Molecular structure and energetic features of N-containing heterocyclic vitamins

Authors: Nizhenkovska I.V. MD, Afanasenko O.V. PhD,

Bogomolets National Medical University, Kiev, Ukraine

 

According to Lehrman Brothers Pharmaceutical Research only one out of ten thousand synthesized substances becomes a medicine. It is a time consuming and costly process. The process from synthesis till market introduction takes 10-15 years and costs about 1 billion dollars. [1] Nowadays molecular pharmacology and quantum chemistry are being developed, new computer modeling programs are implemented in order to predict synthesis pathways as well as biological and pharmacological activity of new medicines. [2] This process is called targeted synthesis (virtual screening, QSAR- analysis, in silico research, computer modeling and forecasting, molecular docking) and it allows the forecasting of synthesized substances activity, in order to chose the most effective ones and to evaluate possible molecular mechanisms of their actions. [3]

Objective – to calculate energetic and structural parameters of N-containing heterocyclic vitamins to assess their molecular structure and possible biological activity.

Subjects – natural origin substances: thiamine, pyridoxine, riboflavin.

The thiamine molecule atoms charges were calculated. The most electron density was localized on nitrogen (-0,247; -0,213; -0,219; -0,337) and oxygen (-0,331) atoms, but the density on sulfur atom was minor (0,174). Therefore there is nucleophilic as well as electrophilic property residing in thiamine molecule. This allows thiamine molecule to interact with different reactive biosubstrat molecular centers. Dipole thiamine molecular moment (1,78 Debye unit) is very high which evidences its polarity, hydrophily and solubility in water. While calculations of boundary highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy it is evidenced that LUMO in thiamine molecule covers pyrimidine cycle. HOMO is localized on thiazole atom and minor on carbon atom bonded with hydro compounds. So mentioned atom compounds will determine reactivity of thiamine molecule under the interaction with diverse ligands.

Pyridoxine molecule contains the most negatively charged oxygen atoms (-0,316; -0,311; -0,239) and nitrogen atoms (-0,111). Carbon atoms, bonded with electro negative oxygen atoms, carry positive charge. Carbon atoms are also positively charged. Dipole moment of pyridoxine molecule value is high 2,2 Debye unit, it explains good pyridoxine solubility in water and other polar solvents. HOMO and LUMO energy equals -9,16 and -0,06 eV respectively. Pyridoxine molecule has LUMO with low negative energy value so it belongs to electrophiles. The main reactive molecule centers are oxygen and nitrogen atoms.

The similar calculations were performed for riboflavin molecule. The most electric density is localized in oxygen atoms. Nitrogen atoms are positively charged (+0,18; +0,11; +0,274; +0,394). The most deficiency of electric density is localized near oxygen atoms.  It evidences that oxygen is a centre of protonization in riboflavin and hydrogen bonds can be formed between bioligands (proteins, lipids, amino acids) and oxygen atoms.

Literature

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2.     Luis G., Valerio J. || Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. – 2009- Vol. 241, ¹3, p. 353-370

3.     Drapak V., Zymenkovskyi B. || Journal of organic and pharmacological chemistry. — 2006. — V. 4, ed. 3(15). — P. 69-72