BORON ANALOGS 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 oxid ative stability to be useful under physiological conditions. Bearing c lose structural resemblance to their natural organic counterparts (but different charge), the boron analogues exhibit potent biological acti vity and possess a wide variety of pharmacological behavior such as hy polipidemic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoporosis, and oth er activity in animal model studies. Boron analogues may also be usefu l in boron neutron capture therapy for the treatment of cancer. Other applications to medical diagnostics exist.