Valinomycin metal complexes

Valinomycin metal complexes, 969 Vanadium complexes acetylacetone exchange reactions, 380 1,4-diaza-l,3-butadiene, 209 dioxygen mononuclear, 321 hydrazido(2-), 148 hydroxamic adds, 506 phthalocyanines, 865 polypyrazolylborates, 248 porphyrins, 824 dioxygen adducts, 325... 

Great attention has been paid to the excellent metal-complexation properties of cyclic peptides. 1 615 631 Naturally occurring examples include enniatin, valinomycin, 616 or antama-nide, 316 and cyclosporin A. 632 Several libraries of cyclic peptides have been synthesized to address these properties, 402 but also bicyclic peptides have been synthesized in this context. t617-620 ... 

Valinomycin (137) is a macrocyclic dodecadepsipeptide and has shown an unequalled K+/Na discrimination.5" As a consequence of this prime ionophorous behaviour many studies have been carried out on both the free ligand and on its metal complexes, and here discussion is restricted to the nature of the metal complexes. 

Until the late 1960s, whereas there had been considerable interest in the transition metal complexes of natural and synthetic macrocyclic ligands (1—4), relatively few reports described complexes of alkaline earth and more particularly alkali metal cations. Research in this area was stimulated by the recognition of the importance of the biological role of Na+, K, Ca2 , and Mg2 and also the discovery and characterization of the natural antibiotic ionophores (5, 6). These macrocyclic antibiotics, such as valinomycin and nonactin, were shown to complex alkali metal cations with remarkable selectivity (7-9). 

Fig. 3. Space-filling models of the valinomycin-K complex a view taken from the top of the molecule to demonstrate the optimum fit between host and guest, b view taken from one side of the complex showing the lipophilic periphery. Metal cation is completely covered and therefore not seen...

MacrotetroHdes of the valinomycin group of electrically neutral antibiotics form stable 1 1 complexes with alkaH metal ions that increase the cation permeabiHty of some biological and artificial lipophilic membranes. This solubiHzation process appears to have implications in membrane transport research (30) (see Antibiotics, peptides). 

The transport of EDTA into a bacterial strain capable of its degradation has been examined (Witschel et al. 1997). Inhibition was observed with DCCD (ATPase inhibitor), nigericin (dissipates ApH), but not valinomycin (dissipates Av /), and was dependent on the stability constant of metal-EDTA complexes. 

Especially sensitive and selective potassium and some other ion-selective electrodes employ special complexing agents in their membranes, termed ionophores (discussed in detail on page 445). These substances, which often have cyclic structures, bind alkali metal ions and some other cations in complexes with widely varying stability constants. The membrane of an ion-selective electrode contains the salt of the determined cation with a hydrophobic anion (usually tetraphenylborate) and excess ionophore, so that the cation is mostly bound in the complex in the membrane. It can readily be demonstrated that the membrane potential obeys Eq. (6.3.3). In the presence of interferents, the selectivity coefficient is given approximately by the ratio of the stability constants of the complexes of the two ions with the ionophore. For the determination of potassium ions in the presence of interfering sodium ions, where the ionophore is the cyclic depsipeptide, valinomycin, the selectivity coefficient is Na+ 10"4, so that this electrode can be used to determine potassium ions in the presence of a 104-fold excess of sodium ions. 

Complexation between the alkali metal cations and the flexible crowns in methanol approaches the rates expected for methanol exchange in the inner sphere of these cations. The rates are similar to those for the interaction of the natural ionophores such as valinomycin. 

Fig. 7.5. Dependence of the stability constants of valinomycin complexes of alkali metal ions on the cation radius. (After A. Hofmanovd et al. [79].)...

The alkali metal cation complexes of compounds of the valino-mycin group (valinomycin, enniatins, macrotetrolides, beauveridn, antamanide) are positively charged. 

Impetus was given to work in the field of selective cation complex-ation by the observation of Moore and Pressman (5) in 1964 that the macrocyclic antibiotic valinomycin is capable of actively transporting K+ across mitochondrial membranes. This observation has been confirmed and extended to numerous macrocyclic compounds. There is now an extensive literature on the selective complexation and transport of alkali metal ions by various macrocyclic compounds (e.g., valinomycin, mo-nactin, etc.) (2). From solution spectral (6) and crystal X-ray (7) studies we know that in these complexes the alkali metal cation is situated in the center of the inwardly oriented oxygen donor atoms. Similar results are found from X-ray studies of cyclic polyether complexes of alkali metal ions (8) and barium ion (9). These metal macrocyclic compound systems are especially noteworthy since they involve some of the few cases where alkali metal ions participate in complex ion formation in aqueous solution. 

Natural macrocycles displaying antibiotic propenies are also very efficient in the recognition of alkali metal ions. For instance, valinomycin (5 in Fig, 3) gives a strong and selective complex in which a K+ ion is included in the macrocyclic cavity in octahedral environment of six carbonyl oxygens (Fig. 4). 

The antibiotics are compounds secreted by microbes that enhance the permeability of membranes to cations. One class functions by binding a metal to give a liposoluble complex that can then pass across the membrane. Examples are valinomycin, a cyclic peptide that binds K+ selectively, and monensin which binds Na+. These too are oxygen-donor ligands, and will be discussed in the following section. They function as antibiotics because they allow the concentrations of a cation across membranes to become equalized, and so cause the collapse of the membrane potential. 

Incidentally, C. J. Pedersen s first report on crown ethers and their complexes was published in the same year as the mechanism of the biological activity of valinomycin was clarified [2], Crown ethers are cyclic derivatives of polyethylene glycol of varying ring size, an example of which is also depicted in Figure 2.2.1. The structural relationship with the ionophores is clearly visible. It is thus not surprising that crown ethers also bind metal cations by coordination with the oxygen atoms [1, 3]. 

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