The superoxyde dismutase (SOD) activity of mononuclear Ni II complexes, whose structures are inspired by the NiSOD, has been investigated. They have been designed with a sulfur-rich pseudo-peptide ligand, derived from nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), where the three acid functions are grafted with cysteines (L 3S). Two mononuclear complexes, which exist in pH-dependent proportions, have been fully characterized by a combination of spectroscopic techniques including 1 H NMR, UV-vis, CD, and XAS, together with theoretical calculations. They display similar square-planar S3O coordination, with the three thiolates of the three cysteine moieties from L 3S coordinated to the Ni II ion, together with either a water molecule at physiological pH, as [NiL 3S (OH2)]-, or a hydroxo ion in more basic conditions, as [NiL 3S (OH)] 2-. The 1 H NMR study has revealed that contrary to the hydroxo ligand, the bound water molecule is labile. The CV of both complexes displays an irreversible one-electron oxidation process assigned to the Ni II /Ni III redox system with Epa = 0.48 and 0.31 V vs SCE for NiL 3S (OH2) and NiL 3S (OH), respectively. The SOD activity of both complexes has been tested. Based on the xanthine oxidase assay, an IC50 of about 1 µM has been measured at pH 7.4, where NiL 3S (OH2) is mainly present (93% of the Ni II species), while the IC50 is larger than 100 µM at pH 9.6, where NiL 3S (OH) is the major species (92% of the Ni II species). Interestingly, only NiL 3S (OH2) displays SOD activity, suggesting that the presence of a labile ligand is required. The SOD activity has been also evaluated under catalytic conditions at pH 7.75, where the ratio between NiL 3S (OH2) / NiL 3S (OH) is about (86:14), and a rate constant, kcat = 1.8 10 5 M-1 s-1 has been measured. NiL 3S (OH2) is thus the first low-molecular weight, synthetic, bio-inspired Ni complex that displays catalytic SOD activity in water at physiological pH, although it does not contain any N-donor ligand in its first coordination sphere, as in the NiSOD. Overall, the data evidences that a key structural feature is the presence of a labile ligand in the coordination sphere of the Ni II ion, consistent with an inner sphere mechanism for at least one of the redox reactions.