In
biochemistry,
suicide inhibition, also known as
suicide inactivation or
mechanism-based inhibition, is an irreversible form of
enzyme inhibition that occurs when an enzyme binds a substrate analogue and forms an irreversible complex with it through a covalent bond
during the "normal" catalysis reaction. The inhibitor binds to the active site where it is modified by the enzyme to produce a reactive group that reacts irreversibly to form a stable inhibitor-enzyme complex. This usually uses a prosthetic group or a
coenzyme, forming electrophilic alpha and beta unsaturated
carbonyl compounds and
imines.