Aminonitrile Potential in Terms of Pharmacological and Clinical Applicability

Bioactive compounds have a wide variety of uses, especially in the clinic. Among the syntheses of natural products with great prominence, are the aminonitriles, which conceive versatile construction groups, which had its discovery in 1850 by Adolph Strecker, since then, several studies have been carried out envisioning new applications for these substances. This study provides an overview of the potential application of aminonitriles in terms of pharmacological and clinical aspects. For its realization, the narrative review method was used, with the use of the PICo strategy to conduct the investigation. The search took place in November and December 2020, aiming at a broad analysis of the scientific bibliography in order to acquire and update the knowledge, highlighting the new ideas and outstanding methods on the assigned subject, without the need to submit the study to an ethics committee in search. Aminonitriles are compounds that contain as functional group an amino (NH2) and a nitrile (CN), they have several reactivity modes, among them hydrolysis, α-deprotonation, quarternization, reductive decay, nitrile reduction and retro reaction -Strecker. The studies reveal a great emphasis on the microbiological and anticancer potential, protagonism in the inhibition of proteases such as cathepsin C, and in the synthesis of natural products, such as alkaloids. Thus, there is still a need for investigative research that explores the antibacterial and viral potential, as well as clinical studies that provide greater evidence of the potential of these agents and their derivatives against tumors.