The Expanding Role of Pyridine and Dihydropyridine Scaffolds in Drug Design

• Published in: Drug design, development and therapy development and therapy, 2021-01, Vol.15, p.4289-4338
• Main Authors: Ling, Yong, Hao, Zhi-You, Liang, Dong, Zhang, Chun-Lei, Liu, Yan-Fei, Wang, Yan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Alzheimer's disease; Animals; Antihypertensives; Antiretroviral drugs; Antitubercular agents; Arthritis; Bioactive compounds; Biological activity; Blood pressure; Cancer; Chemical compounds; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical - methods; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Crizotinib; current trend; Delavirdine; Design; Dihydropyridine; Dihydropyridines - chemistry; Dihydropyridines - pharmacology; Doxylamine; Drug Design; Drug development; Drug Development - methods; Drugs; Ethionamide; FDA approval; Health aspects; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Hypertension; Infants (Premature); Inhibitor drugs; Isoniazid; Metabolism; Myasthenia; Myasthenia gravis; Natural products; Neuromuscular junctions; Nifedipine; nitrogen heterocycles; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Permeability; Pharmaceutical sciences; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacology; Piroxicam; Premature birth; Prostate cancer; Pyridine; Pyridines; Pyridines - chemistry; Pyridines - pharmacology; Pyridostigmine; Review; Ringworm; Roflumilast; Scaffolds; Structure-Activity Relationship; substituent effect; Tacrine; Targeted cancer therapy; Therapeutic applications; Tuberculosis
• ISSN: 1177-8881; 1177-8881
• DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s329547

Pyridine-based ring systems are one of the most extensively used heterocycles in the field of drug design, primarily due to their profound effect on pharmacological activity, which has led to the discovery of numerous broad-spectrum therapeutic agents. In the US FDA database, there are 95 approved pharmaceuticals that stem from pyridine or dihydropyridine, including isoniazid and ethionamide (tuberculosis), delavirdine (HIV/AIDS), abiraterone acetate (prostate cancer), tacrine (Alzheimer's), ciclopirox (ringworm and athlete's foot), crizotinib (cancer), nifedipine (Raynaud's syndrome and premature birth), piroxicam (NSAID for arthritis), nilvadipine (hypertension), roflumilast (COPD), pyridostigmine (myasthenia gravis), and many more. Their remarkable therapeutic applications have encouraged researchers to prepare a larger number of biologically active compounds decorated with pyridine or dihydropyridine, expandeing the scope of finding a cure for other ailments. It is thus anticipated that myriad new pharmaceuticals containing the two heterocycles will be available in the forthcoming decade. This review examines the prospects of highly potent bioactive molecules to emphasize the advantages of using pyridine and dihydropyridine in drug design. We cover the most recent developments from 2010 to date, highlighting the ever-expanding role of both scaffolds in the field of medicinal chemistry and drug development.