Saturated Heterocycles with Applications in Medicinal Chemistry

In recent years, the advantages of incorporating saturated heterocyclic rings in therapeutic agents have become increasingly apparent, as compared to using only aromatic and heteroaromatic ring systems. In particular, saturated heterocyclic ring systems play a central role in medicinal chemistry; frequent advantages include improved aqueous solubility and lower toxicity of metabolites, as well as the potential for greater diversity partly through stereoisomerism. This review illustrates examples of saturated heterocycles with relevance to medicinal chemistry as published in the years 2013–2015. The three main categories discussed are small and medium ring systems containing one heteroatom, spiroheterocyclic ring systems, and heterobicyclo systems.