New complex reacting with nitrile—a key to enable down-regulation of cancer enzymes

There are various metal enzymes in the human body. Metal enzymes interact with active oxygen, which is chemically more reactive than normal, to form metal-reactive oxygen species. These metal-reactive oxygen species participate in the synthesis and degradation of biological materials and drug metabolism through oxidation, which is the reaction that combines with oxygen or the reaction that loses hydrogen. Therefore, many research teams study enzymatic reactions in-vivo by synthesizing substances mimicking metal-reactive oxygen. However, there has not been any metal-reactive oxygen species reacting with nitrile found or developed.