Chemistry of pyridoxine in drug design

Pyridoxine and its derivatives, pyridoxamine and pyridoxal, are the three main forms of vitamin B6, which play exceptionally important biological roles in living organisms. The active endogenous metabolites of these molecules, pyridoxal phosphate and pyridoxamine phosphate, are the most important coenzymes involved in a wide range of biochemical reactions necessary for cell activity, due to which pyridoxine and its derivatives are regarded as biologically privileged molecules. Taking into account also the wide possibilities for chemical modification of the pyridoxine structure, it is only natural for medicinal chemists to explore them in the design of novel drugs. This review summarizes the data on the main pharmacologically significant pyridoxine derivatives (including pyridoxamine and pyridoxal derivatives) reported in modern scientifi c and patent sources. Methods for their synthesis, key pharmacological properties, and medicinal chemistry concepts underlying the design of the developing physiologically active compounds are presented. The promising directions for future development of chemistry of physiologically active pyridoxine derivatives are also discussed.