Benzosultines as Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂) Donors

Abstract

In order to understand precise biological roles of sulfur dioxide (SO2), reliable SO2 donors, compounds that produce SO2 under physiological conditions, are necessary. The design and development of 1-phenyl-benzosultine as an efficient SO2 donor is reported. This compound undergoes cycloreversion to generate SO2 upon dissolution in aqueous buffer at 37 °C with a yield of 89% and a half-life of 39 min and shows SO2-like biological activity in a DNA cleavage assay.