The paper contains an analysis of research on designing drugs based on
acridine derivatives. The discussed series of compounds is of essential value since
acridines belong to the group of natural compounds with the pronounced antibacterial and anti-
tumor activity. Improved chemical-synthesis techniques made it possible to synthesize both simple and complex compounds of the
acridine series; they displayed a clear pharmacological activity as anti-proliferative, anti-
tumor and
antiparasitic preparations. The ability to induce
interferons (INF), type 1, is an expected property of simple
acridine derivatives. A variety of INF inducers, now used clinically, have been designed recently on the basis of the above compounds. The most well-known
acridine derivatives, their pharmacological properties, action mechanisms and outlooks for practical application are described in the paper. The unique qualities of
acridines are primarily attractive due to the possibility of using them for the purpose-oriented designing of drugs. Thus,
acridines were used as a basis to create the specific regulatory HIV-1 elements, proliferation inhibitors of
leukemia cells and new anti-
tumor drugs. The elaboration of complexes of
acridines derivatives combined with
peptides intercalating specifically into the
DNA big or small grooves is the most outstanding trend of
acridines' research--it opens up prospects for using them in the synthesis of compounds regulating the gene expression.