Dopamine β-Monooxygenase: Mechanism, Substrates and Inhibitors

Dopamine β-monooxygenase (DBM) catalyses the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine in the catecholamine biosynthetic pathway. The substrate specificity of DBM is wide and the enzyme is capable of performing a variety of oxidations. While the crystal structure of DBM is not yet available, various indirect data allow insight into the enzyme's machinery. Considered an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure, DBM and its inhibitors have received attention by medicinal chemists over the last four decades. Although several QSAR models for DBM inhibitors have been generated, these models are actually unable to explain the exceptionally high potency of the latest generation of inhibitors.