The circadian clock is an intrinsic time-keeping system that controls daily rhythms in almost all living organisms on the earth. Daily rhythms are observed in various life phenomena, such as sleep-wake cycles, body temperature, blood pressure, and hormone secretion in animals, and stomatal movements and photosynthetic activity in plants. Therefore, controlling the circadian clock in a precise manner will make significant contributions in the elucidation of their molecular mechanisms, as well as to medicine and agriculture. Genetic and molecular biological studies have made substantial progress in understanding of molecular clock mechanisms. For further investigation of the basic mechanisms as well as for therapeutic applications, small-molecule compounds will provide unique opportunities. In this perspective, we highlight chemical biology approaches toward mammalian circadian clock modulation by using small synthetic molecules.

昼夜节律钟是一种固有的计时系统，可控制地球上几乎所有活生物体的日常节律。人们在各种生命现象中观察到日常节律，例如动物的睡眠-觉醒周期，体温，血压和激素分泌，植物中的气孔运动和光合作用活动。因此，以精确的方式控制生物钟将在阐明其分子机制以及医学和农业方面做出重大贡献。遗传和分子生​​物学研究在理解分子时钟机制方面取得了实质性进展。为了进一步研究基本机理以及用于治疗应用，小分子化合物将提供独特的机会。从这个角度来看，