Drugs derived, from fragment-based drug

Table 6.1 Drugs derived from fragment-based drug discovery efforts that have reached clinical trials.

The resin secreted by Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa, varieties of hemp, is known variously as marijuana, hashish or bhang and is abused as a hallucinogenic drug. It appears however to have some beneficial properties and is currently under test as an antiemetic in cancer therapy. The secretion contains a number of interrelated oxygen heterocycles, some of which are shown in Scheme 281, which attempts to indicate their biosynthetic relationships (70MI22401). The cannabinoids are probably derived from a monoterpene unit based on p-menthane and 5-n-pentylresorcinol (olivetol), acting the part of a polyketide. 2,2-Dimethylchromene biosynthesis also requires the intervention of an isoprene fragment. 

Sulfonyl chlorides are important precursors of sulfonamides, many of which are chemotherapeutic agents, such as the sulfa drugs discovered in 1932 (Section 9-11). Sulfonamides are derived from the reaction of a sulfonyl chloride with an amine. Sulfa drugs specifically contain the 4-aminobenzenesulfonamide (sulfanilamide) function. Their mode of action is based on their structural similarity with the central fragment of folic acid. The sulfanilamide interferes with the bacterial enzymes that help to synthesize folic acid (Real Life 25-3), thereby depriving them of an essential nutrient and thus causing bacterial... 

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