{"title":"Synthetic Approaches and Biological Significance of Four-Membered Heterocyclic Compounds.","authors":"Neelottama Kushwaha, Swatantra K S Kushwaha","doi":"10.2174/0115680266375132250715112753","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A four-membered heterocycle synthesis offers a thorough exploration of these unstable organic compounds, systematically introducing the synthesis and reactions of all standard fourmembered heterocycles while showcasing various methods for creating unique variants. Due to their inherent strain, four-membered heterocyclic compounds are classified as unstable organic compounds, which makes them valuable as precursors for synthesizing a wide range of complex heterocyclic molecules. These compounds have become essential frameworks in medicinal chemistry, providing unique properties that enhance drug design and development. The incorporation of heteroatoms like nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur into four-membered rings (such as azetidines, oxetanes, and thietanes) leads to diverse electronic, steric, and metabolic characteristics that can improve therapeutic efficacy, selectivity, and pharmacokinetics. Despite the challenges posed by their ring strain, recent advancements in chemical synthesis and functionalization techniques have made these compounds more accessible for various therapeutic applications. These strained ring structures offer increased metabolic stability, controlled lipophilicity, and the potential for advantageous binding interactions, making them suitable for multiple therapeutic uses, including oncology, infectious diseases, and CNS disorders. This review examines the key properties of four-membered heterocyclic rings, their role in drug development, recent synthetic advancements, and the potential of these compounds to yield next-generation medications with enhanced efficacy and precision.</p>","PeriodicalId":11076,"journal":{"name":"Current topics in medicinal chemistry","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current topics in medicinal chemistry","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2174/0115680266375132250715112753","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MEDICINAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
A four-membered heterocycle synthesis offers a thorough exploration of these unstable organic compounds, systematically introducing the synthesis and reactions of all standard fourmembered heterocycles while showcasing various methods for creating unique variants. Due to their inherent strain, four-membered heterocyclic compounds are classified as unstable organic compounds, which makes them valuable as precursors for synthesizing a wide range of complex heterocyclic molecules. These compounds have become essential frameworks in medicinal chemistry, providing unique properties that enhance drug design and development. The incorporation of heteroatoms like nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur into four-membered rings (such as azetidines, oxetanes, and thietanes) leads to diverse electronic, steric, and metabolic characteristics that can improve therapeutic efficacy, selectivity, and pharmacokinetics. Despite the challenges posed by their ring strain, recent advancements in chemical synthesis and functionalization techniques have made these compounds more accessible for various therapeutic applications. These strained ring structures offer increased metabolic stability, controlled lipophilicity, and the potential for advantageous binding interactions, making them suitable for multiple therapeutic uses, including oncology, infectious diseases, and CNS disorders. This review examines the key properties of four-membered heterocyclic rings, their role in drug development, recent synthetic advancements, and the potential of these compounds to yield next-generation medications with enhanced efficacy and precision.
期刊介绍:
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry is a forum for the review of areas of keen and topical interest to medicinal chemists and others in the allied disciplines. Each issue is solely devoted to a specific topic, containing six to nine reviews, which provide the reader a comprehensive survey of that area. A Guest Editor who is an expert in the topic under review, will assemble each issue. The scope of Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry will cover all areas of medicinal chemistry, including current developments in rational drug design, synthetic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, high-throughput screening, combinatorial chemistry, compound diversity measurements, drug absorption, drug distribution, metabolism, new and emerging drug targets, natural products, pharmacogenomics, and structure-activity relationships. Medicinal chemistry is a rapidly maturing discipline. The study of how structure and function are related is absolutely essential to understanding the molecular basis of life. Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry aims to contribute to the growth of scientific knowledge and insight, and facilitate the discovery and development of new therapeutic agents to treat debilitating human disorders. The journal is essential for every medicinal chemist who wishes to be kept informed and up-to-date with the latest and most important advances.