Redox Activity of Copper(II) Complexes with NSFRY Pentapeptide and Its Analogues

The influence of cation-π interactions on the electrochemical properties of copper(II) complexes with synthesized pentapeptide C-terminal fragment of Atrial Natriuretic Factor (ANF) hormone was studied in this work. Molecular modeling performed for Cu(II)-NSFRY-NH2 complex indicated that the cation-π interactions between Tyr and Cu(II), and also between Phe-Arg led to specific conformation defined as peptide box, in which the metal cation is isolated from the solvent by peptide ligand. Voltammetry experiments enabled to compare the redox properties and stability of copper(II) complexes with NSFRY-NH2 and its analogues (namely: NSFRA-NH2, NSFRF-NH2, NSAAY-NH2, NSAAA-NH2, AAAAA-NH2) as well as to evaluate the contribution of individual amino acid residues to these properties. The obtained results led to the conclusion, that cation-π interactions play a crucial role in the effective stabilization of copper(II) complexes with the fragments of ANF peptide hormone and therefore could control the redox processes in other metalloproteins.