Macrocyclic chemistry is one of the emerging research areas in the chemical science.Macrocyclic compounds continue to attract significant attention due to their numerous possible applications particularly in the areas like biology, catalysis and industry.This review article summarizes the developments and advances in synthesis and medicinal applications of macrocyclic compounds derived from (benz)imidazoleand indole-based heterocycles. Important medicinal applications of (benz)imidazoleand indole-based macrocycles include antimicrobial and anticancer activities. The representative lead compounds in each series of macromolecules have been discussed. All these initial lead breakthroughs help validate the great potential of (benz) imidazole-and indole-based macrocyclic compounds as a class of effective medicinal agents.
S P E C I A L I S S U E A R T I C L E
Medicinal applications of (benz)imidazole-and indole-based macrocyclesA macrocycle is a compound that contains a cyclic structure of at least twelve or more atoms. Macrocyclic compounds are natural or synthetic polydentate compounds, containing their donor atoms either incorporated in or less commonly attached to a cyclic backbone. Macrocyclic compounds having heteroatoms are important compounds with broad spectrum of biological activities [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] apart from their potential applications in supramolecular chemistry, catalysis and new materials. [8,9] Over the last few years, macrocyclic chemistry has attracted lot of interest and has become a growing area of research in inorganic and organic chemistry in view of its biological importance. [1][2][3][4] Compared to linear peptide macromolecules, cyclic macromolecules provide improved stability and membrane permeability. These factors were clearly demonstrated in the development of hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease inhibitor, BILN2061. To optimize multiparameters such as aqueous solubility, microsomal stability and lipophilicity, Zapf et al. used the twelve-membered macrocycles as a promising platform to generate potent Hsp90 inhibitors. Their detailed study revealed that as ring size increased aqueous solubility and microsome stability were decreased whereas lipophilicity increased with increasing ring size.[ [10][11][12][13][14] Within different classes of macrocycles, (benz)imidazoleand indole-based macrocycles have received a great deal attention in drug discovery. These compounds exhibit biological activity as antimicrobial and anticancer agents because of their specific structures. Presently, the syntheses of (benz)imidazole-and indole-based macrocycles have received an increasing attention to synthetic (inorganic and organic) chemists and biologists. Therefore, the newly emerging interest in the antimicrobial and anticancer applications of (benz)imidazole-and indole-based macrocycles led us to examine the few accounts available in the recent literature dealing with this area of research. In this review article, we focus on the synthesis and biological applications such as antimicrobial and a...