TPEN (''N'',''N'',''N′'',''N′''-tetrakis(2-pyridinylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine) is an intracellular membrane-permeable ion

chelator Chelation is a type of bonding of ions and molecules to metal ions. It involves the formation or presence of two or more separate coordinate bonds between a polydentate (multiple bonded) ligand and a single central metal atom. These ligands are ...

. TPEN has a high affinity for many transition metals and should not be considered specific or selective for a particular ion. Chelators can be used in

chelation therapy Chelation therapy is a medical procedure that involves the administration of Chelation, chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. Chelation therapy has a long history of use in clinical toxicology and remains in use for some very sp ...

to remove toxic metals in the body. TPEN is a chelator that has a high affinity for zinc. For example, one study showed that TPEN is a stronger chelator compared to other chelators like

pentetic acid Pentetic acid or diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) is an aminopolycarboxylic acid consisting of a diethylenetriamine backbone with five carboxymethyl groups. The molecule can be viewed as an expanded version of EDTA and is used similarly ...

(DTPA) when high levels of zinc are present (15 μM). When low levels of zinc were present however (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 μM zinc), there was no significant difference. TPEN is a

hexadentate ligand A hexadentate ligand in coordination chemistry is a ligand that combines with a central metal atom with six bonds. One example of a hexadentate ligand that can form complexes with soft metal ions is TPEN. A commercially important hexadentate ligan ...

which also forms complexes with other soft metal ions such as Cd²⁺.

Toxicity

In addition to a heavy metal chelator, TPEN is also known to be an inducer of

apoptosis Apoptosis (from grc, ἀπόπτωσις, apóptōsis, 'falling off') is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes (morphology) and death. These changes incl ...

., thus it may be toxic to cells. One study showed that depletion of zinc by TPEN induced apoptosis in liver cells of rats. This may be because zinc is necessary for normal functioning of the body; for example, zinc acts as a cofactor for enzymes such as insulin-degrading enzyme. Zinc deficiency symptoms include growth and development problems, hair loss, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and more. One study showed that TPEN induces translocation of

cytochrome c The cytochrome complex, or cyt ''c'', is a small hemeprotein found loosely associated with the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. It belongs to the cytochrome c family of proteins and plays a major role in cell apoptosis. Cytochrome c is hig ...

from the mitochondria to the

cytosol The cytosol, also known as cytoplasmic matrix or groundplasm, is one of the liquids found inside cells (intracellular fluid (ICF)). It is separated into compartments by membranes. For example, the mitochondrial matrix separates the mitochondri ...

in human peripheral blood T lymphocytes. This leads to the activation of caspases-3, -8, and -9. When these T lymphocytes were pretreated with caspase inhibitors, DNA fragmentation (an indicator of apoptosis) was prevented. This suggests that apoptosis that is triggered by zinc deficiency is dependent on caspase proteins. Similar results were shown in rat and human thymocytes when TPEN was used. TPEN is also shown to induce apoptosis in K562 cells, and high doses (120 μM) of zinc result in microglial cell death. One study examined the requirement for p53, a tumor suppressor protein, as an upstream transcription factor in TPEN-induced neuronal apoptosis, and found that depletion of intracellular zinc with TPEN induces apoptosis. Additionally, the same study found that TPEN increased the expression of pro-apoptotic genes and led to the activation of caspase-11, a mammalian protease. These results suggest that the p53 tumor suppressor protein may play a role in regulating TPEN-induced neuronal apoptosis. Although these studies found that TPEN induces apoptosis, another study found that TPEN inhibits sodium dithionite and glucose deprivation (SDGD)-Induced neuronal death by modulating apoptosis.

Hypoxia

One study showed that after

hypoxia Hypoxia means a lower than normal level of oxygen, and may refer to: Reduced or insufficient oxygen * Hypoxia (environmental), abnormally low oxygen content of the specific environment * Hypoxia (medical), abnormally low level of oxygen in the tis ...

, an increase in intracellular zinc induced an increase in

reactive oxygen species In chemistry, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive chemicals formed from diatomic oxygen (). Examples of ROS include peroxides, superoxide, hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen, and alpha-oxygen. The reduction of molecular oxygen () p ...

via activation of

NADPH oxidase NADPH oxidase (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase) is a membrane-bound enzyme complex that faces the extracellular space. It can be found in the plasma membrane as well as in the membranes of phagosomes used by neutrophil white ...

. Although reactive oxygen species are needed for some functions (such as secondary signaling), they are unstable and are commonly known to cause damage to DNA, lipids, and proteins when at high levels. During the study, the application of TPEN prevented a zinc-induced increase in reactive oxygen species. This may have implications for diseases that have hypoxic conditions, such as stroke. Additionally, another study showed that TPEN induced DNA damage in human colon cancer cells in a reactive oxygen species-dependent manner. One implication may be that TPEN can be used as a form of treatment for hypoxic conditions and possibly be used to target specific cancers.

References

{{reflist Chelating agents 2-Pyridyl compounds Hexadentate ligands