[Supramolecular Pharmaceutical Sciences: A Novel Concept for Future Pharmaceutical Sciences]

Supramolecular chemistry is a useful and important domain for understanding pharmaceutical sciences, since various physiological reactions (e.g., protein association) and drug activities (e.g., the substrate/receptor reaction) are based on supramolecular chemistry. Biological components, such as DNA and cells, are also supermolecules. However, supramolecular chemistry to date has not been a major domain in the field of pharmaceutical study. In this article, we propose a new concept in pharmaceutical sciences termed "supramolecular pharmaceutical sciences" which combines pharmaceutical sciences and supramolecular chemistry. "Supramolecular pharmaceutical sciences" could encompass strictly controlled molecular arrangement, stimulus responsible molecular motion, new functions beyond those of existing molecules, more accurate drug design, new active pharmaceutical ingredients, new perspectives for the investigation of the drug mechanisms, and novel pharmaceutical technologies. Moreover, pharmaceutical sciences are useful for supramolecular chemistry, because biological reactions are very accurate reactions, making this a win-win relationship. Thus, supramolecular pharmaceutical sciences could be useful for developing new methods, hypotheses, ideas, materials, mechanisms, and strategies in the realm of pharmaceutical science.