Figure 1.

The chemical structure of nifurtimox (CAS No. 23256‐30‐6; molecular weight, 287.29 g/mol) and reduction of the nitrofuran by type I nitroreductase to generate a hydroxylamine via a nitroso intermediate. The hydroxylamine can be metabolized further to form a nitrenium cation (that can promote DNA breakage), the amine form, or unsaturated and then saturated open‐chain nitriles (that could react nonspecifically with a range of cellular components). Reproduced and adapted from Hall et al, J Biol Chem 2011⁷).