An Intuitive Look at the Relationship of K_i and IC_50: A More General Use for the Dixon Plot

摘要

The design and synthesis of small-molecule enzyme in-hibitors is of great interest in current research. Finding a potent inhibitor of an enzyme linked to a disease may lead to a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical product. To find such in-hibitors, it is often necessary to quantitatively compare the inhibitory ability of a large number of target compounds. A recent review of protease inhibitors gives a perspective on the wide range and sheer number of reversible inhibitors of one class of enzymes (1). Without a standard measurement of inhibition, comparing the inhibitor potencies of these molecules would be impossible.