Uses of Fluorine in Chemotherapy

Fluorinated Natural Products with Clinical Significance

“…Parallel efforts during the subsequent years involving scientists from Canada, Jamaica and the Eli Lilly Company revealed the structures, pharmacology and clinical activity of both vincristin and vinblastine (15) (Fig. 5) [75].…”

“…Due to the high bond energies and heats of formation of H-O and C-O relative to F-O, metabolizing enzymes are unable to oxidatively abstract fluorine in an analogous manner to the common hydrogen abstraction [15]. As a result, fluorinated compounds are often resistant to both chemical and metabolic degradation [16].…”

“…(5). Structures of vinblastine (15), vinorelbine (16) and vinflunine (17 natural product, i.e. catharanthine and vindoline, to give anhydrovinblastine which permitted the large scale production of a readily available template for further semisynthetic alteration [84].…”

Biodegradation of meta-fluorophenol by an acclimated activated sludge

“…In addition, the production and the use of fluorinated substances have been increased enormously in the recent years [3,4]. These compounds are used as propellants, surfactants, agrochemicals, adhesives, refrigerants, fire retardants and medicines.…”

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of some novel 2-(substituted fluorobenzoylimino)-3-(substituted fluorophenyl)-4-methyl-1,3-thiazolines

“…Thus they tend to have similar inherent biological activities. Moreover, the fluorinated compounds tend to be more resistant to metabolic degradation due to the high bond energies and heats of formation of the H-O and C-O bonds relative to those of the F-O bond [3]. Fluorine substitution at a certain position in a drug molecule can influence not only pharmacokinetic properties such as absorption, tissue distribution, secretion and the route and rate of biotransformation but also its pharmacodynamics, toxicology and can improve the efficacy of drugs [4].…”