Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 3, 2025

Constructing Thioether/Vinyl Sulfide-tethered Helical Peptides Via Photo-induced Thiol-ene/yne Hydrothiolation
Published on: August 1, 2018
Styryl Group, a Friend or Foe in Medicinal Chemistry
Deendyal Bhurta1,2, Sandip B Bharate1,2
1Natural Products & Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, 180001, India.
Abstract:
The styryl (Ph-CH=CH-R) group is widely represented in medicinally important compounds, including drugs, clinical candidates, and molecular probes as it positively impacts the lipophilicity, oral absorption, and biological activity. The analysis of matched molecular pairs (styryl vs. phenethyl, phenyl, methyl, H) for the biological activity indicates the superiority aspect of styryl compounds. However, the Michael acceptor site in the styryl group makes it amenable to the nucleophilic attack by biological nucleophiles and transformation to the toxic metabolites. One of the downsides of styryl compounds is isomerization that impacts the molecular conformation and directly affects biological activity. The impact of cis-trans isomerism and isosteric replacements on biological activity is exemplified. We also discuss the styryl group-bearing drugs, clinical candidates, and fluorescent probes. Overall, the present review reveals the utility of the styryl group in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.
More Related Videos
08:56Synthesis of a Borylated Ibuprofen Derivative Through Suzuki Cross-Coupling and Alkene Boracarboxylation Reactions
Published on: November 30, 2022
08:47Synthesis and Bioconjugation of Thiol-Reactive Reagents for the Creation of Site-Selectively Modified Immunoconjugates
Published on: March 6, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Prochirality
Radical Reactivity: Steric Effects
Along with electronic...
Adrenergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
Aromatic ring substitutions: Substituting the aromatic ring with –OH groups at positions 3 and 4 yields catecholamines (e.g., epinephrine), which have a high affinity for adrenoceptors. Hydrogen bonding between –OH groups and receptors enhances adrenergic activity.
Separation of...
Structure and Nomenclature of Thiols and Sulfides
Chirality at Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur
A consequence of chirality is the need for enantiomeric resolution. While this is theoretically possible for all...
Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design
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...