Medicinal Chemistry Meets Electrochemistry: Redox Potential in the Role of Endpoint or Molecular Descriptor in QSAR/QSPR

Many biochemical reactions are based on redox reactions. Therefore, the redox potential of a chemical compound may be related to its therapeutic or physiological effects. The study of redox properties of compounds is a domain of electrochemistry. The subject of this review is the relationship between electrochemistry and medicinal chemistry, with a focus on quantifying these relationships. A summary of the relevant achievements in the correlation between redox potential and structure, therapeutic activity, resp., is presented. The first part of the review examines the applicability of QSPR for the prediction of redox properties of medically important compounds. The second part brings the exhaustive review of publications using redox potential as a molecular descriptor in QSAR of biological activity. Despite the complexity of medicinal chemistry and biological reactions, it is possible to employ redox potential in QSAR/QSPR. In many cases, this electrochemical parameter plays an essential but rarely absolute role.