Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026
09:44
Chemogenetic Regulation in Reprogrammed Stem Cell-derived Precursor Cells in Treating Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: May 2, 2025
Designer drugs: a medicinal chemistry perspective
F Ivy Carroll1, Anita H Lewin, S Wayne Mascarella
1Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2194, USA. fic@rti.org
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|November 19, 2011
Summary
Clandestine chemists exploit medicinal chemistry principles to create novel designer drugs, mimicking opioids, stimulants, and cannabinoids while evading legal controls. This review details their methods for synthesizing psychoactive substance analogs.
Area of Science:
- Medicinal Chemistry
- Pharmacology
- Organic Synthesis
Background:
- Extensive literature details the properties and synthesis of numerous psychoactive substances.
- Clandestine chemists leverage this scientific information to create novel drug analogs.
- These "designer drugs" are designed to mimic the effects of controlled substances.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review how medicinal chemistry principles are applied in the design of designer drugs.
- To highlight the synthesis of analogs for opioids, amphetamines, cannabinoids, and phencyclidines.
- To explain how these designer drugs circumvent legal regulations.
Main Methods:
- Review of medicinal chemistry literature and synthetic methodologies.
- Analysis of chemical structures and pharmacological profiles of designer drugs.
- Examination of strategies used to evade legal controls.
Main Results:
- Designer drugs are synthesized as analogs of controlled substances like opioids and amphetamines.
- Medicinal chemistry knowledge enables the creation of molecules with desired psychoactive effects.
- Structural modifications allow these compounds to circumvent existing drug laws.
Conclusions:
- Medicinal chemistry knowledge is a powerful tool for both legitimate research and illicit drug design.
- Clandestine chemists actively use synthetic strategies to produce new psychoactive substances.
- The continuous emergence of designer drugs poses challenges for law enforcement and public health.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design
Drug design is a dynamic field that involves discovering and developing new medications based on specific biological targets. This process heavily relies on structure-activity relationships (SAR) and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) to guide the design and optimization of efficient drugs.
SAR studies the intricate relationship between a drug's chemical structure and biological activity. It focuses on understanding how modifications to a drug's structure can influence its...
SAR studies the intricate relationship between a drug's chemical structure and biological activity. It focuses on understanding how modifications to a drug's structure can influence its...
01:27Effects of Chemicals: Overview
Drugs, encompassing various chemical compounds from natural sources, lab synthesis, or genetic engineering, elicit different biological responses in living organisms. Some of these responses are desirable or therapeutic, while others are undesirable. The primary goal of administering a drug is to achieve a therapeutic effect, that is, to address a specific disease or health condition. Any concurrent effects outside of this therapeutic outcome are considered undesirable. These undesirable...
01:26Drug Discovery: Overview
Drug discovery is a multifaceted process involving extensive screening, testing, and optimization of lead compounds to identify potential new drugs for therapeutic use. It combines several approaches, including screening large numbers of natural products, chemical modification of known active molecules, identification of new drug targets, and rational design based on biological mechanisms and drug-receptor structure. These approaches are carried out in both academic research laboratories and...
01:24Principles of Drug Action
Drugs are chemical substances that modify biological responses by interacting with macromolecular targets such as receptors, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes. Pharmacodynamics describes the course of action of drugs leading to the physiological effect at a specific site in the body.
Drugs can be agonists or antagonists. Like the endogenous ligands, agonists always bind and activate the target to produce a cellular response. Agonist binding induces a conformational change which in turn...
Drugs can be agonists or antagonists. Like the endogenous ligands, agonists always bind and activate the target to produce a cellular response. Agonist binding induces a conformational change which in turn...
01:22Biopharmaceutical Factors Influencing Drug Product Design: Overview
Rational drug product design integrates knowledge of the drug’s physicochemical properties, formulation components, manufacturing techniques, and intended route of administration. Each factor influences the drug’s performance, including how it is released, absorbed, and eliminated in the body.The physicochemical properties of a drug—such as solubility, stability, and particle size—affect its compatibility with excipients and the choice of dosage form. Excipients, though pharmacologically...
01:22CNS Stimulants: Psychedelic Agents
Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelic drugs, are a class of substances known for their ability to alter perception, cognition, and emotions. Despite their profound effects on the mind, these drugs are non-addictive, setting them apart from many other abused substances. The mechanism of action of these drugs lies in their impact on the 5-HT2A receptor in the brain. Upon activation, this receptor couples to Gq-type G proteins, triggering a cascade that releases intracellular calcium. This...