Imagine a future where drugs not only fight disease, but dosing more effectively. This is not the case for a distant future. This is a potential reality by improving how drugs interact with the body. A recent study investigated the subtle art of changing drug molecules, focusing on the pharmaceutical ingredients used in the antiviral drug inosine pranobex. By adding fluorine atoms to the molecular structure of ACEDOBEN, researchers have revealed significant changes in its characteristics that may revolutionize its effectiveness and how quickly our bodies can use it.
Latest research by Thomas Shell and Dr. Joshua Boldon of the Department of Chemistry and Physics of Lincoln Memorial University explores the profound effects of fluorine alternatives on the properties of the drug compound Acedoben, a key ingredient in the antiviral drug Inosine inosine inosine pranobex. Their findings, published in the chemical results, highlighted how the body absorbs Acedoben’s significant enhancement of trifluoroacetamide derivatives, thus having a promising impact on drug design and efficacy.
Agapeben plays a crucial role in the preparation of inosine pranobex used to combat various viral infections. The introduction of fluorine transformed acedoben into a new derivative 3f-acpaba, which has a clear advantage over the original molecules in terms of how the body handles and utilizes drugs.
Their research shows that 3F-Acpaba has more than seven times the capacity of fat is Acpaba. This increased ability suggests that 3F-ACPABA can transmit biological barriers more efficiently, especially at the acidic level of the stomach, where acidic levels absorbed into the blood. This trait is crucial because it may increase the availability of drugs in the human body, which means more drugs can circulate and have a positive effect.
Furthermore, the study examines how the electron attraction effect of fluorine atoms affects the electron distribution within the molecule, thus affecting various properties, including acidity and the properties of carbonyl bonds. Interestingly, despite these chemical modifications, the acidity levels of carboxylic acid groups in Acpaba and 3F-Acpaba remained almost the same, highlighting the subtleties of the structural changes involved.
Dr. Shell provides insight into the broad implications of their discovery. “Our results suggest that even smaller chemical modifications can significantly alter the physical properties of the molecule in a way that enhances its therapeutic potential. This may lead to an improvement in the ability of more effective drugs to passively cross biological disorders.” He Explain.
The meaning of this study goes beyond Acedoben. For example, Thomas Shell and Dr. Joshua Boldon recently reported on the physicochemical properties of trifluoroacetamide derivatives of acetaminophen. Dr. Shell is currently exploring the effect of fluorine substitution on the physicochemical properties of other small molecule drugs. Current research contributes to an increasing body of knowledge that supports the strategic use of fluorine in drug design, thereby helping to optimize drug properties for better clinical outcomes. This study is the cornerstone of future research aimed at leveraging the full potential of fluorine in drug development.
Journal Reference
Joshua A. Boldon, Thomas A. Shell, “Physical and Chemical Properties of Acedoben and its Trifluoroacetamido Derivatives”, Chemical Results, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rechem.2023.1010755555516/
Joshua A. Boldon, Thomas A. Shell, “Physical and Chemical Characteristics and Kinetics of Trifluoroacetamide of Cytochrome P-450 Acetaminophen”, Chemical Results, 2023, doi.
About the Author
Thomas Shell Born and raised in Central Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from the University of Richmond, where he used vinyl Imini salt to do pyrrole Undergraduate study on pyrrole synthesis. As a graduate student at Emory University, he, together with Debra Mohler, synthesized and studied lightly responsive organometallic complexes that cleave DNA. Prior to becoming an assistant professor at West Virginia State University, he was a visiting assistant professor at Franklin and Marshall College, where he studied microwave-assisted organic synthesis of succinimide and maleimide. He is a postdoctoral partner at the University of North Carolina David Lawrence and a research assistant professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, where he studies cobalamin as a mildly responsive compound to manipulation of biological systems. He found that in the presence of oxygen, hydroxyhydroxylamine catalyzes the production of hydroxyl radicals and is illuminated with ultraviolet light. Furthermore, he found that it responds to infrared light wavelengths by binding to appropriate fluorophores. This discovery is crucial for the development of molecules that respond to light wavelengths within the optical window of tissue, which is the wavelength that penetrates the tissue most deeply. Molecules that respond to light wavelengths within tissue optical windows are essential for targeted therapy using photoreactive molecules. As an assistant professor at Saint Anselm College and as an assistant professor at Norwich University, he studied the ability of alkylboronin to cleave DNA and release cancer drugs in response to visible light and X Ray exposure. At Lincoln Memorial University, he continued to synthesize alkylbacillin drug conjugates and studied the physiological and chemical properties of fluorinated derivatives of the drug, which usually improve lipophilicity relative to parental molecules . He is an associate professor of chemistry at Lincoln Memorial University.
