Boron Analogues of Biomolecules: Biomedical Prospects

Boron analogues of a variety of biologically important molecules have been synthesized and characterized. Analogues of amino acids, peptides, phosphonates, nucleosides, nucleic acids, and other derivatives, all containing 4-coordinate boron, possess sufficient hydrolytic and oxidative stability to be useful under physiological conditions. Bearing close structural resemblance to their natural organic counterparts (but different charge), the boron analogues exhibit potent biological activity and possess a wide variety of pharmacological behavior such as hypolipidemic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoporosis, and other activity in animal model studies. Boron analogues may also be useful in boron neutron capture therapy for the treatment of cancer. Other applications to medical diagnostics exist.