Hydrolysis, Ligand Exchange, and Redox Properties of Vanadium Compounds: Implications of Solution Transformation on Biological, Therapeutic, and Environmental Applications.

Vanadium is a transition metal with important industrial, technological, biological, and biomedical applications widespread in the environment and in living beings. The different reactions that vanadium compounds (VCs) undergo in the presence of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and metabolites under mild physiological conditions are reviewed. In the environment vanadium is present naturally or through anthropogenic sources, the latter having an environmental impact caused by the dispersion of VCs in the atmosphere and aquifers.

Interaction of VO-hydrazonates with lysozyme.

Vanadium compounds (VCs) exhibit a broad range of pharmacological properties, with their most significant medical applications being in the treatment of cancer and diabetes. The therapeutic effects and mode of action of VCs may be associated with their ability to bind proteins and, consequently, understanding the VC-protein interaction is of paramount importance. Among the promising VCs, the VO complex with the aroylhydrazone furan-2-carboxylic acid ((3-ethoxy-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazide, hereafter denoted as VC1), deserves attention, since it exhibits cytotoxicity against various cancer cell lines, including HeLa.

Exploiting the potential of rivastigmine-melatonin derivatives as multitarget metal-modulating drugs for neurodegenerative diseases.

The multifaceted nature of the neurodegenerative diseases, as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) with several interconnected etiologies, and the absence of effective drugs, led herein to the development and study of a series of multi-target directed ligands (MTDLs). The developed RIV-IND hybrids, derived from the conjugation of an approved anti-AD drug, rivastigmine (RIV), with melatonin analogues, namely indole (IND) derivatives, revealed multifunctional properties, by associating the cholinesterase inhibition of the RIV drug with antioxidant activity, biometal (Cu(II), Zn(II), Fe(III)) chelation properties, inhibition of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation (self- and Cu-induced) and of monoamine oxidases (MAOs), as well as neuroprotection capacity in cell models of AD and PD. In particular, two hybrids with hydroxyl-substituted indoles (5a2 and 5a3) could be promising multifunctional compounds that inspire further development of novel anti-neurodegenerative drugs.

Bridge vs Terminal Cyano-coordination in Binuclear Cobalt Porphyrin Dimers: Interplay of Electrons between Metal and Ligand and Spin-Coupling via Bridge.

Three cyano-coordinated cobalt porphyrin dimers were synthesized and thoroughly characterized. The X-ray structure of the complexes reveals that cyanide binds in a terminal fashion in both the and isomers of ethane- and ethylene-bridged cobalt porphyrin dimers, while in the ethylene-bridged dimer, cyanides bind in both terminal and bridging modes. The nonconjugated ethane-bridged complex stabilizes exclusively a diamagnetic metal-centered oxidation of type Co(por)(CN) both in the solid and in solution.

Protein-Protein Stabilization in VO/8-Hydroxyquinoline-Lysozyme Adducts.

The binding of the potential drug [VO(8-HQ)], where 8-HQ is 8-hydroxyquinolinato, with hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) was evaluated through spectroscopic (electron paramagnetic resonance, EPR, and UV-visible), spectrometric (electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry, ESI-MS), crystallographic (X-ray diffraction, XRD), and computational (DFT and docking) studies. ESI-MS indicates the interaction of [VO(8-HQ)(HO)] and [VO(8-HQ)(HO)] species with HEWL. Room temperature EPR spectra suggest both covalent and non-covalent binding of the two different V-containing fragments.