Effect of solvents and glutathione on the decomposition of the nitrosyl iron complex with N-ethylthiourea ligands: An experimental and theoretical study

Dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) are a depot and potential source of free NO in organisms. Their synthetic analog, N-ethylthiourea DNIC [Fe(SC(NH2)(NHC2H5))(2)(NO)(2)]Cl-+(-)center dot[Fe(SC(NH2)(NHC2H5))Cl(NO)(2)](0) (complex 1), as cardioprotective and cytostatic agent is a promising prodrug for the treatment of socially relevant diseases. In this work, transformation mechanism of complex 1 has been studied in anaerobic aqueous solution (pH = 7.0), DMSO, and ethanol. It was shown that the solvent has a significant effect on the decomposition of complex. According to EPR-spectroscopy, only cationic part of complex is found upon its dissolution in water; only neutral part is retained in DMSO, and both fragments are present in ethanol. Effective generation of NO occurs in an aqueous solution. The structures of the decomposition products were proposed for all solvents, their UV-spectra and rate constants were calculated. From the experimental and theoretical data obtained, it follows that complex 1 is most stable in DMSO. Solutions of complex in a DMSO-water mixture can be used to improve its bioavailability in further in vitro and in vivo studies. Also, we have analyzed its interaction with glutathione (GSH), which can participate in the metabolism of this compound. This study shows that complex 1 reacts with GSH to form a new binuclear DNIC with two GS-ligands. It was found that the resulting complex is a more prolonged NO-donor than the initial one: k = 6.1.10(-3).s(-1) in buffer, k = 6.4.10(-5) s(-1) with GSH. This reaction may prevent S-glutathionylation of the essential enzyme systems and is important for metabolism of complex, associated with its antitumor activity.

Automated summary

In this study, the transformation mechanism of complex 1 in different solvents was investigated, revealing that the solvent significantly affects its stability. It was also found that complex 1 reacts with glutathione to form a new binuclear DNIC, which has implications for its metabolism and anti-tumor activity.