Abstract

The two naturally occurring polyamide heterocycles Distamycin and Netropsin belong to a group of heterocyclic compounds called Lexitropsins. These compounds exhibit their activity by binding to the minor groove of the DNA. These minor groove binders MGBs have several biological activities such as anticancer, antibiotics, and anti-parasitic qualities. Over the years several research groups have modified these compounds by replacing the pyrrole groups by other heterocyclic compounds and many other modifications have been employed to both the tail group and the head group. These gave rise to compounds with different biological activities.