Metalloporphyrins in Drug and Pesticide Catalysis as Powerful Tools to Elucidate Biotransformation Mechanisms

Water pollution levels are rising worldwide, so new tools that can overcome the harmful effects of pollutants to the environment and living organisms are welcome. In this context, metalloporphyrins (MePs) mimicking cytochrome P-450 enzymes can contribute to the production of metabolites and help to elucidate bio-transformation processes. MePs can promote chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective transformations under mild conditions, which is highly desirable when investigating the metabolism of drugs or pesticides that currently contaminate natural waters. MeP models can be tailored by introducing electrophilic groups into different positions of the porphyrin ring and by choosing suitable oxygen donors to activate the catalyst and generate the high-valence intermediate species. This mini-review aims to show a recent breakthrough in the use of MePs as a powerful tool to predict which metabolites arise during biotransformation assays. It also aims to highlight the versatility of such models regarding the current challenges in catalytic conversion of xenobiotics.