Foreword

I am extremely happy to find that Dr. Ashok Kumar Jha, Department of Chemistry, Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur, has ventured to edit a book titled “Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry”. Such a treatise is a long-standing requirement for those engaged in research and teaching the subject.

Medicinal Chemistry in Chemical Science has been serving humankind from the very beginning by way of the discovery of potentially bioactive molecules in the treatment of various ailments. Everybody would agree that the role of medicinal chemists is pivotal in the medical sciences. The development of recent therapeutic agents, secondary metabolites from plants and nano drugs, along with drug delivery targets, has added a new dimension to the field of medicinal chemistry. Methods of computational approaches in drug repositioning have emerged as effective techniques recently to cope with the devastating effects of mysterious diseases and pandemics, too. Different databases such as DrugBank, OMIM, ChemBank, and PubMed are worth mentioning in many drug repositioning prospects. A few discoveries have also taken place on isoxazole derivatives as a potential pharmacophore for new drug development. A lot of biological activities such as antimicrobial, antitubercular, antiepileptic, anthelmintic, and antimalarial have been found in heterocyclic compounds.

Cancer, arising from uncontrolled cell division, has emerged as a prominent cause of death around the globe. Carcinogenic agents and toxic heavy metals cause lung, breast and liver cancer in general, and cases of lung cancer among workers in chromium-related industries have already been established due to the ingestion of hexavalent chromium. Different types of chemotherapeutic agents and phytochemicals have been investigated for anticancerous activities.

In addition, nature has a vast treasure of medicinal plants that have not been explored for their therapeutic values till now, and so the mystery has to be unveiled for their medicinal value. From time immemorial, people have been using them as folk medicines to treat ailments. Intensive research is required to characterize the phytochemicals, which are instrumental in the cure of diseases. Some of the chapters on cancer treatment and causative agents, along with the mechanism of uncontrolled cell growth due to metal toxicity, will prove very beneficial for scientists who want to pursue advanced research in the field. Articles in the book “Frontiers in Medicinal Chemistry” have been contributed by experienced and recognized experts in the area of medicinal chemistry with a view to enrich the existing knowledge of those who are engaged in teaching and research in the field.

I do hope that this book will be appreciated by the faculties, researchers as well as students.