Utilization of halogen bond in lead optimization: a case study of rational design of potent phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors
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Updated: May 31, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
Published on: March 24, 2018
Zhijian Xu1, Zheng Liu, Tong Chen
1State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
For proof-of-concept of halogen bonding in drug design, a series of halogenated compounds were designed based on a lead structure as new inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type 5. Bioassay results revealed a good correlation between the measured bioactivity and the calculated halogen bond energy. Our X-ray crystal structures verified the existence of the predicted halogen bonds, demonstrating that the halogen bond is an applicable tool in drug design and should be routinely considered in lead optimization.
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