Abstract
The photochemistry of heterocyclic compounds is of importance in the field of pharmaceutical science because its research provides not only the useful methodology for the synthesis of novel heterocyclic compounds but also the crucial information for the photolability of drugs containing heterocycles. Furthermore, there has been a fundamental study on the photochemistry of heterocyclic compounds which contributes promisingly to biochemistry as well as photobiology. In the continuation of our studies for about two decades in above context, we observed some intriguing photochemical reactions which serve as novel synthetic methods for heterocyclic compounds and clarify the chemical feature in the photolability of drugs. The recent discovery of a novel class of heterocyclic N-oxide possessing the highly efficient photooxidation capacity is of particular interest and provides a functional mimic of iron oxenoid or oxygen being applicable as biomimetic tools to investigations on the enzymatic oxidation of biological and xenobiotic substances and on the oxidative damage of nucleic acids by active oxygen species. This review describes and discusses our own results obtained in the photochemical studies of heterocyclic compounds in the light of pharmaceutical science.
