Regioselective deiodination of iodothyronamines, endogenous thyroid hormone derivatives, by deiodinase mimics

Iodothyronine deiodinases (IDs) are mammalian selenoenzymes that play an important role in the activation and inactivation£ of thyroid hormones. It is known that iodothyronamines (TnAMs), produced by the decarboxylation of thyroid hormones, act as substrates for deiodinases. To understand whether decarboxylation alters the rate and/or regioselectivity of deiodination by using synthetic deiodinase mimics, we studied the deiodination of different iodothyronamines. The triiodo derivative 3,3',5-triiodothyronamine (T3 AM) is deiodinated at the inner ring by naphthyl-based deiodinase mimics, which is similar to the deiodination of 3,3',5-triiodothyronine (T3). However, T3 AM undergoes much slower deiodination than T3. Detailed experimental and theoretical investigations suggest that T3 AM forms a weaker halogen bond with selenium donors than T3. Kinetic studies and single-crystal X-ray structures of T3 and T3 AM reveal that intermolecular I⋅⋅⋅I interactions may play an important role in deiodination. The formation of hydrogen- and halogen-bonding assemblies, which leads to the formation of a dimeric species of T3 in solution, facilitates the interactions between the selenium and iodine atoms. In contrast, T3 AM, which does not have I⋅⋅⋅I interactions, undergoes much slower deiodination.