Design and synthesis of 6-(6-D-ribitylamino-2,4-dihydroxypyrimidin-5-yl)-1-hexylphosphonic acid, a potent inhibitor of lumazine synthase

A novel inhibitor of lumazine synthase, the penultimate enzyme in the biosynthesis of riboflavin, has been synthesized. The inhibitor was designed by computer graphics molecular modeling using a hypothetical structure of the enzyme-inhibitor complex. The new compound is relatively potent when compared with the known inhibitors, and displays a K1 of 109 μM.