Oxidative degradation of melanins to pyrrole acids: A model study
摘要:
The origin of pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (PTCA), the most characteristic degradation product of melanins, was investigated by use of synthetic pigments prepared from the major biosynthetic precursors, 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) and 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). Under the reported conditions, i.e. acidic permanganate, oxidative degradation of DHI- and DHICA-melanins afforded PTCA in 0.15 and 3.0% w/w yield, respectively. A significant improvement of PTCA yields up to 7% was obtained using alkaline hydrogen peroxide as the oxidising agent. Under these conditions pyrrole-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (PDCA) was also obtained in significant yields. Investigation of the oxidative degradation of some model indole oligomers (1-4) provided unambiguous evidence that PTCA may originate from 2-linked DHI-units in the pigment polymer as well as from DHICA-derived units, whereas PDCA arises from DHI-units not substituted at 2-position. Monitoring of the oxidation of dimer 1 to PTCA showed the intermediate formation of DHICA. Accordingly, a mechanistic route is proposed for the degradation of 2-substituted DHI-units in melanin polymer to PTCA which also accounts for the observed yields of formation of the pyrrole acid from the model oligomers.
Synthesis of optically active tetrameric melanin intermediates by oxidation of the melanogenic precursor 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid under biomimetic conditions
摘要:
In a recent work addressing the structural characterization of melanin pigments, we reported the isolation and characterization of trimeric oligomers of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA), a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of the dark brown eumelanins, by tyrosine catalyzed oxidation of the indole under biomimetic conditions. These oligomers feature atropisomerism and consequently, we wished to investigate chirality in such systems. Herein, we report two significant steps forward in this study: The isolation of a regiosymmetric DHICA tetramer by means of a model approach involving oxidation of the main DHICA dimer, namely 4,4'-biindolyl and the first resolution of eumelanin intermediates. This also allowed the absolute stereochemistry of the newly isolated tetramer to be defined by applying the exiton chirality method. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
merely as pigment precursors, but may also act as modulators of the responses of the pigmentary cell melanocyte to external stimuli, especially to inflammation. In this study, the effect of melanin precursors 5, 6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) and 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA) on the Fenton-induced oxidation of deoxyribose was investigated as a model of the oxidative stress processes triggered
oxidative polymerisation of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid, a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of eumelanins, had delineated a reaction pathway involving mainly repeated coupling of the indole units through the 4- and 7- positions. Using an improved HPLC methodology for the direct analysis of oligomer intermediates, we have now obtained evidence for a more complex mode of polymerisation, involving
Lack of Visible Chromophore Development in the Pulse Radiolysis Oxidation of 5,6-Dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic Acid Oligomers: DFT Investigation and Implications for Eumelanin Absorption Properties
The structural factors underlying the peculiar optical properties and visible chromophore of eumelanin biopolymers are largely uncharted. It is known that synthetic eumelanins from 5,6-dihydroxyindole are black and display a featureless UV−visible absorption spectrum, whereas those from 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (1) are lighter in color and exhibit a distinct band around 310 nm, but the origin
The origin of pyrrole-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (PTCA), the most characteristic degradation product of melanins, was investigated by use of synthetic pigments prepared from the major biosynthetic precursors, 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) and 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). Under the reported conditions, i.e. acidic permanganate, oxidative degradation of DHI- and DHICA-melanins afforded PTCA in 0.15 and 3.0% w/w yield, respectively. A significant improvement of PTCA yields up to 7% was obtained using alkaline hydrogen peroxide as the oxidising agent. Under these conditions pyrrole-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (PDCA) was also obtained in significant yields. Investigation of the oxidative degradation of some model indole oligomers (1-4) provided unambiguous evidence that PTCA may originate from 2-linked DHI-units in the pigment polymer as well as from DHICA-derived units, whereas PDCA arises from DHI-units not substituted at 2-position. Monitoring of the oxidation of dimer 1 to PTCA showed the intermediate formation of DHICA. Accordingly, a mechanistic route is proposed for the degradation of 2-substituted DHI-units in melanin polymer to PTCA which also accounts for the observed yields of formation of the pyrrole acid from the model oligomers.
Synthesis of optically active tetrameric melanin intermediates by oxidation of the melanogenic precursor 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid under biomimetic conditions
In a recent work addressing the structural characterization of melanin pigments, we reported the isolation and characterization of trimeric oligomers of 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA), a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of the dark brown eumelanins, by tyrosine catalyzed oxidation of the indole under biomimetic conditions. These oligomers feature atropisomerism and consequently, we wished to investigate chirality in such systems. Herein, we report two significant steps forward in this study: The isolation of a regiosymmetric DHICA tetramer by means of a model approach involving oxidation of the main DHICA dimer, namely 4,4'-biindolyl and the first resolution of eumelanin intermediates. This also allowed the absolute stereochemistry of the newly isolated tetramer to be defined by applying the exiton chirality method. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.