Recent advances in the synthesis, reaction, and bio-evaluation potential of purines as precursor pharmacophores in chemical reactions: a review

Abstract

Purines are nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds characterized by the presence of two fused rings: pyrimidine and imidazole. Their significance is underscored by their widespread occurrence in natural products as the metabolic processes of all living organisms heavily rely on purines and their synthetic derivatives. Furthermore, purines exhibit considerable bioactivity, highlighting their importance in biological systems. Given their unique structural characteristics and ability to yield a diverse array of bioactive molecules, purines have attracted substantial attention from researchers. This review illustrates the recent methods for the synthesis of purines from diaminomaleonitrile, urea derivatives, imidazole, and pyrimidine derivatives reported from 2019 to 2024. Additionally, it elucidates the various chemical modifications applied to the purine nucleus, including benzoylation, alkylation, halogenation, amination, selenylation, thiolation, condensation, diazotization, coupling reactions, and other miscellaneous reactions. Moreover, this review discusses several biological evaluations, including the mechanisms of action of purine derivatives as anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and anti-Alzheimer agents. This review aims to assist researchers in synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry toward the development and enhancement of novel methodologies for the synthesis of new purine molecules while supporting biologists in the identification of new targets for bio-evaluation.