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Pharmacology and structure‐activity relationships of bioactive polycyclic cage compounds: A focus on pentacycloundecane derivatives
Author(s) -
Geldenhuys Werner J.,
Malan Sarel F.,
Bloomquist Jeffrey R.,
Marchand Alan P.,
Van der Schyf Cornelis J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
medicinal research reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.868
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1098-1128
pISSN - 0198-6325
DOI - 10.1002/med.20013
Subject(s) - amantadine , pharmacology , chemistry , pharmacodynamics , medicine , pharmacokinetics
Abstract The chemistry of organic polycyclic cage compounds has intrigued medicinal chemists for over 50 years, yet little is published about their pharmacological profiles. Polycyclic cage compounds have important pharmaceutical applications, ranging from the symptomatic and proposed curative treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease (e.g., amantadine and memantine), to use as anti‐viral agents against influenza and the immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The polycyclic cage appears to be a useful scaffold to yield drugs with a wide scope of applications, and can be used also to modify and improve the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of drugs in current use. This review attempts to summarize the pharmacological profiles of polycyclic cage compounds with an emphasis on the lesser known pentacycloundecanes, homocubanes, and trishomocubanes. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.