Nickel biological function

Researchers studying the metalloenzyme hydrogenase would like to design small compounds that mimic this enzyme s ability to reversibly reduce protons to H2 and H2 to 2H+, using an active center that contains iron and nickel. Cobalamins (vitamin and its derivatives) contain an easily activated Co-C bond that has a number of biological functions, one of which is as a methyl transferase, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine methyltransferase (MTR). This enzyme converts homocysteine (an amino acid that has one more CH2 group in its alkyl side chain than cysteine see Figure 2.2) to methionine as methylcobalamin is converted to cobalamin. 

Each of these minerals participate in a variety of biologic functions and is necessary for normal metabolism. Other trace minerals essential to humans but for which deficiency states have not been recognized include nickel, vanadium, cobalt, and silicon (Table 66.2). 

Efforts to discover whether other elements might be essential intensified during the 1970s. Although it is believed that arsenic, nickel, silicon, and boron are probably essential to humans, it has been difficult to determine whether other minerals have specific biological functions in humans or other animals. 

Biological Function. The evidence showing that nickel is essential does not clearly define its metabolic function. However, recent findings show that nickel may function as a cofactor or structural component in specific metalloenz3nnes or metalloproteins, or as a blollgand cofactor facilitating the intestinal absorption of the Fe(III) ion. 

Ogawa A, Akatsuka R, Tamauchi H, Hio K, Kanematsu H (2011) Influence of nickel-titanium alloy components on biological functions. BMC Proc 5 79... 

Many of the most important catalytic activities of coordination compounds and metal ions (particularly iron and copper) are in the electron transport chains of cellular metabolism, where they act as catalysts for the oxidation of organic intermediates. Several other transition metal ions (including vanadium and molybdenum) have important metabolic roles in a variety of organisms. Indeed, recent discoveries suggest that even such metals as chromium and nickel have biological functions. 

The quality of the experimental evidence for nutritional essentiality varies widely for the ultratrace elements. The evidence for the essentiality of three elements, iodine, molybdenum and selenium, is substantial and noncontroversial specific biochemical functions have been defined for these elements. The nutritional importance of iodine and selenium are such that they have separate entries in this encyclopedia. Molybdenum, however, is given very little nutritional attention, apparently because a deficiency of this element has not been unequivocally identified in humans other than individuals nourished by total parenteral nutrition or with genetic defects causing disturbances in metabolic pathways involving this element. Specific biochemical functions have not been defined for the other 15 ultratrace elements listed above. Thus, their essentiality is based on circumstantial evidence, which most often is that a dietary deprivation in an animal model results in a suboptimal biological function that is preventable or reversible by an intake of physiological amounts of the element in question. Often the circumstantial evidence includes an identified essential function in a lower form of life, and biochemical actions consistent with a biological role or beneficial action in humans. The circumstantial evidence for essentiality is substantial for arsenic, boron, chromium, nickel, silicon, and vanadium. The evidence for essentiality for the... 

Biomimetic chemistry of nickel was extensively reviewed.1847,1848 Elaborate complexes have been developed in order to model structural and spectroscopic properties as well as the catalytic function of the biological sites. Biomimetic systems for urease are described in Section 6.3.4.12.7, and model systems for [Ni,Fe]-hydrogenases are collected in Section 6.3.4.12.5. 

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