Heterocyclic Compounds: Synthesis, Design, and Biological Activity
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Biochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 767
Special Issue Editor
2. Department of Chemical Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Olomouc, Slechtitelu 27, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Interests: medicinal chemistry; drug design; structure–activity relationships; pharmaceutical analysis; polymorphism; drug bioavailability; ADME; nanoparticles; nanoformulations; controlled/targeted delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Although organic compounds consist of a carbon–hydrogen backbone, heteroatoms provide specificity to this skeleton. It does not matter whether these are classical heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur; rarer ones, such as phosphorus and selenium; or the various, widely occurring halogen groups. Isosteric/bioisosteric replacement of hydrocarbon fragments by heteroatoms can be carried out both in aliphatic structures and, much more often, in a variety of cyclic systems. Many heterocyclic structures can be considered privileged scaffolds. Heterocycles thus undoubtedly form the basis of any bioactive compounds; according to statistics, more than 85% of all biologically active chemical entities contain a heterocycle. This fact reflects the central role of heterocycles in the modern design of not only drugs but also, for example, agrochemicals. Although there are countless synthetic approaches to the preparation of heterocycles, it should also be mentioned that many heterocyclic agents have been isolated from natural sources. The type, amount, and position of heteroatoms affect not only the chemical and physical properties but also the binding to biological targets and thus the overall biological behavior of these compounds. Knowledge of interactions between molecules and their environment is undoubtedly the driving force of all contemporary biomedical, biological, and ecological sciences, and this knowledge is crucial for the further development and applications of these compounds.
This Special Issue is intended for all scientists involved in the synthesis/isolation, structural aspects, and analysis of heterocycles; the design, discovery, and development of biologically active heterocyclic compounds; and materials and their interactions, including their eco(toxico)logical effects. Both theoretical papers and manuscripts dealing with the mentioned topics experimentally are welcome, as are contributions dealing with the structure of receptors or enzymatic cascades.
Prof. Dr. Josef Jampilek
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- heterocycles
- bioactive molecules and materials
- pharmacophore
- design
- targeting
- computer studies
- synthesis and analysis
- natural compounds
- carbohydrates
- physicochemical properties
- biological screening
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