Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical and Molecular Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 7996

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
Interests: organic synthesis; heterocyclic chemistry; green chemistry; sustainable chemistry; microwave-assisted synthesis; multicomponent reactions
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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy and Applied Science, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Edwards Rd, Bendigo 3550, Australia
Interests: medicinal chemistry; analytical chemistry; pharmaceutical analysis; chromatography; HPTLC; natural product chemistry; computational chemistry; chemometrics; QSAR
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Drugs discovery typically involves either identification of active substances from traditional remedies of a natural origin or the synthesis of bioactive compounds guided by rational drug design, combinatorial chemistry, high throughput screening, fragment-based lead discovery, and other approaches.  In modern drug discovery, medicinal chemistry plays a crucial role, covering new methods for the synthesis of bioactive compounds, the identification of druggable biomolecular targets, understanding molecular basis for diseases, and the design of agents modifying biochemical processes underlying the disorder.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the recent achievements in the field of drug discovery, particularly medicinal chemistry.  The scope of this Special Issue ranges from the initial stages of drug discovery and new synthetic methodologies for the synthesis of bioactive compounds to the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of investigating new drugs, and may include original research articles and reviews on identification, validation, and the exploration of drug targets; molecular modeling and structure–activity relationships; the design, synthesis, and characterization of new chemical entities with therapeutic potential; the identification, isolation, and characterization of bioactive compounds from natural products; lead optimization; drug modifications and repurposing; and the development of assays to assess therapeutic efficacy. 

Dr. Anton V. Dolzhenko
Prof. Dr. Snezana Agatonovic-Kustrin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • bioorganic chemistry
  • combinatorial chemistry
  • drug development
  • drug repurposing
  • drug targets
  • fragment-based drug discovery
  • high throughput screening
  • medicinal chemistry
  • molecular diversity
  • natural products
  • pharmaceutical analysis
  • QSAR
  • rational drug design
  • structure–activity relationship

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 463 KiB  
Editorial
Hyphenated TLC as a Tool in the Effect-Directed Discovery of Bioactive Natural Products
by Snezana Agatonovic-Kustrin and David W. Morton
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 1123; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10031123 - 07 Feb 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3339
Abstract
Complex samples such as botanical extracts contain hundreds of compounds. Since we can only identify compounds that are stable, extractable, separable and detectable from complex botanical extracts, minimal sample treatment and different detection methods are essential. A combination of high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) [...] Read more.
Complex samples such as botanical extracts contain hundreds of compounds. Since we can only identify compounds that are stable, extractable, separable and detectable from complex botanical extracts, minimal sample treatment and different detection methods are essential. A combination of high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) with non-targeted screening via bioassays (enzymes), microchemical and biological (microorganisms) detection allows for the fast and quantitative bioprofiling of complex samples. Further hyphenation of HPTLC with spectroscopic methods of identification enables targeted identification of bioactive natural products via Effect Directed Analysis (EDA). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery)
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Research

Jump to: Editorial

14 pages, 2070 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Triterpene Saponins Mixture with Antiproliferative Activity
by Rodica Tatia, Christina Zalaru, Oana Craciunescu, Lucia Moldovan, Anca Oancea and Ioan Calinescu
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(23), 5160; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9235160 - 28 Nov 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2295
Abstract
In this study, three of the saponins present in leaves of Hedera helix L., α-hederin, hederagenin, and hederacoside C were studied for their antiproliferative activity. The three saponins were analyzed in different concentrations by in vitro tests on normal fibroblasts cells and cervix [...] Read more.
In this study, three of the saponins present in leaves of Hedera helix L., α-hederin, hederagenin, and hederacoside C were studied for their antiproliferative activity. The three saponins were analyzed in different concentrations by in vitro tests on normal fibroblasts cells and cervix ephitelial tumor cells. Determination of cytotoxicity and antitumor effects was performed using the MTT method. From the tested saponins, α-hederin was biocompatible in normal fibroblasts cells at concentrations between 2–10 μg/mL. Its antiproliferative activity was exerted in the concentration range of 10–400 μg/mL in cervix ephitelial tumor cells. Similarly, hederagenin presented antiproliferative activity at concentrations between 25–400 μg/mL. In turn, hederacoside C was shown to be noncytotoxic in normal fibroblasts and cervix ephitelial tumor cell culture at all the tested concentrations. The obtained experimental results were analyzed by “Mixture design”, a specialized form of the response surface method (RSM) provided by the Design Expert 11 software, and the optimal composition of obtained saponins mixture was selected and verified in vitro for antiproliferative activity. The results showed that an optimal saponins mixture has the potential to be used in pharmacological applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery)
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