Hepatitis C NS5B polymerase inhibitors: Functional equivalents for the benzothiadiazine moiety

Dienamine-Catalyzed Nitrone Formation via Redox Reaction

The first catalytic method to directly introduce nitrone functionality onto aldehyde substrates is described. This reaction proceeds by an unprecedented organocatalytic redox mechanism in which an enal is oxidized to the γ-nitrone via dienamine catalysis, thereby reducing an equivalent of nitrosobenzene. This reaction is a unique example of divergent reactivity of an enal, which represents a novel strategy for rapidly accessing small libraries of N,O-heterocycles. Alternatively, divergent reactivity can be suppressed simply by changing solvents.

Synthesis of New Quinolinones from 3-Nitropyranoquinolinones

Alkaline hydrolysis of 3-nitropyranoquinolinones (6-alkyl-4-hydroxy-3-nitro-2 H-pyrano[3,2- c]quinoline-2,5(6 H)-diones) for different reaction times gave five products which were formed by the progressive degradation of the nitropyrano ring. Varying amounts of 3-nitroacetylquinolinones, quinolinones with side-chains of β- and α-ketoacids, quinolinone-3-carboxylic acids and 4-hydroxyquinolinones were isolated. With the aim of preparing new biologically active quinolone derivatives, the products of reaction of the 3-nitropyranoquinolinones with side-chains of β- and α-ketoacids with some nitrogen and carbon nucleophiles were also studied, some giving rise to annulated products.

Recent advances on the synthesis of hepatitis C virus NS5B RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase inhibitors

Hepatitis C is a viral liver infection considered as the major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HCV NS5B polymerase, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, is essential for HCV replication, which is able to catalyze the synthesis of positive (genomic) and negative (template) strand HCV RNA, but has no functional equivalent in mammalian cells. Therefore, the NS5B polymerase has emerged as an attractive target for the development of specifically targeted antiviral therapy for HCV (DAA, for direct-acting antivirals). Recently, a growing number of compounds have been reported as the NS5B polymerase inhibitors, some of which especially have been licensed in clinical trials. This review describes recent advances on the synthesis of the NS5B polymerase inhibitors, focusing on the merits and demerits of their synthetic methods. In particular, inspiration from the synthesis and the future direction of the NS5B polymerase inhibitors are highlighted.

Design and Development of NS5B Polymerase Non‐nucleoside Inhibitors for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects an estimated 130–170 million people worldwide and is associated with life‐threatening liver diseases. The recent introduction of the first two HCV direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) as a complement to the interferon/ribavirin standard of care has provided patients with improved outcomes. Still, 25–30% of subjects infected with genotype 1 HCV do not respond adequately to treatment owing to the emergence of resistant virus and many suffer from severe side effects. A paradigm shift towards the development of interferon‐free combinations of DAAs with complementary modes of action is currently taking place. Virally encoded proteins and enzymes have become the target of HCV drug discovery efforts and several promising new agents are currently being evaluated in the clinic for treatment of chronic HCV infection. The NS5B RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase is responsible for replication of viral RNA and plays a pivotal role in the virus life cycle. NS5B is undoubtedly the most druggable HCV target and is susceptible to several classes of allosteric inhibitors that bind to four distinct sites on the enzyme. This chapter describes successful strategies that have led to the discovery of HCV NS5B antivirals. It is divided according to allosteric sites and describes how each of the known families of inhibitors was discovered, characterized and optimized to provide clinical candidates. When available, the strategies adopted by medicinal chemists to optimize initial leads and address challenges and liabilities encountered on the path to candidate selection are described, along with reported clinical outcomes.

Recent advances in drug discovery of benzothiadiazine and related analogs as HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health burden, with an estimated 170 million chronically infected individuals worldwide, and a leading cause of liver transplantation. Patients are at increased risk of developing liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and even liver failure. In the past two decades, several approaches have been adopted to inhibit non-structural viral proteins. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (NS5B) of HCV is one of the attractive validated targets for development of new drugs to block HCV infection. In this review, we report the recent progress made towards identifying and developing benzothiadiazines as HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors. The substituted benzothiadiazine class was identified by HTS in 2002 as an NS5B inhibitor. Further optimization and modification of the core has improved the potency and pharmacokinetic properties of substituted benzothiadiazines. Research on palm site-binding benzothiadiazine analogs and related derivatives and analogs is discussed in this article.