3,4-Dihydroxybutylarsonic acid

Mutenda et al. (75) found that racemic 3,4-dihydroxybutylarsonic acid, HO—CH2—CHOH—CH2—CH2—As03H2, the arsonomethyl analogue of sn-glycerol 3-phosphate, was a good substrate for glycerol-... 

A consequence of this arsenite release is that a compound such as 3,4-dihydroxybutylarsonic acid may be selectively toxic to cells that can take it up. The compound itself is fairly harmless. Delivery of such compounds into cells and their subsequent oxidation inside the cell will result in release of arsenite. The arsenite may then kill the cell by inactivating enzymes that contain dihydrolipoyl groups (Section III,A). The other product formed when arsenite is released, a vinyl ketone, is a strong electrophile, and hence may also be toxic. 

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