title: Antivitamins B12--A Structure- and Reactivity-Based Concept.
abstract: B12 -antimetabolites are compounds that counteract the physiological effects of vitamin B12 and related natural cobalamins. Presented here is a structure- and reactivity-based concept of the specific 'antivitamins B12 ': it refers to analogues of vitamin B12 that display high structural similarity to the vitamin and are 'locked chemically' to prevent their metabolic conversion into the crucial organometallic B12 -cofactors. Application of antivitamins B12 to healthy laboratory animals is, thus, expected to induce symptoms of B12 -deficiency. Antivitamins B12 may, hence, be helpful in elucidating still largely puzzling pathophysiological phenomena associated with B12 -deficiency, and also in recognizing physiological roles of B12 that probably still remain to be discovered.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry & Center for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, 6020 Innsbruck (Austria). bernhard.kraeutler@uibk.ac.at.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kräutler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000963:Antimetabolites / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010829:Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000963:Antimetabolites; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014815:Vitamins; D014805:Vitamin B 12
keywords: antibiotics; antivitamin B12; cancer; regulation; vitamin B12