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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Chemiluminescence-based Assays for Detection of Nitric Oxide and its Derivatives from Autoxidation and Nitrosated Compounds
Published on: February 16, 2022
Reductive heme-dependent activation of the n-oxide prodrug AQ4N by nitric oxide synthase
Clinton R Nishida1, Paul R Ortiz de Montellano
1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94158-2517, USA.
Abstract:
Anaerobic reduction of anticancer prodrugs is a promising route to achieve targeting and selectivity in anticancer drug design. Most reductive prodrug activations involve simple electron transfer from a flavoprotein and are not amenable to specific targeting. Here, we report that the N-oxide AQ4N is reduced by a nitric oxide synthase. This reduction involves interaction with the heme iron atom in the active site and is thus subject to specific protein constraints.
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