Bharatam PV, Valanju OR, Wani AA, Dhaked DK. Importance of tautomerism in drugs.
Drug Discov Today 2023;
28:103494. [PMID:
36681235 DOI:
10.1016/j.drudis.2023.103494]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Tautomerism is an important phenomenon exhibited by many drugs. As we discuss in this review, identifying the different tautomers of drugs and exploring their importance in the mechanisms of drug action are integral components of current drug discovery. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), Raman, and terahertz spectroscopic techniques, as well as X-ray diffraction, are useful for exploring drug tautomerism. Quantum chemical methods, in association with pharmacoinformatics tools, are being used to evaluate tautomeric preferences in terms of energy effects. Desmotropy (i.e., tautomeric polymorphism) of the drugs is particularly important in drug delivery studies.
Collapse