In molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (≤ 1000 daltons[1]) organic compound that may regulate a biological process, with a size on the order of 1 nm[citation needed]. Many drugs are small molecules; the terms are equivalent in the literature. Larger structures such as nucleic acids and proteins, and many polysaccharides are not small molecules, although their constituent monomers (ribo- or deoxyribonucleotides, amino acids, and monosaccharides, respectively) are often considered small molecules. Small molecules may be used as research tools to probe biological function as well as leads in the development of new therapeutic agents. Some can inhibit a specific function of a protein or disrupt protein–protein interactions.[2]
Pharmacology usually restricts the term "small molecule" to molecules that bind specific biological macromolecules and act as an effector, altering the activity or function of the target. Small molecules can have a variety of biological functions or applications, serving as cell signaling molecules, drugs in medicine, pesticides in farming, and in many other roles. These compounds can be natural (such as secondary metabolites) or artificial (such as antiviral drugs); they may have a beneficial effect against a disease (such as drugs) or may be detrimental (such as teratogens and carcinogens).
^Macielag MJ (2012). "Chemical properties of antibacterials and their uniqueness". In Dougherty TJ, Pucci MJ (eds.). Antibiotic Discovery and Development. Springer. pp. 801–2. ISBN 978-1-4614-1400-1. The majority of [oral] drugs from the general reference set have molecular weights below 550. In contrast the molecular-weight distribution of oral antibacterial agents is bimodal: 340–450 Da but with another group in the 700–900 molecular weight range.
^Arkin MR, Wells JA (April 2004). "Small-molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions: progressing towards the dream". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 3 (4): 301–17. doi:10.1038/nrd1343. PMID 15060526. S2CID 13879559.
In molecular biology and pharmacology, a smallmolecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (≤ 1000 daltons) organic compound that may regulate...
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include...
polymerization of many smallmolecules, known as monomers. Their consequently large molecular mass, relative to smallmolecule compounds, produces unique...
Smallmolecule sensors are an effective way to detect the presence of metal ions in solution. Although many types exist, most smallmolecule sensors comprise...
thousands of covalently bonded atoms. Many macromolecules are polymers of smallermolecules called monomers. The most common macromolecules in biochemistry are...
chemical reaction in which two molecules are combined to form a single molecule, usually with the loss of a smallmolecule such as water. If water is lost...
organic compounds is smallmolecules, also referred to as 'small organic compounds'. In this context, a smallmolecule is a small organic compound that...
applications. There are two main families of OLED: those based on smallmolecules and those employing polymers. Adding mobile ions to an OLED creates...
of VAL-083 are registered. Vintafolide is a smallmolecule drug conjugate consisting of a smallmolecule targeting the folate receptor. It is currently...
reactions. Frustrated Lewis pairs have been shown to activate many smallmolecules, either by inducing heterolysis or by coordination. The discovery that...
as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids, as well as smallmolecules such as vitamins and hormones. A more general name for this class of...
receptor protein specific to the signal molecule) detects a signal, usually in the form of a small, water-soluble molecule, via binding to a receptor protein...
collaboration with Media Molecule. The studio developed 2013's Tearaway and its extended remake, Tearaway Unfolded. In 2016, they opened a small studio in Brighton...
Settleman, Jeff (2009). "Factors underlying sensitivity of cancers to small-molecule kinase inhibitors". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 8 (9): 709–23. doi:10...
stimuli, providing structure to cells and organisms, and transporting molecules from one location to another. Proteins differ from one another primarily...
A proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) is a heterobifunctional molecule composed of two active domains and a linker, capable of removing specific unwanted...
SmallMolecule Pathway Database (SMPDB) is a comprehensive, high-quality, freely accessible, online database containing more than 600 smallmolecule (i...
AOH1996 is an experimental anticancer medication which acts as a smallmolecule inhibitor of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and is in Phase...
life. The chemistry of the cell also depends upon the reactions of smallmolecules and ions. These can be inorganic (for example, water and metal ions)...
to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end. Polar molecules must...
silencing RNA, is a class of double-stranded RNA at first non-coding RNA molecules, typically 20–24 (normally 21) base pairs in length, similar to miRNA...
by small shifts in otherwise degenerate electronic energy levels and the resulting splittings in those electronic energy levels of atoms, molecules, and...
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