PubChem applications in drug discovery: a bibliometric analysis

A bibliometric analysis of Pub Chem applications is presented by reviewing 1132 research articles. The massive volume of chemical structure and bioactivity data in Pub Chem and its online services have been used globally in various fields including chemical biology, medicinal chemistry and informatics research. Pub Chem supports drug discovery in many aspects such as lead identification and optimization, compound-target profiling, polypharmacology studies and unknown chemical identity elucidation. Pub Chem has also become a valuable resource for developing secondary databases, informatics tools and web services. The growing Pub Chem resource with its public availability offers support and great opportunities for the interrogation of pharmacological mechanisms and the genetic basis of diseases, which are vital for drug innovation and repurposing.