Inorganic biochemistry, development

Hartinger, C. G., Zorbas-Seilried, S., Jakupec, M. A., Kynast, B., Zorbas, H., Keppler, B. K. (2006). Erom bench to bedside—preclinical and early cUnical development of the anticancer agent indazolium trans-[tetrachlorobis(lH-indazole)ruthenate(lll)] (KP1019 or FFC14A). Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, 100, 891—904. 

Interest in the roles of both essential and non-essential trace metals in human health and disease has undergone an enormous expansion in the last thirty years. This has come about partly due to major advances in our knowledge of inorganic biochemistry (Frausto da Silva and Williams. 1991), as well as the wider introduction into clinical laboratories of powerful analytical techniques such as graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (Delves, 1987 Slavin, 1988). Developments in instrumentation and chemical matrix modification techniques have also brought about dramatic improvements in analytical performance (Delves. 1987 Baruthio et al.. 1988 Slavin, 1988 Christensen et al., 1988 Savory and Wills, 1991). Other analytical techniques, such as inductively-coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP) and ICP-mass spectrometry are also finding wide application in the clinical analysis of trace elements (Kimberly and Paschal, 1985 Delves and Campbell, 1988 Melton et al., 1990). Although the cost of such Instruments tends to restrict their use only to specialist centres, they have very important roles as reference techniques in the characterisation of reference materials (Delves and Campbell, 1988). 

As a result of the technical and industrial development during the past two centuries, the number and the concentration of the different metal ions to which humans are exposed have considerably increased. Some metals have been and still are used without regard to their possibly noxious effects. In the past two decades new analytical methods have been developed that meet the indicated requirements for the instrumental detection of most metals to which humans are exposed. Regarding the interactions of metal ions with the constituents of a biological matrix, the recent progress in physiology and inorganic biochemistry now makes it possible in various instances to correlate and to understand different observed phenomena with distinct metals. 

The discovery in 1973 that polysulfur nitride (SN)X, a polymer comprised only of non-metallic elements, behaves as a superconductor at 0.26 K sparked widespread interest in sulfur-nitrogen (S-N) chemistry. In the past 30 years, the field of inorganic S-N chemistry has reached maturity and interfaces with other areas of chemistry, e.g., theoretical chemistry, materials chemistry, organic synthesis, polymer chemistry and biochemistry, have been established and are under active development. This interest has been extended to Se-N and, to a lesser extent, Te-N systems. 

The development of chemistry in the last 20 years has revealed a significant shift of interest on the part of theoreticians and experimentalists [1,2]. Earlier, chemists attention was concentrated on atoms and atom-atom bonds. This strategy has been very successful in the creation of new molecules with unusual structures and with new chemical and physical properties. However, two decades ago, the primary objects of chemical studies become intermolecular interactions leading to complex molecular assemblies that exhibit unusual and often unique macro properties. This situation has dominated in all areas of modem chemical science from physical, organic, inorganic, and organometallic chemistry to material science and biochemistry, and has resulted in the formulation of new chemical disciplines supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering. 

In constructing the particular experiments we have tried to emphasize the application of physical chemistry concepts to other fields of chemistry. Currently most of the experiments involve applications to organic chemistry but we are developing experiments that directly relate to inorganic (transition metal) chemistry and to biochemistry (2). 

Analytical chemistry develops methods for determining identity and quantity of the components in a sample physical chemistry develops unifying theories and laws for all of chemistry inorganic chemistry studies the properties of all elements except carbon organic chemistry studies compounds based on carbon biochemistry studies chemical processes in living organisms. 

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