In order to estimate the size of the cavity remaining around the heme of the 3A3–microperoxidase 8 (MP8) hemoabzyme, the formation of 3A3–MP8–Fe(II)‐nitrosoalkane complexes upon oxidation of N‐monosubstituted hydroxylamines was examined. This constituted a new reaction for hemoabzymes and is the first example of fully characterized Fe(II)–metabolite complexes of antibody–porphyrin. Also, via a comparison of the reactions with N‐substituted hydroxylamines of various size and hydrophobicity, antibody 3A3 was confirmed to bring about a partial steric hindrance on the distal face of MP8. Subsequently, the influence of the antibody on the stereoselectivity of the S‐oxidation of sulfides was examined. Our results showed that MP8 alone and the antibody–MP8 complex catalyze the oxidation of thioanisole by H2O2 and tert‐butyl hydroperoxide, following a peroxidase‐like two‐step oxygen‐transfer mechanism involving a radical–cation intermediate. The best system, associating H2O2 as oxidant and 3A3–MP8 as a catalyst, in the presence of 5% tert‐butyl alcohol, led to the stereoselective S‐oxidation of thioanisole with a 45% enantiomeric excess in favour of the R isomer. This constitutes the highest enantiomeric excess reported to date for the oxidation of sulfides catalyzed by hemoabzymes.
1 February 2016 in Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry