Abstract
Retrometabolic drug design (RMDD) approaches are systematic methodologies aimed to design safe compounds with an improved therapeutic index. RMDDs thoroughly integrate structure– activity and structure‐metabolism considerations into the entire design process and incorporate two major concepts aimed to design soft drugs and chemical delivery systems, respectively. Soft drugs (SDs) are new, active therapeutic agents designed to undergo predictable metabolism resulting in inactive metabolites after exerting their desired therapeutic effect(s). Chemical delivery systems (CDSs) are biologically inert molecules that provide enhanced and targeted delivery of an active drug to a particular organ or site through a designed sequential metabolism that involves several steps. Here, we present a comprehensive review including a general overview of the RMDD principles and a large number of specific examples from various pharmacological areas, including many recent developments, to illustrate RMDD concepts. Whenever possible, the rationale for the design as well as the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the new therapeutic agents are briefly summarized and compared to those of the other compounds used in the same field.