Tetrahydroisoquinoline is an organic compound with the chemical formula C9H11N. It is classified as a secondary amine, obtained from isoquinoline by hydrogenation. The tetrahydroisoquinoline moiety forms the backbone of several natural, synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs approved for the treatment of cancer, pain, gout and various neurodegenerative diseases.
Quinolines are an important class of biologically active heterocyclic compounds, and their derivatives usually exhibit a variety of biological activities. They can be used as antimalarial drugs and in the preparation of other antimalarial drugs. Other important activities of quinoline derivatives include inhibitory activity against EGFR-TK and antipsychotic activity. Futhermore, quinoline scaffolds are present in various drug molecules, including the antimalarial drugs aablaquine, chloroquine, mefloquine and primaquine, and the antibacterial agents gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin.