Coordination, redox properties and SOD activity of Cu(II) complexes of multihistidine peptides.

The results of electrochemical and SOD activity measurements of such copper(II) complexes of terminally protected multihistidine peptides that may mimic the active site of CuZnSOD enzyme are submitted and completed with solution equilibrium studies of some copper(II)-ligand systems. The equilibrium data confirm that the thermodynamic stabilities increase with the increasing number of histidyl residues in the amino acid sequence, the stability order, however, can be finely tuned by the number and quality of amino acids between histidine residues. Based on the cyclic voltammetric studies we concluded that the formal reduction potential values of imidazole nitrogen coordinated complexes decrease with the increasing number of imidazole donor atoms in the coordination sphere. However, the redox parameters of [CuHL] and [CuHL] complexes containing amide nitrogen coordination can be determined as well. All formal potential values of [CuL], [CuHL] and [CuHL] complexes fall in the middle potential range of SOD activity. Finally, after the detailed analysis of species distribution curves based upon the equilibrium data SOD activity of copper(II) containing systems at two pH (pH=6.8 and 7.4) were determined. The imidazole coordinated [CuL] complexes of the multihistidine peptide containing the HXH sequence exhibit the most significant activity, but the presence of amide nitrogen coordinated species with slightly distorted geometry could considerably contribute to the SOD activity.