Cholesterol is a lipid which in high concentration can be an important risk factor for coronary diseases and atherosclerotic lesions. This lipid presents an endogenous biosynthesis that involves several steps; one of them is modulated by the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase). HMG-CoA reductase is inhibited by statins, such as simvastatin, in order to reduce seric become active. The structure of simvastatin has a lactone ring that undergoes enzymatic hydrolysis giving the 3,5-dihydroxy-heptanoate metabolite. This group is essential for simvastatin antilipemic activity, but significantly increases their water solubility. Make students understand the influence of chemical groups and organic functions on physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetic profiles of drugs, as simvastatin, is not an easy task. In this context, combine practical strategies and theoretical presentations of the concepts involved on drug biotransformation certainly could improve the teaching learning process. This manuscript correlates organic strategies and in silico techniques throught simvastatin hydrolysis followed by comparative ClogP measurement. This approach intends to allow students to have contact with a cross-platform and multidisciplinary learning, making it ludic, easier and more interesting than theoretical classes.

Teaching classes and events regarding the molecular aspects of drug-receptor interactions is not an easy task. The ligand stereochemistry and the spatial arrangement of the macromolecular targets highly increase the complexity of the process. In this context, the use of alternative and more playful approaches could allow students to gain a more thorough understanding of this important topic in medicinal chemistry. Herein, we describe a practical teaching approach that uses computational strategies as a tool for drug-receptor interaction studies performed for angiotencsin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi). Firstly, the students learn how to find the crystallographic structure (enzyme-ligand complex). Then, they proceed to the treatment of crude crystallographic data. Thereafter, they learn how to analyze the positioning of the drug on the active site of the enzyme, looking for regions related to the molecular recognition. At the end of the study, students can summarize the molecular requirements for the interaction and the structure-activity relationships of the studied drugs.

O objetivo do trabalho foi ressaltar a importância do planejamento de pró-fármacos para a terapia, por meio de exemplos disponíveis no mercado farmacêutico brasileiro. Os princípios da latenciação são sucintamente discutidos. Apresentam-se exemplos de pró-fármacos de muitas classes terapêuticas importantes e as vantagens relativas aos fármacos dos quais derivam são, também, discutidas. Considerando-se a importância dessas classes terapêuticas, tanto do aspecto terapêutico quanto do econômico, o planejamento de pró-fármacos representa aspecto de grande valor na busca de novos fármacos e na indústria farmacêutica como um todo.

The aim of this paper was to emphasize the importance of prodrug design to therapy, by examining examples available on the Brazilian pharmaceutical market. The principles of prodrug design are briefly discussed herein. Examples of prodrugs from many important therapeutic classes are shown and their advantages relative to the drugs they are derived from are also discussed. Considering the importance of these therapeutic classes, from both therapy and economic standpoints, prodrug design is a very valuable aspect in the research of new drugs and for the pharmaceutical industry as a whole.