This relatively short review demonstrates the very important role of the structures of the natural products adrenaline and relatives, in the design and subsequent approval of β-agonists and antagonists, and of modified nucleosides as anticancer, and in particular, antiviral agents against herpes (HSV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) that would not have been synthesized in the absence of knowledge of bioactive arabinose nucleosides.
Keywords:
β-agonist; β-antagonist; nucleoside; natural product-based drug