine (NO-adduct). The NO concentration was determined by the spectrophotometric method based on the formation of an NO complex with hemoglobin (Hb). The apparent first-order rate constants of the studied reactions are (6.15±0.6)·10−1 s−1 and (0.8±0.08)·10−1 s−1 for complex 1 and the NO-adduct, respectively, at an Hb concentration of 2·10−1 mol L−1 and the ratio [NO donor]/[Hb] = 10. The effect of Hb and [NO donor]/[Hb] ratio on the rate of NO generation from a solution of complex 1 was studied. For a fourfold decrease in the concentration of complex 1 the reaction rate constant decreases to 0.5·10−4 s−1, whereas the fourfold increase in the Hb concentration results in the stabilization of complex 1.

Hemoglobin (Hb) reduces 3,3-bis(nitroxymethyl)oxetane (NMO) only in the presence of cysteine (Cys) via intermediate cysteine thionitrate. The kinetics of the reaction of NMO with Cys and the kinetics and mechanism of formation of NO in the ternary system Hb-NMO-Cys were studied. The formation rate of Hb-NO in the ternary system is higher than that of Hb-NO in the reaction of Hb only with NO 2 − generated in the binary system NMO-Cys. The second-order rate constants of the main reaction steps in the system Hb-NMO-Cys were estimated by simulating the kinetics of the reactions with a system of equations taking into account equilibria between all components of the reaction mixture. Hemoglobin reduces cysteine thionitrate, the intermediate in the reaction of NMO with Cys, to NO.

NO-donating ability of nitrosyl [Fe–S] complexes, namely, mononuclear dinitrosyl complexes of anionic type [Fe(S 2 O 3 ) 2 (NO) 2 ]-( I ) and neutral [Fe 2 (SL 1 ) 2 (NO) 2 ] with L 1 = 1 H -1,2,4-triazole-3-yl ( II ); tetranitrosyl binuclear neutral complexes [Fe 2 (SL 2 ) 2 (NO) 4 ] with L 2 = 5-amino-1,2,4-triazole-3-yl ( III ); 1-methyl-1 H -tetrazole-5-yl ( IV ); imidazole-2-yl ( V ) and 1-methyl-imidazole-2-yl ( VI ) has been studied. In addition, Roussin’s “red salt” Na 2 [Fe 2 S 2 (NO) 4 ]·8H 2 O ( VII ) and Na 2 [Fe(CN) 5 NO]·H 2 O ( VIII ) have been investigated. The method for research has been based on the formation of Hb–NO adduct upon the interaction of hemoglobin with NO generated by complexes I – VIII in aqueous solutions. Kinetics of NO formation was studied by registration of absorption spectra of the reaction systems containing Hb and the complex under study. For determination of HbNO concentration, the experimental absorption spectra were processed during the reaction using standard program MATHCAD to determine the contribution of individual Hb and HbNO spectra in each spectrum. The reaction rate constants were obtained by analyzing kinetic dependence of Hb interaction with NO donors under study. All kinetic dependences for complexes I – VI were shown to be described well in the frame of formalism of pseudo first-order reactions. The effective first-order rate constants for the studied reactions have been determined. As follows from the values of rate constants, the rate of interaction of sulfur-nitrosyl iron complexes ( I – VI ) with Hb is limited by the stage of NO release in the solution.

Electron transfer (ET) in the reaction center from Rhodopseudomonas viridis has been studied experimentally by our group in the range of temperatures of 153–295 K. The kinetics of ET reaction from the proximal heme of cytochrome to the special pair was found to be non-exponential. The degree of non-exponentiality strongly depends on temperature, with increasing non-exponentiality at lower temperatures. Here, the experimental kinetic data for ET are analyzed in the frames of a theoretical Sumi–Marcus-type model, which allows establishing a connection between the observed kinetics and local structural dynamics of the protein in a close vicinity of the donor and acceptor sites. The phenomenological model subdivides the multi-time-scale dynamics of the protein into two groups: fast and slow. The division is determined by the rate of ET, which is dynamically controlled by the slow modes of the protein medium. The slow modes are described by a phenomenological collective coordinate , for which a diffusion type ...

The influence of glycerol on the ATPase reaction of nitrogenase and reduction of the substrate (acetylene) is studied. Glycerol inhibits the ATPase nitrogenase reaction dependent on an electron donor. The reaction rate is halved at a glycerol concentration of 11% in the medium when the solution viscosity increases only 1.31 times. The electron donor–independent (decoupled) ATPase reaction of nitrogenase is inhibited to a lesser extent. The activation energies (Ea) of reactions studied in the presence of glycerol are determined. Despite the inhibition effect, glycerol in a concentration of 7.5% does not affect the Ea of acetylene reduction. The introduction of glycerol significantly decreases the Ea of the electron donor-dependent ATPase reaction. In the absence of glycerol, this reaction limits the nitrogenase reaction: Ea = 14 ± 1.4 kcal/mol at temperatures higher than 21°C and Ea = 50 ± 10 kcal/mol at temperatures below 21°C, which are close to the Ea of acetylene reduction. In the presence of 7.5% glycerol, the Ea = 0.7 ± 0.6 kcal/mol at temperatures above 21°C and the Ea = 2.4 ± 0.6 kcal/mol at temperatures below 21°C. This indicates that the reactions of substrate-binding and ATPase sites are decoupled in the presence of glycerol, and the step of substrate reduction becomes the limiting step of the nitrogenase reaction. Glycerol also has a noticeable effect on the Ea of the electron donor-independent ATPase reaction and the shape of the plot of logw vs. 1/T for this reaction. The data obtained indicate the specific interaction of glycerol with nitrogenase in the region of the ATPase site perhaps due to the distortion of the structure of hydrogen bonds, and this interaction changes the limiting step of the nitrogenase reaction.

The physical–chemical mechanisms of pharmacologic functioning of amino acid derivatives of fullerene C60 (ADF) have been studied. ADF were shown to penetrate through the lipid bilayer of liposomes without destruction of membrane integrity. ADF are able to carry bivalent metal ions through phospholipid bilayer owing to the formation of complexes. It was shown that stereoisomers of ADF selectively penetrate into phospholipid membranes. In contrast to D-isomers, L-isomers penetrate through the phosphatidylcholine membrane into liposome interior. Stereo-specific effect of ADF enantiomers was also observed in reaction of peroxidation of lipids. Besides that, ADF bring about a substantial increase in the catalytic activity of monoaminoxidases A and B. The directed intraprotein electron transfer was studied by creating a donor–acceptor pair in a water solution in the presence of ADF. To realize the intraprotein electron transfer, the model system was produced on the base of apomyoglobin by incorporating ADF (electron acceptor) into the heme pocket of protein instead of removed heme. It was established that the fullerene C60 and its derivatives did not produce specific anti-C60 antibodies, both IgG and IgE classes, while ADF themselves are efficient adjuvants, i.e. they increased the antibody response to poor antigens. Some ADF were found to inhibit the human immunodeficiency virus and human cytomegalovirus infection.

The electron transfer from the heme of cytochrome c to the bacteriochlorophill dimer in reaction centers of photosynthetic purple bacteria Rps. sulfoviridis is studied by laser flash photolysis at 40–296 K in conditions where one, two, or three cytochrome hemes are chemically reduced. In the model used for the electron transfer kinetics, the protein relaxation is described with a temperature-independent oscillatory coordinate and a temperature-dependent diffusion coordinate, with the protein dielectric relaxation times widely distributed along the diffusion coordinate. It is found that all the protein complexes can be divided into proteins with fast (k et = 107 to 10–4 s–1) and slow (k et ≪ 100 s–1) electron transfer. These populations presumably differ by the protonation state of the functional group. The contribution of the oscillatory and diffusion coordinates alters, which severely affects k et. Parameters V ab, ΔG, λ, τ0, and β for these reactions are determined.

RHAMM-selective peptides in a concentration of 10 μg/ml (2×10(-7) M) inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells over 48 h. Treatment of cancer cells with RHAMM-selective peptides induced apoptosis and necrosis and increased caspase-3 activity (by 30%).

This paper describes a comparative study of the decomposition of two nitrosyl iron complexes (NICs) with penicillamine thiolic ligands [Fe2(SC5H11NO2)2(NO)4]SO4·5H2O (I) and glutathione- (GSH-) ligands [Fe2(SC10H17N3O6)2(NO)4]SO4·2H2O (II), which spontaneously evolve to NO in aqueous medium. NO formation was measured by a sensor electrode and by spectrophotometric methods by measuring the formation of a hemoglobin- (Hb-) NO complex. The NO evolution reaction rate from (I) k1= (4.6 ± 0.1)·10−3 s−1and the elimination rate constant of the penicillamine ligandk2= (1.8 ± 0.2)·10−3 s−1at 25°C in 0.05 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, was calculated using kinetic modeling based on the experimental data. Both reactions are reversible. Spectrophotometry and mass-spectrometry methods have firmly shown that the penicillamine ligand is exchanged for GS−during decomposition of 1.5·10−4 M (I) in the presence of 10−3 M GSH, with 76% yield in 24 h. As has been established, such behaviour is caused by the resistance of (II) to decomposition due to the higher affinity of iron to GSH in the complex. The discovered reaction may impede S-glutathionylation of the essential enzyme systems in the presence of (I) and is important for metabolism of NIC, connected with its antitumor activity.

The results of an experiment on the time-resolved spectral dynamics of the eosin phosphorescence in a low-temperature glycerol–water mixture are explained supposing a cluster structure of the supercooled liquid and the glass. An estimation of the size and the restructurization dynamics time of the clusters at about 237 K are performed. A modification concerning the procedure for the calculation of the relaxation function of a time-resolved spectral shift obtained in a supercooled liquid, possessing a cluster structure, is suggested. A conclusion on the existence of a new amorphous phase is inferred from the change in the spectral dynamics of the eosin phosphorescence observed in the low-temperature mixture.

A photochromic compound, stilbazolium betaine M, when associated with metmyoglobin undergoes an accelerated thermal cis-trans isomerization. A study of the pH and ionic strength dependence of the isomerization reaction rate of the photochrome associated with metmyoglobin was performed. A comparative investigation of the reaction carried out in the presence of three proteins, metmyoglobin, apomyoglobin, and human albumin, indicates a specific influence of the heme pocket environment on the reaction. Possible mechanisms of the reaction acceleration are considered.

The low-temperature dynamics of the Stokes shift of the instantaneous phosphorescence spectra of eosin in 94% glycerol-water solution is studied upon pulsed excitation. At temperatures T

In a recent work from this group (Popovic, D. M.; Stuchebrukhov A. A. FEBS Lett. 2004, 566, 126), a model of proton pumping by cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) was proposed. The key element of the model is His291 (bovine notation), a histidine ligand to enzyme's CuB redox center, which plays the role of the pump element. The model assumes that upon electron transfer between heme a and the binuclear catalytic center of the enzyme, two sequential proton transfers occur: First, a proton from Glu242 is transferred to an unprotonated His291, then a second proton, after reprotonation of Glu242 from the negative side of the membrane, is transferred to a hydroxyl group in the binuclear center, a water molecule is formed, and the first proton, due to proton–proton repulsion, is expelled from His291 to the positive side of the membrane, resulting in a pumping event. In the process the free energy of water formation (i.e., reduction of oxygen) is transformed into a proton gradient across the membrane. The model possesses specific kinetic features. It assumes, for example, that upon electron transfer the first proton is transferred to the proton-loading site of the pump, His291, and not to the catalytic center of the enzyme. Here, we analyze the kinetic properties of the proposed model, and calculate the time dependence of the membrane potential generated by CcO upon a single electron injection into the enzyme. These data are directly compared with recent experimental measurements of the membrane potential generated by CcO. Specifically, F to O, and O to E transitions will be discussed. Several enzymes from different organisms (bovine, two bacterial enzymes, and several mutants) are compared and discussed in detail. The kinetic description, however, is phenomenological, and does not include explicitly the nature of the groups involved in proton translocation, except in terms of their position depth within the membrane; thus, the kinetic equations developed here are in fact describe a generic model, similar, e.g., to that proposed earlier by Peter Rich (P.R. Rich, Towards an understanding of the chemistry of oxygen reduction and proton translocation in the iron-copper respiratory oxidases. Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 22 (1995) 479–486), and which is based on the idea of displacement of the pumped protons by the chemical ones.

The broad set of nonexponential electron transfer (ET) kinetics in reaction centers (RC) from Rhodopseudomonas sulfoviridis in temperature range 297-40 K are described within a mixed adiabatic/nonadiabatic model. The key point of the model is the combination of Sumi-Marcus and Rips-Jortner approaches which can be represented by the separate contributions of temperature-independent vibrational (v) and temperature-dependent diffusive (d) coordinates to the preexponential factor, to the free energy of reaction DeltaG=DeltaG(v)+DeltaG(d)(T) and to the reorganization energy lambda=lambda(v)+lambda(d)(T). The broad distribution of protein dielectric relaxation times along the diffusive coordinate is considered within the Davidson-Cole formalism.

Electron transfer (ET) reaction with participation of special proteins is the key process of functioning of biological systems. Till recently the high effectiveness and specific features of ET in proteins have been described solely by allowing for a protein’s static structure but their molecular dynamics has not been taken into account. However, according to the Marcus theory [1] the dynamic properties of medium constitute one of the most important parameters that govern the effectiveness of electron transfer in condensed media. The dynamic properties of proteins differ appreciably from the analogous parameters of liquids and solids. The local structural adjustment of the active center or the conformational transition of the entire protein globule during the catalytic act is a unique property of enzymes enabling them to optimize and control the chemical process. The aim of this paper is to critically analyze the existing models of long-range ET reactions in proteins. To correct the revealed discrepancies we propose a model, taking into account the molecular dynamics of proteins with a broad distribution of the relaxation times.

Here we report the investigation of photophysical properties and photodynamic action of two novel water soluble hybrid molecular structures based on [60]fullerene dyads bearing covalently attached residues of anthracycline antibiotic "ruboxyl". Molecular structures of the designed compounds were confirmed by IR and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy, electrospray mass spectrometry (compound 5), and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. Dynamic light scattering, steady-state and kinetic fluorimetry and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy techniques were used to study the behavior of the synthesized hybrid molecular structures in aqueous solutions. Photodynamic activity of the compounds was evaluated by monitoring the O2(-) generation under visible light irradiation using the NBT test. It has been shown that the anthracycline chromophore (ruboxyl moiety possesses no photodynamic activity) behaves as an efficient photosensitizer for the fullerene core operating via the energy and/or the electron transfer pathways. The presented approach opens up wide opportunities for the design of various fullerene-based donor-acceptor systems with enhanced photodynamic properties potentially suitable for biomedicinal applications.

The modifying effects of the products of the equimolar addition of dl -alanine and dl -alanyl- dl -alanine to fullerene C60 on the structure and permeability of the lipid bilayer of phosphatidylcholine liposomes has been studied using the luminescence probe technique. It is shown that these water soluble amino acid and dipeptide derivatives of fullerene (C60-AD) are quenchers of pyrene fluorescence and erythrosine phosphorescence of in both a water solution and liposomes. To study the permeability of the lipid bilayer a procedure based on the triplet probe technique has been developed. It has been found that the C60-AD derivatives under study are able to localize inside the artificial membrane, to penetrate into the liposomes through the lipid bilayer and to perform activated transmembrane transport of bivalent metal ions.

The physical principles of several new approaches to the investigation of biological and model systems are discussed, including versions of the spin label method based on relaxation measurements, and also the methods of triplet, Mossbauer, electron-scattering and radical-pair labels and probes. It is shown that all these methods make it possible (1) to investigate molecular mobility of the medium with the correlation frequencies τ c −1 = 10 −3 − 10 11 s −1 , (2) to measure the rate constants of collisions K tr = 10 3 − 10 10 M −1 s −1 , (3) to measure the distance between centers up to 100 A and finally, (4) to evaluate the immersion depths of paramagnetic and chromophore centers in matrices up to 40 A. The combined approach is demonstrated with examples from studies of the structure of nitrogenase, the reaction centers of photosynthetic bacteria and sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes and from studies of the molecular dynamics of proteins and membranes.

Long-range distance between functional groups and slow translational diffusion of macromolecules can be determined by the methods of spin-and fluorescence labels measuring the rate of slow relaxation processes (the rate of spin-lattice relaxation 1/T1, for spin labels and the rate of desactivation of triplet-exited molecules 1/Td for fluorescence labels)

The rate constants of efficient exchange interaction (kex) of spin-labelled lysozyme and the triplet probes perylene, eosine and anthracene butanoic acid with the haemoproteins were measured in microsomes and in solution by electron paramagnetic resonance and by the registration of delayed annihilation fluorescence. Constants of efficient exchange interactions with the haem groups of myoglobin, haemoglobin, cytochrome c and b5 are 3-22 X 10(7) M-1 s-1 in solution. The experiments with membrane-bound cytochrome P-450 revealed no exchange interactions with the probes located in solution or in the membrane. These results can be accounted for by the deeper incorporation of cytochrome P-450 haem into the protein globule as compared to the other haemoprotein haems studied.

The effect of nitroxyalkyl derivatives of fullerenylproline methyl ester on the enzymatic activity of Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) has been studied. It is shown that hybrid derivatives of C60 fullerene are capable of inhibiting the activity of Ca2+-ATPase of SR. The mononitrate inhibits the hydrolytic activity of the enzyme with K i = 1.92 × 10−6 M; active Ca2+ transport, with K i = 3.79 × 10−6 M. The dinitrate inhibits ATP hydrolysis with K i = 2.38 × 10−8 M; Ca2+ transport, with K i = 3.08 × 10−8 M. Fullerenylproline methyl ester does not affect the enzymatic activity of Ca2+-ATPase. Based on these data it is possible to predict the possible fields of application for hybrid fullerene derivatives as potential drugs.

The neuroprotective action of hybrid structures based on fullerene C60 with attached proline amino acid has been studied. Hybrid structures contained natural antioxidant carnosine or addends with one or two nitrate groups. It has been shown that all studied compounds had antioxidant activity and decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde in homogenates of the rat brain. Compound I, which contained the antioxidant carnosine, has been found to be the most effective antioxidant. All compounds except IV and V inhibited the activity of monoamine oxidase B, while compounds I–IV increased the activity of monoamine oxidase A. All investigated compounds inhibited glutamate-induced Ca2+ uptake into synaptosomes of the rat brain cortex. Compound III, containing two nitrate groups, has been found to be the most effective inhibitor. This compound caused a significant increase of the currents of AMPA receptors (AMPA, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid).