Indole, a Privileged Structural Core Motif

Introduction

Indole (1), denominated by some authors as The Lord of the Rings of heterocyclic compounds[1] due to its importance in fields like chemistry, biology, and medicine,[2] represents the structural core of many natural and non-natural products with a wide range of biological properties, including antiviral[3] and anticancer[4] activities. An example of this spectrum of utilities is Arbidol (2), which is administered as a drug in Russia and China against influenza and other respiratory viral infections.[5] Recent examples of other applications of indole-containing compounds are their potential use in SPECT imaging or detecting Aβ plaques in Alzheimer’s disease, as compound 3,[6] or their use as ligands in the synthesis of organometallic complexes with optoelectronic properties and with potential use in the construction of light-emitting devices.[7]

Figure 1 Indole-based target compounds

• References

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