Unlocking Cu(I)-Mediated Catalytic Pathways for Efficient ROS Generation by Incorporating an Oxazole-Based Histidine Surrogate into Cu(II)-ATCUN Complexes.

The catalytic redox activity of Cu(II) bound to the amino-terminal copper and nickel (ATCUN) binding motif (Xxx-Zzz-His, XZH) is stimulating the development of catalytic metallodrugs based on reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated biomolecule oxidation. However, low Cu(I) availability resulting from the strong Cu(II) binding affinity of the ATCUN motif is regarded as a limitation to efficient ROS generation. To address this, we replaced the imidazole moiety (p