title: Formal potentials of new analogues of nifurtimox: relationship to activity.
abstract: Electrochemical studies (Formal Potentials and Coulometry) were performed on several analogues of Nifurtimox, in order to gain insight on the proposed mechanism of action of these drugs. It is thought that Nifurtimox shows part of its trypanocidal activity via an electron transfer process, leading to the production of active oxygen species that kill the parasite. Formal potentials provide relevant data about the feasibility of electron transfer in vivo. All analogues tested contained the nitro group, which is the most easily reducible group in the parent drug Nifurtimox. The formal potentials values determined ranged from -1.86 to -0.46 V. Coulometric runs were carried out to study the one-electron transfer process. A good correlation between formal potentials and biological activity was found.
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cerecetto
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mester
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Onetto
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Seoane
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zinola
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002627:Chemistry, Physical; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004579:Electron Transport; D009547:Nifurtimox / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D009547:Nifurtimox