Pyridine Heterocycles in the Therapy of Oncological Diseases

Abstract

Oncological diseases pose a major challenge for modern medicine. Heterocyclic compounds play a vital role in modern medical and pharmaceutical science as most medicinal substances incorporate them. Nitrogen-containing heterocycles serve as the basis of numerous drugs and, therefore, are deeply involved in the design and synthesis of promising new therapeutic agents. Pyridine or pyrimidine scaffolds, with a number of substituents attached, comprise a large portion of FDA-approved drugs. They are chemically stable in the human body, manifest an affinity for DNA via hydrogen bonding, and present an opportunity for the development of novel anticancer agents. A large number of pyridine-based molecules are synthesized and tested for anticancer activity each year. The present chapter aims to introduce the most current synthetic approaches, published in scientific literature, and would also elaborate on structure-activity relationships described therein.