Searchable database of frequent R-groups in medicinal chemistry and their preferred replacements

Abstract

In compound optimization, analogue series (ASs) are generated by introducing different R-groups (substituents, functional groups) at specific substitution sites. Systematic investigations of R-groups in medicinal chemistry have so far been rare. We have carried out a large-scale computational analysis of R-groups on the basis of ASs covering currently available bioactive compounds (Takeuchi et al., 2021). With the aid of a network data structure, frequently used R-groups and preferred replacements were identified. On the basis of these data, R-group replacement hierarchies were derived and organized in a searchable database that is made freely available. This contribution complements our systematic analysis (Takeuchi et al., 2021) by specifying the data we have generated and detailing their open access deposition.

Keywords

• Medicinal chemistry
• Compound optimization
• Analog series
• R-groups
• Network analysis
• R-group replacement database