A Systematic Cheminformatics Analysis of Functional Groups Occurring in Natural Products

Area of Science:

• Cheminformatics
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

• Natural products are distinguished from synthetic molecules by their unique scaffolds and functional groups (FGs).
• Understanding FG distribution is crucial for drug discovery and development.
• Cheminformatics provides powerful tools for analyzing molecular structures and properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically investigate the distribution of FGs in natural products.
• To compare FG frequencies in natural products with those in synthetic molecules.
• To identify FGs characteristic of molecules produced by living organisms and link them to specific species.

Main Methods:

• Cheminformatics analysis of FG distribution in natural product databases.
• Comparative frequency analysis of FGs between natural and synthetic molecules.
• Inclusion of natural origin data to correlate FGs with producing species.

Main Results:

• Identification of specific FGs that are significantly more prevalent in natural products compared to synthetic molecules.
• Correlation of certain FG occurrences with particular natural product-producing species.
• Quantitative insights into the chemical diversity of natural products.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a systematic characterization of functional groups in natural products.
• Findings facilitate the design of natural product-like chemical libraries and fragment collections.
• Results support strategies for compound derivatization and the creation of novel "non-natural" natural products.