Bioinorganic

Bioinorganic refers to the branch of science that investigates the role of inorganic elements in biological systems. It overlaps chemistry, biology, and medicine and centers on how metal ions and inorganic cofactors contribute to structure, function, and regulation of biomolecules. The field encompasses the study of metalloproteins, metalloenzymes, metal transport and storage, and the ways organisms manage essential and toxic metals.

Key concepts include metalloproteins and metalloenzymes, where metal ions such as iron, copper, zinc, manganese, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, tungsten, and others participate in catalysis, electron transfer, and structural stabilization. Metals may be bound in active sites, coordinated to amino acid ligands, or present as cofactors in complex clusters such as iron-sulfur assemblies. Nonheme and heme iron enzymes, copper enzymes, zinc hydrolases, and molybdenum enzymes illustrate the diversity of catalytic strategies in biology. Cooperative systems like nitrogenase and hydrogenases illustrate metalloenzyme-driven transformations essential to life.

Bioinorganic chemistry also covers metal homeostasis, transport, and detoxification, including proteins that bind and shuttle metals (transferrin, ferritin, metallothioneins) and how organisms regulate metal availability. Analytical techniques such as spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, electron paramagnetic resonance, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption methods are used to study active sites and mechanisms. Bioinspired approaches develop synthetic models and catalytic systems that mimic natural metal centers for applications in medicine, catalysis, and imaging. The field also addresses metallodrugs, imaging agents, and the environmental and health implications of metals in biology.