Front Cover: Design of 3‐Phenylcoumarins and 3‐Thienylcoumarins as Potent Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitors: Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Docking Studies (ChemMedChem 21/2023)

The Front Cover shows the best docking pose of the most active inhibitor of a series of 5,7‐dihydroxy‐3‐arylcoumarins in the binding pocket of xanthine oxidase. The ligand–target interaction is highlighted by expanding the pocket. The primary function of xanthine oxidase inhibitors is to reduce serum urate levels in patients with gout. These molecules may present antioxidant properties by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species derived from purine metabolism. Gout is caused by an excess of uric acid in the blood. This disease is represented by a hand with small sharp crystals around the joints. These crystals can cause the joint to become red, swollen, and painful. Cover design by Maria João Matos. Graphical components reused with permission from creators: ChemDraw (PerkinElmer 22.2) and Servier. “Rheumathoid Arthritis” is from Servier Medical Art by Servier and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 unported license, available here. More information can be found in the Research Article by Antonella Fais, Francesca Pintus, Sonia Floris, Maria João Matos et al.