S-(N-Aryl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathione derivatives are powerful competitive inhibitors of the anticancer target enzyme glyoxalase I. Indeed, the N-p-bromophenyl derivative is the strongest inhibitor of the enzyme from human erythrocytes yet reported (Ki = 1.4 x 10(-8) M). Structure-activity correlations indicate that the high affinities of the derivatives for both human and yeast glyoxalase I are due to the fact that the derivatives are hydrophobic analogs of the enediol(ate) intermediate associated with the glyoxalase I reaction. The derivatives also proved to be slow substrates for the thioester hydrolase glyoxalase II (bovine liver). Compounds of this type are of interest as potential tumor-selective anticancer agents, based on the abnormally low levels of glyoxalase II activity in some types of cancer cells.
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Murthy et al. (1994) studied this question.