Authors: Atilgan, Canan; Aviyente, Viktorya

Source: Current Computer - Aided Drug Design, Volume 3, Number 2, June 2007 , pp. 149-159(11)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

We describe several computational methodologies used in aiding the chemical synthesis of drugs. We first summarize quantum mechanical approaches that weigh thermodynamical and kinetic factors in selecting the possible pathways during synthesis. The two major problems encountered in computational approaches are the efficient sampling of the conformational space and the incorporation of solvent effect into the system of interest. Thus, conformational search methodologies of small to medium sized molecules, with emphasis on cyclic molecules, are reviewed. Also, the analysis of the solvent effect on the synthesis of drug molecules and yield, using continuum methodologies as well as molecular dynamics, is discussed. How results from these studies are in turn fed back into detailed quantum mechanical calculations with supermolecules of solvent and reaction site are outlined. It is shown that the usage of several computational techniques hand-in-hand provides a plethora of information that may be utilized during the actual synthesis of drug molecules.

Keywords: Conformational analysis; molecular dynamics; quantum chemical computations; rational drug design; solvent effect; macrolide antibiotics

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157340907780809480

Publication date: 2007-06-01

More about this publication?

• Current Computer-Aided Drug Design aims to publish all the latest developments in drug design based on computational techniques. The field of computer-aided drug design has had extensive impact in the area of drug design. Current Computer-Aided Drug Design is an essential journal for all medicinal chemists who wish to be kept informed and up-to-date with all the latest and important developments in computer-aided methodologies and their applications in drug discovery. Each issue contains a series of timely, in-depth reviews written by leaders in the field, covering a range of computational techniques for drug design, screening, ADME studies, etc., providing excellent rationales for drug development.

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