Substituted pyridino pentaazamacrocyle complexes having superoxide dismutase activity

A catalyst for the dismutation of superoxide having the following formula:

• wherein a nitrogen of the macrocycle and the two adjacent carbon atoms to which it is attached independently form a substituted, unsaturated, nitrogen-containing heterocycle W having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, which may be an aromatic heterocycle, in which case the hydrogen attached to the nitrogen which is both part of the heterocycle and the macrocycle and the R groups attached to the carbon atoms which are both part of the heterocycle and the macrocycle are absent;
• and wherein R, R1, R2, R′2, R3, R′3, R4, R′4, R5, R′5, R6, R′6, R7, R′7, R8, R′8, R9, and R′9 independently represent hydrogen, or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkylalkyl, cycloalkylcycloalkyl, cycloalkenylalkyl, alkylcycloalkyl, alkylcycloalkenyl, alkenylcycloalkyl, alkenylcycloalkenyl, heterocyclic, aryl and aralkyl radicals;
• and, optionally, one or more of R2 or R′2 and R3 or R′3, R4 or R′4 and R5 or R′5, R6 or R′6 and R7 or R′7, or R8 or R′8 and R9 or R′9 together with the carbon atoms to which they are attached independently form a substituted or unsubstituted nitrogen containing heterocycle having 2 to 20 carbon atoms, which may be an aromatic heterocycle, in which case the hydrogen attached to the nitrogen which is both part of the heterocycle and the macrocycle and the R groups attached to the carbon atoms which are both part of the heterocycle and the macrocycle are absent;
• and, optionally, one or more of R2 and R′2, R3 and R′3, R4 and R′4, R5 and R′5, R6 and R′6, R7 and R′7, R8 and R′8, and R9 and R′9, together with the carbon atom to which they are attached independently form a saturated, partially saturated, or unsaturated cyclic or heterocyclic having 3 to 20 carbon atoms;
• and, optionally, one of R, R1, R2, R′2, R3, R′3, R4, R′4, R5, R′5, R6, R′6, R7, R′7, R8, R′8, R9, and R′9 together with a different one of R, R′1, R2, R′2, R3, R′3, R4, R′4, R5, R′5, R6, R′6, R7, R′7, R8, R′8, R9, and R′9 which is attached to a different carbon atom in the macrocyclic ligand may be bound to form a strap represented by the formula
• —(CH2)x—M—(CH2)w—L—(CH2)z—J—(CH2)y—
• wherein w, x, y and z independently are integers from 0 to 10 and M, L and J are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, cycloalkyl, heteroaryl, alkaryl, alkheteroaryl, aza, amide, ammonium, oxa, thia, sulfonyl, sulfinyl, sulfonamide, phosphoryl, phosphinyl, phosphino, phosphonium, keto, ester, alcohol, carbamate, urea, thiocarbonyl, borates, boranes, boraza, silyl, siloxy, silaza and combinations thereof;
• and combinations of any of the above;
• wherein M is a cation of a transition metal selected from the group consisting of manganese and iron;
• and wherein X, Y and Z represent suitable ligands or charge-neutralizing anions which are derived from any monodentate or polydentate coordinating ligand or ligand system or the corresponding anion thereof.