Bahnemann D, Basaga H, Dunlop J R, Searle A J, Willson R L
Br J Cancer Suppl. 1978 Jun;3:16-9.
The nitro radiosensitizers, metronidazole and misonidazole, have been shown to react rapidly with the sulphydryl compounds cysteine and cysteamine in the presence of ferrous ions. Similar reactions occur in the presence of copper ions but these are much slower. The initial interactions of the drugs and of oxygen with an iron-cysteine complex are extremely rapid: in the case of oxygen reaction half-lives of 27 ms have been measured. Misonidazole also reacts rapidly with glutathione in the presence of ferrous ions and is subsequently reduced: metronidazole is reduced only slowly if at all. These reactions, which have been found to be inhibited by high concentrations of zince ions, are discussed in the light of the known radiosensitizing and chemotherapeutic efficiencies of the nitro drugs and the side effect of peripheral neuropathy sometimes observed during their clinical use.
硝基放射增敏剂甲硝唑和米索硝唑已被证明，在亚铁离子存在的情况下能与巯基化合物半胱氨酸和半胱胺迅速发生反应。在铜离子存在的情况下也会发生类似反应，但这些反应要慢得多。药物和氧气与铁 - 半胱氨酸络合物的初始相互作用极其迅速：就氧气反应而言，已测得半衰期为27毫秒。米索硝唑在亚铁离子存在的情况下也能与谷胱甘肽迅速反应，随后被还原：甲硝唑即使能被还原，速度也非常缓慢。这些反应已发现会受到高浓度锌离子的抑制，鉴于硝基药物已知的放射增敏和化疗效果以及在其临床使用过程中有时观察到的周围神经病变副作用，对这些反应进行了讨论。
