Synthesis of potential pyrimidine derivatives via Suzuki cross-coupling reaction as HIV and kinesin Eg5 inhibitors

Medicinal chemistry perspectives on the development of piperazine-containing HIV-1 inhibitors

The Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), one of the most perilous diseases known to humankind. A 2023 estimate put the number of people living with HIV around 40 million worldwide, with the majority benefiting from various antiretroviral therapies. Consequently, the urgent need for the development of effective drugs to combat this virus cannot be overstated. In the realm of medicinal and organic chemistry, the synthesis and identification of novel compounds capable of inhibiting HIV enzymes at different stages of their life cycle are of paramount importance. Notably, the spotlight is on the progress made in enhancing the potency of HIV inhibitors through the use of piperazine-based compounds. Multiple studies have revealed that the incorporation of a piperazine moiety results in a noteworthy enhancement of anti-HIV activity. The piperazine ring assumes a pivotal role in shaping the pharmacophore responsible for inhibiting HIV-1 at critical stage, including attachment, reverse transcription, integration, and protease activity. This review also sheds light on the various opportunities that can be exploited to develop effective antiretroviral targets and eliminate latent HIV reservoirs. The advancement of highly potent analogues in HIV inhibitor research has been greatly facilitated by contemporary medicinal strategies, including molecular/fragment hybridization, structure-based drug design, and bioisosterism. These techniques have opened up new avenues for the development of compounds with enhanced efficacy in combating the virus.

New chalcones and thiopyrimidine analogues derived from mefenamic acid: microwave-assisted synthesis, anti-HIV activity and cytotoxicity as antileukemic agents

The development of new HIV non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors offers the possibility of generating structures of increased potency. To this end, coupling of mefenamic acid (4) with 4-amino-acetophenone (6) in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) reagents afforded 4-(acetyphenyl)-2-((2,3-dimethylphenyl)amino)benzamide (7). Analogously, treatment of mefenamyl chloride (5) prepared from 4 with 6 under microwave irradiation (MWI) afforded 7. A new series of substituted chalconyl-incorporated amide derivatives of mefenamic acid 8–13 were synthesized from condensation of 7 with various substituted benzaldehydes via the Claisen–Schmidt reaction. Treatment of 8 and 11 with thiourea in a basic medium afforded the thiopyrimidine analogues 14 and 15, respectively. The newly synthesized compounds were assayed against HIV-1 and HIV-2 in MT-4 cells. Compounds 9 and 11 showed cytotoxicity values of 2.17 and 2.06 μm, respectively, against mock-infected MT-4 cells (C type adult T leukemia cells), which considered to be promising antileukemic agents.