Regulation of Human Carbonic Anhydrase I (hCAI) Activity by Using a Photochromic Inhibitor

Photoswitchable: The activity of a dithienylethene-based human carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (hCAI) can be regulated using light. Converting the flexible, ring-open isomer of the photoswitch into the rigid, ring-closed isomer using UV light reduces the inhibition and increases the activity of hCAI by 50-fold. The inhibitor can be turned back on by using visible light, which has many advantages in biological applications