Photosensitized oxidation of methionine-containing dipeptides. From the transients to the final products

The Met residue oxidation has been studied for decades. Although many efforts have been made on the identification of free radicals, some doubts remain about their final fates, i.e., the nature of stable oxidation products. The photosensitized oxidation processes of two peptides, methionyl lysine (Met-Lys) and lysyl methionine (Lys-Met), were investigated using 3-carboxybenzophenone (3CB) as a sensitizer. Therefore, not only the transients were characterized but also the final products (by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry) together with the quantum yields. As for the transients, the sulfur radical cations stabilized by a two-center three electron bonds with a nitrogen (S.·.N)(+) were identified in the case of Met-Lys. On the other hand, in Lys-Met, the intermolecular (S.·.S)(+) radical cations were found. The peptide-3CB adduct was the only stable product detected and was accompanied neither by sulfoxide formation nor by decarboxylation. It shows that both (S.·.N)(+) and (S.·.S)(+) radicals are converted into the relatively long-lived α-(alkylthio)alkyl radicals, which add to the 3CB-derived radicals. This addition reaction prevented all other oxidation processes such as formation of sulfoxide. The lysine residue was totally protected, which may also be of importance in biological processes.