Medicinal attributes of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines: a review

Pyrazolopyrimidines are the fused heterocyclic ring systems which structurally resemble purines which prompted biological investigations to assess their potential therapeutic significance. They are known to play a crucial role in numerous disease conditions. The advent of their first bioactivity as adenosine antagonistic property divulged their medicinal potential. Radioactivity test on mice cells, morphometric and serological tests on rat hepatocytes, antitumor testing against L1210 and P388 leukemias in mice threw light on their biophysical aspects of significance. Biochemical properties were explored via xanthine oxidase assay, antioxidant enzyme assays, Western blot analysis, mRNA expression of apoptopic genes, receptor binding assays, and tryptan blue exclusion cytotoxicity evaluation. The collective results of biochemical and biophysical properties foregrounded their medicinal significance in central nervous system, cardiovascular system, cancer, inflammation etc. The present manuscript to the best of our knowledge is the first compilation on synthesis and medicinal aspects including structure-activity relationships of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidines reported to date.