Biological Systems

Abstract

Behavior of nitrosoaromatic compounds in biological systems is of high scientific interest, because these chemical species, as relatively unstable, could easily react with different biomolecules attacking the regular biochemical processes. As xenobiotic agents, arylnitroso derivatives can display mutagenic [1, 2], carcinogenic [3, 4], as well as cytotoxic [5, 6] effects. Since their oxidation state lies in the middle between the stable oxidized form (nitro derivative) and reduced form (amino or hydroxylamino), nitroso compounds may have marked influence on the oxidations and reductions in living cells. As we know from the photochemistry and electrochemistry represented in previous chapters, nitrosoaromatic molecules readily form radicals and radical ions. Such property is especially important for their reactivity in complex biochemical reaction systems. Ability to behave as ligands with more than ten coordination modes in complexes with broad selection of metal atoms makes these molecules very active in reactions with biogenic metals. Biomolecules, which have active centers in which metal ions are included, could be target for the nitrosoaryl ligands. Many examples of interactions of the heme-constituting molecules with nitrosobenzene were discussed in the previous chapter.