Copper complexes of bioactive ligands with superoxide dismutase activity.

Free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly toxic and their damaging effects result in a variety of detrimental health issues such as neurodegenerative, cardiovascular and age-related diseases. Human body has evolved an effective defense system including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase against the toxicity of these free radicals. SOD is a metalloenzyme and it acts as an excellent antioxidant to protect the body from superoxide radicals that are generated in the biological system. However, the clinical use of SOD is limited due to its short in vivo life span, and its large size that hampered its penetration across the cell membranes. Pharmaceuticals that provide ROS scavenging systems are the most effective when the production of ROS exceeds the scavenging capacity of endogenous SOD as a result of aging or pathological processes. Inspired by the Nature, scientists have designed metal-based mimics of the superoxide dismutase. This review focuses on different copper complexes that are developed from bioactive ligands and mimic the protecting action of the SOD.