Control of Tyrosyl Radical Stabilization by {SiO2@Oligopeptide} Hybrid Biomimetic Materials

Langmuir. 2022 Aug 16;38(32):9799-9809. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00710. Epub 2022 Aug 1.

Abstract

Tyrosine radicals are notoriously short-lived/unstable in solution, while they present an impressive degree of stability and versatility in bioenzymes. Herein, we have developed a library of hybrid biomimetic materials (HBMs), which consists of tyrosine-containing oligopeptides covalently grafted on SiO2 nanoparticles, and studied the formation, lifetime, and redox properties of tyrosyl radicals. Using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we have studied the radical-spin distribution as a probe of the local microenvironment of the tyrosyl radicals in the HBMs. We find that the lifetime of the tyrosyl radical can be enhanced by up to 6 times, by adjusting three factors, namely, a proximal histidine, the length of the oligopeptide, and the interface with the SiO2 nanomatrix. This is shown to be correlated to a significant lowering of E1/2 from +736 mV, in free tyrosine, to +548 mV in the {12-peptide}@SiO2 material. Moreover, we show that grafting on SiO2 lowers the E1/2 of tyrosine radicals by ∼50 mV in all oligopeptides. Analysis of the spin-distribution by EPR reveals that the positioning of a histidine at a H-bonding distance from the tyrosine further favors tyrosine radical stabilization.

MeSH terms

  • Biomimetic Materials*
  • Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy / methods
  • Free Radicals / chemistry
  • Histidine
  • Oligopeptides
  • Silicon Dioxide*
  • Tyrosine / chemistry

Substances

  • Free Radicals
  • Oligopeptides
  • Tyrosine
  • Histidine
  • Silicon Dioxide