Discovery of a novel unsymmetrical structural class of HCV NS5A inhibitors with low picomolar antiviral activity

N-Heterocycles as Promising Antiviral Agents: A Comprehensive Overview

Viruses are a real threat to every organism at any stage of life leading to extensive infections and casualties. N-heterocycles can affect the viral life cycle at many points, including viral entrance into host cells, viral genome replication, and the production of novel viral species. Certain N-heterocycles can also stimulate the host's immune system, producing antiviral cytokines and chemokines that can stop the reproduction of viruses. This review focused on recent five- or six-membered synthetic N-heterocyclic molecules showing antiviral activity through SAR analyses. The review will assist in identifying robust scaffolds that might be utilized to create effective antiviral drugs with either no or few side effects.

Monte Carlo Method and GA-MLR-Based QSAR Modeling of NS5A Inhibitors against the Hepatitis C Virus

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a serious disease that threatens human health. Despite consistent efforts to inhibit the virus, it has infected more than 58 million people, with 300,000 deaths per year. The HCV nonstructural protein NS5A plays a critical role in the viral life cycle, as it is a major contributor to the viral replication and assembly processes. Therefore, its importance is evident in all currently approved HCV combination treatments. The present study identifies new potential compounds for possible medical use against HCV using the quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR). In this context, a set of 36 NS5A inhibitors was used to build QSAR models using genetic algorithm multiple linear regression (GA-MLR) and Monte Carlo optimization and were implemented in the software CORAL. The Monte Carlo method was used to build QSAR models using SMILES-based optimal descriptors. Four splits were performed and 24 QSAR models were developed and verified through internal and external validation. The model created for split 3 produced a higher value of the determination coefficients using the validation set (R2 = 0.991 and Q2 = 0.943). In addition, this model provides interesting information about the structural features responsible for the increase and decrease of inhibitory activity, which were used to develop eight novel NS5A inhibitors. The constructed GA-MLR model with satisfactory statistical parameters (R2 = 0.915 and Q2 = 0.941) confirmed the predicted inhibitory activity for these compounds. The Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Elimination, and Toxicity (ADMET) predictions showed that the newly designed compounds were nontoxic and exhibited acceptable pharmacological properties. These results could accelerate the process of discovering new drugs against HCV.

Recent studies of nitrogen containing heterocyclic compounds as novel antiviral agents: A review

N-heterocycles are important, not only because of their abundance, but above all because of their chemical, biological and technical significance. They play an important role in biological investigation such as anticancer, antiinflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-tumor, antidiabetic, etc. In this study, we focused on examining synthesized some 5- or 6-ring N-heterocyclic compounds that showed the antiviral activity in last 5 years, and investigation of these compounds structure-activity relationship studies. This review will be useful to scientists in research fields of organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and pharmacology.