Heterocyclic compounds as carbonic anhydrase inhibitor.

The carbonic anhydrases (CAs, EC 4.2.1.1) constitute interesting targets for the design of pharmacological agents useful in the treatment or prevention of a variety of disorders such as, glaucoma, acid-base disequilibria, epilepsy, and other neuromuscular diseases, altitude sickness, edema, and obesity. A quite new and unexpected application of the CA inhibitors (CAIs) is with regard to their potential use in the management (imaging and treatment) of hypoxic tumors. A series of sulfonamides, including some clinically used derivatives like acetazolamide, methazolamide, ethoxzolamide, dichlorophenamide, dorzolamide, brinzolamide, benzolamide, and sulpiride, or indisulam, a compound in clinical development as antitumor drug, as well as the sulfamate antiepileptic drug topiramate have been reported to inhibit various human carbonic anhydrase isozyme. Various heterocyclic sulfonamides have been reported in this review with their potency to inhibit different carbonic anhydrases isozymes.