Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (CAS: 148-18-5)

Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate is the organosulfur compound with the formula NaS2CN(C2H5)2.

Ligand bonding

The diethyldithiocarbamate ion chelates to many “softer” metals via the two sulfur atoms. Other more

complicated bonding modes are known including binding as unidentate ligand and a bridging ligand using

one or both sulfur atoms.

Spin trapping of nitric oxide radicals

Complexes of Dithiocarbamates with iron provide one of the very few methods to study the formation of nitric

oxide (NO) radicals in biological materials. Although the lifetime of NO in tissues is too short to allow detection

of this radical itself, NO readily binds to iron-dithiocarbamate complexes. The resulting mono-nitrosyl-iron

complex (MNIC) is stable, and may be detected with Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.

In cancer

The effect of diethyldithiocarbamate of chelating zinc inhibits metalloproteinases, which in turn prevents the

degradation of extracellular matrix, which is an initial step in cancermetastasis and angiogenesis.

Antioxidant

Diethyldithiocarbamate inhibits superoxide dismutase, which can both have antioxidant and oxidant

effects on cells, depending on the time of administration.

In metabolism

Diethyldithiocarbamate has been described to interfere with glucocorticoid metabolism, by inhibiting

the activity of the enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2, which converts cortisol to cortisone.