A competitive inhibitor of succinic dehydrogenase is

Options

(a) Malonate
(b) Oxaloacetate
(c) m-ketoglutarate
(d) Malate

Correct Answer:

Malonate

Explanation:

Malonate is a powerful inhibitor of cellular respiration, because it binds to the active site of the succinate dehydrogenase in the citric acid cycle but does not react, thereby competes with succinate, since it does not have the -CH₂-CH₂- group as in succinate which is required for dehydrogenation. For oxidative phosphorylation reaction, malonate is an inhibitor for complex II which again contain succinate dehydrogenase.