Chemical similarity of molecules with physiological response

Abstract

Measuring the similarity among molecules is an important task in various chemically oriented problems. This elusive concept is hard to define and quantify. Moreover, the complexity of the problem is elevated by bifurcating the notion of molecular similarity to structural and chemical similarity. While the structural similarity of molecules is being extensively researched, the so-called chemical similarity is being mentioned scarcely. Here, we propose a way of converting the physico-chemical properties into molecular fingerprints. Then, using the apparatus of measuring the structural similarity, the chemical similarity can be assessed. The proof of a concept is demonstrated on a set of molecules that induce diverse physiological responses. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]