Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel 4-Aminopiperidinyl-linked 3,5-Disubstituted-1,2,6-thiadiazine-1,1-dione Derivatives as HIV-1 NNRTIs

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.

Exploring antiviral potency of N-1 substituted pyrimidines against HIV-1 and other DNA/RNA viruses: Design, synthesis, characterization, ADMET analysis, docking, molecular dynamics and biological activity

A novel series of pyrimidine derivatives, bearing modified benzimidazoles at N-1 position, has been designed, synthesized and screened as NNRTIs against HIV and as broad-spectrum antiviral agents. The molecules were screened against different HIV targets using molecular docking experiment. The docking results indicated that the molecules interacted well with the residues Lys101, Tyr181, Tyr188, Trp229, Phe227 and Tyr318 present in NNIBP of HIV-RT protein, formed quite stable complexes and, thus, behaved as probable NNRTIs. Among these compounds, 2b and 4b showed anti-HIV activity with IC50 values as 6.65 µg/mL (SI = 15.50) and 15.82 µg/mL (SI = 14.26), respectively. Similarly, compound 1a showed inhibitory property against coxsackie virus B4 and compound 3b against different viruses. Molecular dynamics simulation results unequivocally demonstrated the higher stability of the complex HIV-RT:2b than the HIV-RT:nevirapine complex. The MM/PBSA-based binding free energy (-) 114.92 kJ/mol of HIV-RT:2b complex in comparison to that of HIV-RT:nevirapine complex (-) 88.33 kJ/mol, further demonstrated the higher binding strength of 2b and thus, established the potential of compound 2b as a lead molecule as an HIV-RT inhibitor.

Discovery of Thiophene[3,2-d]pyrimidine Derivatives as Potent HIV-1 NNRTIs Targeting the Tolerant Region I of NNIBP

Our previous studies led us to conclude that thiophene[3,2-d]pyrimidine is a promising scaffold for diarylpyrimidine (DAPY)-type anti-HIV agents with potent activity against resistance-associated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) variants (J. Med. Chem. 2016, 59, 7991-8007; J. Med. Chem. 2017, 60, 4424-4443). In the present study, we designed and synthesized a series of thiophenepyrimidine derivatives with various substituents in the right wing region of the structure with the aim of developing new interactions with the tolerant region I of the binding pocket of the HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase (NNRTI), and we evaluated their activity against a panel of mutant HIV-1 strains. All the derivatives exhibited moderate to excellent potency against wild-type (WT) HIV-1 in MT-4 cells. Among them, sulfonamide compounds 9b and 9d were single-figure-nanomolar inhibitors with EC₅₀ values of 9.2 and 7.1 nM, respectively. Indeed, 9a and 9d were effective against the whole viral panel except RES056. Notably, both compounds showed potent antiviral activity against K103N (EC₅₀ = 0.032 and 0.070 μM) and E138K (EC₅₀ = 0.035 and 0.045 μM, respectively). Furthermore, 9a and 9d exhibited high affinity for WT HIV-1 RT (IC₅₀ = 1.041 and 1.138 μM, respectively) and acted as classical NNRT inhibitors (NNRTIs). These results are expected to be helpful in the design of thiophenepyrimidine-based NNRTIs with more potent activity against HIV strains with RT mutations.