Medicinal chemistry: Medicinal chemistry is a chemistry-based discipline, involving aspects of biological, medical and pharmaceutical sciences. It is concerned with the invention, discovery, design, identification and preparation of biologically active compounds,  the study of their metabolism, the interpretation of their mode of action at the molecular level and the construction of structure-activity relationships (SARs).

In particular, Medicinal chemistry also involves the discovery of new chemical entities for the treatment of diseases and the systematic study of the structure-activity relationships of the active compounds. Such studies provide the basis for development of better medicinal agents from lead compounds found via random screening, systematic screening and rational design.

Drug (This term comes from French word Drogue means a dried herb) is the single active medicinal entity present in a medicine that is used for diagnosis, prevention, treatment or cure of a disease.

This disease oriented definition of drug does not include contraceptives or drugs used for improvement of health. WHO (1966) has given 1 more comprehensive definition- “Drug is any substance or product that is used or is intended to be used to modify or explore physiological systems or pathological states for the benefit of the recipient.”

Structure-activity relationship (SAR) may be defined as the relationship between chemical structure and pharmacological activity of a series of newly developed compounds with the variation of structure of a drug.

Lead compound is a compound that has a desirable biological activity with therapeutic relevance, but typically has some shortcoming that is likely to be overcome through the development of analogs.

In medicinal chemistry, emphasis is given on

Chemcially structural feature, physico-chemical property, stability.

Biological effect, adverse effects, biotransformation etc.

Structure-activity relationship, drug targets in living bodies as well as mode of action.

The important role of drugs in human society: Drugs have irrevocably changed the fabric of society by improving both the individual quality of life and life expectancy. Some examples are shown as follows:

Bacterial and virus infections: polio, smallpox, tuberculosis and related diseases have, to a very major extent, become minor public health concerns.

An increase in life expectancy resulting from drug therapy has also led to a shift in population demographics toward a more healthy, elderly population.

Drug regimens for birth control have improved individual life choices and the quality of life.

HIV protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitors for the treatment of HIV infections have changed a disease with a fatal prognosis to a potentially chronic one.

Cancer is also being viewed as a potentially chronic, rather than fatal disease with newer, non-cytotoxic approaches.

Origins of Medicinal Chemistry

Early investigations of natural products

1.1.   In the so-called pre-scientific era

•        Natural products having a history as folk remedies were in use. Fore examples, opium, belladonna, cinchona bark, etc. Many drugs originally used as folk remedies, nowadays, have been abandoned.

1.2. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, chemical experimentation led ultimately to its use in the discovery of new drugs.

•        In 1853, Henry How conceived the idea that functional groups in natural products might be modified by chemical reagents.

•       He heated morphine with methyl iodide, hoping to convert the alkaloid to codeine. He obtained, however, a new substance of the quaternary salt of morphine.  

•        In 1898, the first commercially available semisynthetic morphine derivative (ethyl ether) was introduced as a cough sedative in preference to codeine or other opiates.

•        Meanwhile, diacetylmorphine was introduced as a safer pain reliever than morphine. It quickly became popular throughout the world.

Four years passed before its addictive properties of heroin were recognized. Laws were later passed by governments to restrict its use

1.3. Developments of MC Leading to Various Medicinal Classes of Drugs

•        During the 1840s, the first use of synthetic organic chemicals were introduced for anesthesia during a tooth removal, such as nitrous oxide, ether, and chloroform.

•        In 1864, barbituric acid had been synthesized as a useful hypnotic.

•        In 1875, salicylic acid was introduced as a possible cure for typhoid fever. It was found to be an effective antipyretic.

•         In 1899, Aspirin was marketed as an antipyretic without the unpleasant side effects. This indicated that the chemical structures from natural products were changed into better drugs.

•        Medicinal Chemistry began. 

2. Fast Development from 1900’s to 1960’s

•        1920’s~1930’s: Anesthetics, Hypnotics, Analgesics were used extensively. In research for functional “pharmacophore”, structure-function relationship was investigated gradually.

•        After 1930’s: The development of new drugs was speeded greatly by the close combination of Medicinal Chemistry and Experimental Pharmacology.

•        Theory of antimetabolite was formed by using  metabolic products as lead compounds.

•        Discovery of penicillin which is the first antibiotics is an epoch-making achievement.

•         Afterward, tetracycline, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin were introduced one after another.

•        In 1940’s, the first drug used for treating cancer as a biological alkylating agent was nitrogen mustard, which began tumor chemical therapy.

•        In 1960’s, oral steroidal contraceptive agents were discovered. Corticosteroids have become an important drugs.

•        In 1940’s, the first drug used for treating cancer as a biological alkylating agent was nitrogen mustard, which began tumor chemical therapy.

•        In 1960’s, oral steroidal contraceptive agents were discovered. Corticosteroids have become an important drugs.

Future of Medicinal Chemistry

•        New drugs will be discovered or invented by investigating human genomics and human disease genomics.  

Nomenclature of Drug Substances

•        INN: International Non-proprietary Names for Pharmaceutical Substance, that is, common names by national or international nomenclature commissions

•         Chemical Name by international union for pure and applied chemistry (IUPAC) and international union of biochemistry (IUB)

•        CADN: Chinese Approved Drug Names

•         English Chemical Name based on nomenclature of chemical abstracts (CA)

•        Trade Name