Abstract
Although melatonin is an astonishing molecule, it is possible that chemistry will help in the discovery of new compounds derived from it that may exceed our expectations regarding antioxidant protection and perhaps even neuroprotection. This review briefly summarizes the significant amount of data gathered to date regarding the multiple health benefits of melatonin and related compounds. This review also highlights some of the most recent directions in the discovery of multifunctional pharmaceuticals intended to act as one-molecule multiple-target drugs with potential use in multifactorial diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders. Herein, we discuss the beneficial activities of melatonin derivatives reported to date, in addition to computational strategies to rationally design new derivatives by functionalization of the melatonin molecular framework. It is hoped that this review will promote more investigations on the subject from both experimental and theoretical perspectives.
Highlights
Chemistry is a science for which every detail matters
Such chemicals are known as multifunctional drugs (MFD), and are referred to as magic bullets or master keys due to their improved therapeutic effects and fewer side effects
The virtuous AOC process continues and AMK is a product derived from the radical scavenging reactions of AFMK [174]
Summary
Chemistry is a science for which every detail matters. every structural modification, regardless how small, will have consequences on the behavior of chemicals. The rational design of new molecules with potential pharmacological benefits is based on this idea In this context, a highly challenging task is to find single chemical entities with multiple biological activities, because they are expected to have better success when used in the treatment of complex (multifactorial) diseases. Such research is usually conducted with the premise that, because the structural changes are small, the new derivatives will retain most of the activity of the parent molecule This assumption may seem naïve, nature itself has proven that there are molecules that can be considered as relatives of melatonin that exhibit similar benefits and even improved properties for specific purposes.
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