Inspired by our previous studies to discover novel human immunodeficiency virus-1(HIV-1)nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs)by targeting the tolerant region II of the NNRTIs binding pocket(NNIBP),a s...Inspired by our previous studies to discover novel human immunodeficiency virus-1(HIV-1)nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs)by targeting the tolerant region II of the NNRTIs binding pocket(NNIBP),a series of novel benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives were designed through structure-based drug design as novel potent HIV-1 NNRTIs.The results showed that compound16b was the most active inhibitor,exhibiting 50% effective concentration(EC50)values from 0.021μmol/L to 0.298μmol/L against wild-type(WT)and a panel of NNRTIs-resistant HIV-1 strains.Moreover,16b was demonstrated with a significantly low 50% cytotoxicity concentration(CC_(50))value(>200μmol/L)and high selectivity index(SI)values.In addition,16b yielded moderate reverse transcriptase(RT)enzyme inhibition with a 50% inhibition concentration(IC_(50))value of 0.183μmol/L,which demonstrated that it acted as HIV-1 NNRTIs.The binding mode of 16b with RT was also illustrated via molecular docking.Overall,this work provided a novel lead compound for developing potent HIV-1 NNRTIs.展开更多
Drug resistance remains to be a serious problem with type Ⅰ human immunodeficiency virus(HIV-1) nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs). A series of novel boronic acid-containing diarylpyrimidine(DAPY)...Drug resistance remains to be a serious problem with type Ⅰ human immunodeficiency virus(HIV-1) nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs). A series of novel boronic acid-containing diarylpyrimidine(DAPY) derivatives were designed via bioisosterism and scaffold-hopping strategies,taking advantage of the ability of a boronic acid group to form multiple hydrogen bonds. The target compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-HIV activities and cytotoxicity in MT-4 cells.Compound 10 j yielded the most potent activity and turned out to be a single-digit nanomolar inhibitor towards the HIV-1 ⅢB [wild-type(WT) strain], L100 I and K103 N strains, with 50% effective concentration(EC_(50)) values of 7.19–9.85 nmol/L. Moreover, 10 j inhibited the double-mutant strain RES056 with an EC_(50) value of 77.9 nmol/L, which was 3.3-more potent than that of EFV(EC_(50)= 260 nmol/L) and comparable to that of ETR(EC_(50)= 32.2 nmol/L). 10j acted like classical NNRTIs with high affinity for WT HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT) with 50% inhibition concentration(IC_(50)) value of 0.1837 μmol/L. Furthermore,molecular dynamics simulation indicated that 10 j was proposed as a promising molecule for fighting against HIV-1 infection through inhibiting RT activity. Overall, the results demonstrated that 10 j could serve as a lead molecule for further modification to address virus-drug resistance.展开更多
With rapid spread of HIV(human immunodeficiency virus) on a global scale and increasingly severe drug-resistance of it,it is urgently necessary to develop novel effective anti-HIV drugs.Non-nucleoside reverse transcri...With rapid spread of HIV(human immunodeficiency virus) on a global scale and increasingly severe drug-resistance of it,it is urgently necessary to develop novel effective anti-HIV drugs.Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor(NNRTIs)is one of the most significant antiretroviral drugs for fighting against HIV infection due to their various structures,unique mode of action,good efficacy and low toxicity.Pyridinone derivatives,a type of NNRTIs,have been reported to achieve remarkable development in the past few decades.In this review,we summarized current drug design and medicinal chemistry efforts toward the development of next-generation pyridinones as HIV-1 NNRTIs.展开更多
HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT)has received great attention as an attractive therapeutic target for acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS),but the inevitable drug resistance and side effects have always been major ...HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT)has received great attention as an attractive therapeutic target for acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS),but the inevitable drug resistance and side effects have always been major challenges faced by non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs).This work aimed to identify novel chemotypes of anti-HIV-1 agents with improved drugresistance profiles,reduced toxicity,and excellent druggability.A series of diarylpyrimidine(DAPY)derivatives were prepared via structural modifications of the leads K-5a2 and 25a.Among them,15a with dimethylphosphine oxide moiety showed the most prominent antiviral potency against all of the tested viral panel,being 1.6-fold(WT,EC_(50) Z 1.75 nmol/L),3.0-fold(L100I,EC_(50) Z 2.84 nmol/L),2.4-fold(K103N,EC_(50) Z 1.27 nmol/L),3.3-fold(Y181C,EC50 Z 5.38 nmol/L),2.9-fold(Y188L,EC_(50) Z 7.96 nmol/L),2.5-fold(E138K,EC_(50) Z 4.28 nmol/L),4.8-fold(F227L/V106A,EC_(50) Z 3.76 nmol/L)and 5.3-fold(RES056,EC_(50) Z 15.8 nmol/L)more effective than that of the marketed drug ETR.Molecular docking results illustrated the detailed interactions formed by compound 15a and WT,F227L/V106A,and RES056 RT.Moreover,15a-HCl carried outstanding pharmacokinetic(t1/2 Z 1.32 h,F Z 40.8%)and safety profiles(LD_(50)>2000 mg/kg),which demonstrated that 15a HCl is a potential anti-HIV-1 drug candidate.展开更多
Human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)is the primary infectious agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS),and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs)are the cornerstone of HIV treatment.In the last ...Human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)is the primary infectious agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS),and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs)are the cornerstone of HIV treatment.In the last 20 years,our medicinal chemistry group has made great strides in developing several distinct novel NNRTIs,including 1-[(2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl]-6-(phenylthio)thymine(HEPT),thio-dihydro-alkoxy-benzyl-oxopyrimidine(S-DABO),diaryltriazine(DATA),diarylpyrimidine(DAPY)analogues,and their hybrid derivatives.Application of integrated modern medicinal strategies,including structure-based drug design,fragment-based optimization,scaffold/fragment hopping,molecular/fragment hybridization,and bioisosterism,led to the development of several highly potent analogues for further evaluations.In this paper,we review the development of NNRTIs in the last two decades using the above optimization strategies,including their structure-activity relationships,molecular modeling,and their binding modes with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT).Future directions and perspectives on the design and associated challenges are also discussed.展开更多
In this report,a series of novel piperidine-substituted thiophene[3,2-d]pyrimidine derivatives were designed to explore the hydrophobic channel of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors binding pocket(NNI...In this report,a series of novel piperidine-substituted thiophene[3,2-d]pyrimidine derivatives were designed to explore the hydrophobic channel of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors binding pocket(NNIBP)by incorporating an aromatic moiety to the left wing of the lead K-5 a2.The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for anti-HIV potency in MT-4 cells and inhibitory activity to HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT).Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited broad-spectrum activity toward wild-type and a wide range of HIV-1 strains carrying single non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTI)-resistant mutations.Especially,compound 26 exhibited the most potent activity against wild-type and a panel of single mutations(L1001,K103 N,Y181 C,Y188 L and E138 K)with an EC50 ranging from 6.02 to 23.9 nmol/L,which were comparable to those of etravirine(ETR).Moreover,the RT inhibition activity,preliminary structure-activity relationship and molecular docking were also investigated.Furthermore,26 exhibited favorable pharmacokinetics(PK)profiles and with a bioavailability of 33.8%.Taken together,the results could provide valuable insights for further optimization and compound 26 holds great promise as a potential drug candidate for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.展开更多
An effective synthesis method for preparing 4,6-disubstituted pyridinones was reported. Ethyl 3-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate was an important intermediate, by which 6-substituted pyridinones could be prepared. The decarboxyla...An effective synthesis method for preparing 4,6-disubstituted pyridinones was reported. Ethyl 3-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate was an important intermediate, by which 6-substituted pyridinones could be prepared. The decarboxylation condition was optimized for compound 4. After protected with a methoxy group, the compound was reacted with BnBr to form the target compound 11. The structures were characterized by ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and HRMS, and its enzyme inhibition activity was also determined.展开更多
In continuation of our efforts toward the discovery of potent HIV-1 NNRTIs with diverse structures,a series of novel S-DACO analogues of 6-(2-cyclohexyl-1-allkyl)-2-(2-oxo-2-phenyl-ethylsulfanyl)pyrimidin-4(3 H)-ones ...In continuation of our efforts toward the discovery of potent HIV-1 NNRTIs with diverse structures,a series of novel S-DACO analogues of 6-(2-cyclohexyl-1-allkyl)-2-(2-oxo-2-phenyl-ethylsulfanyl)pyrimidin-4(3 H)-ones were designed,synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral activities in MT-4 cells.Most of these new compounds showed moderate to good activities against wild type HIV-1 with IC_(50) values ranging from 7.55μmol/L to 0.018μmol/L.Among them,compound 5 c was identified as the most promising inhibitor against HIV-1 replication with an IC_(50)=0.018μmol/L,CC_(50)=194μmol/L,and SI=12791,which was much more potent than the reference drugs NVP and DLV and comparable to AZT and EFV.In addition,5 c also exhibited improved activity against double mutant HIV-1 strain RES056 compared to that of the reference drugs NVP/DLV and DB02.The preliminary structure-activity relationship(SAR)and molecular modeling studies were also discussed,which provides some useful indications for guiding the further rational design of new S-DACO analogues.展开更多
The new regioisomer 7-methyl-pyrazolo[4,5-e][1,2,4]thiadiazine nucleus (5) was synthesized, and its novel mono-N2- or N4-substituted pyrazolo[4,5-e][1,2,4]thiadiazines (6, 7) were regioselectively prepared by deproton...The new regioisomer 7-methyl-pyrazolo[4,5-e][1,2,4]thiadiazine nucleus (5) was synthesized, and its novel mono-N2- or N4-substituted pyrazolo[4,5-e][1,2,4]thiadiazines (6, 7) were regioselectively prepared by deprotonation of N2 or/and N4 atoms with different molar ratio of NaH and alkyl halides. Anti-HIV-1 screening tests showed some compounds to be potent as HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (HIV-1 NNRTIs).展开更多
A novel series of CHOR-HEPT non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors were developed by means of structure-based design strategy based on compound 6 reported previously by our group. Most of these compound...A novel series of CHOR-HEPT non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors were developed by means of structure-based design strategy based on compound 6 reported previously by our group. Most of these compounds showed moderate to good activity toward wild-type HIV-1 strain with EC50values in the range of 0.18–51.88 μmol/L and SI values in the range of 4–907. The compound 14aj with a CHOH linker and compound 13i with a CHOTMS linker in this series exhibited improved anti-HIV-1 activity(EC50= 0.18 μmol/L, and 0.20 μmol/L) with higher selectivity(SI = 907, and 665) as comparison with the lead compound 6(EC50= 0.59 μmol/L, SI = 9). These two compounds 14aj and 13i were more sensitive than 6 toward clinically relevant mutant L100I, K103N and E138K viruses, which were further evaluated for their activity against wild-type reverse transcriptase and displayed a good correlation with the cell-based activity. Preliminary molecular modeling investigations provided insight for further structural optimization of HEPT.展开更多
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC,Nos.81973181,82273773)Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation(Nos.ZR2020YQ61,ZR2020JQ31)Qilu Young Scholars Program of Shandong University and Taishan Scholar Program at Shandong Province。
文摘Inspired by our previous studies to discover novel human immunodeficiency virus-1(HIV-1)nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs)by targeting the tolerant region II of the NNRTIs binding pocket(NNIBP),a series of novel benzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives were designed through structure-based drug design as novel potent HIV-1 NNRTIs.The results showed that compound16b was the most active inhibitor,exhibiting 50% effective concentration(EC50)values from 0.021μmol/L to 0.298μmol/L against wild-type(WT)and a panel of NNRTIs-resistant HIV-1 strains.Moreover,16b was demonstrated with a significantly low 50% cytotoxicity concentration(CC_(50))value(>200μmol/L)and high selectivity index(SI)values.In addition,16b yielded moderate reverse transcriptase(RT)enzyme inhibition with a 50% inhibition concentration(IC_(50))value of 0.183μmol/L,which demonstrated that it acted as HIV-1 NNRTIs.The binding mode of 16b with RT was also illustrated via molecular docking.Overall,this work provided a novel lead compound for developing potent HIV-1 NNRTIs.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81973181, 81903453)Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No. ZR2019BH011)+7 种基金Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK2019041035)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Nos. 2019T120596, 2018M640641)Science Foundation for Outstanding Young Scholars of Shandong Province (No. ZR2020JQ31)Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars of Shandong Province (No. ZR2020YQ61)National Science and Technology Major Projects for "Major New Drugs Innovation and Development" (2019ZX09301126)Shandong Provincial Key Research and Development Project (Nos. 2017CXGC1401, 2019JZZY021011)Foreign cultural and educational experts Project (No. GXL20200015001)the Taishan Scholar Program at Shandong Province and KU Leuven (No. GOA 10/014)。
文摘Drug resistance remains to be a serious problem with type Ⅰ human immunodeficiency virus(HIV-1) nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs). A series of novel boronic acid-containing diarylpyrimidine(DAPY) derivatives were designed via bioisosterism and scaffold-hopping strategies,taking advantage of the ability of a boronic acid group to form multiple hydrogen bonds. The target compounds were synthesized and evaluated for their anti-HIV activities and cytotoxicity in MT-4 cells.Compound 10 j yielded the most potent activity and turned out to be a single-digit nanomolar inhibitor towards the HIV-1 ⅢB [wild-type(WT) strain], L100 I and K103 N strains, with 50% effective concentration(EC_(50)) values of 7.19–9.85 nmol/L. Moreover, 10 j inhibited the double-mutant strain RES056 with an EC_(50) value of 77.9 nmol/L, which was 3.3-more potent than that of EFV(EC_(50)= 260 nmol/L) and comparable to that of ETR(EC_(50)= 32.2 nmol/L). 10j acted like classical NNRTIs with high affinity for WT HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT) with 50% inhibition concentration(IC_(50)) value of 0.1837 μmol/L. Furthermore,molecular dynamics simulation indicated that 10 j was proposed as a promising molecule for fighting against HIV-1 infection through inhibiting RT activity. Overall, the results demonstrated that 10 j could serve as a lead molecule for further modification to address virus-drug resistance.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.21172014,20972011 and 21042009).
文摘With rapid spread of HIV(human immunodeficiency virus) on a global scale and increasingly severe drug-resistance of it,it is urgently necessary to develop novel effective anti-HIV drugs.Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor(NNRTIs)is one of the most significant antiretroviral drugs for fighting against HIV infection due to their various structures,unique mode of action,good efficacy and low toxicity.Pyridinone derivatives,a type of NNRTIs,have been reported to achieve remarkable development in the past few decades.In this review,we summarized current drug design and medicinal chemistry efforts toward the development of next-generation pyridinones as HIV-1 NNRTIs.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC Nos.81973181,82273773)Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation(ZR2020YQ61,ZR2020JQ31,China)Qilu Young Scholars Program of Shandong University and Taishan Scholar Program at Shandong Province.
文摘HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT)has received great attention as an attractive therapeutic target for acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS),but the inevitable drug resistance and side effects have always been major challenges faced by non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs).This work aimed to identify novel chemotypes of anti-HIV-1 agents with improved drugresistance profiles,reduced toxicity,and excellent druggability.A series of diarylpyrimidine(DAPY)derivatives were prepared via structural modifications of the leads K-5a2 and 25a.Among them,15a with dimethylphosphine oxide moiety showed the most prominent antiviral potency against all of the tested viral panel,being 1.6-fold(WT,EC_(50) Z 1.75 nmol/L),3.0-fold(L100I,EC_(50) Z 2.84 nmol/L),2.4-fold(K103N,EC_(50) Z 1.27 nmol/L),3.3-fold(Y181C,EC50 Z 5.38 nmol/L),2.9-fold(Y188L,EC_(50) Z 7.96 nmol/L),2.5-fold(E138K,EC_(50) Z 4.28 nmol/L),4.8-fold(F227L/V106A,EC_(50) Z 3.76 nmol/L)and 5.3-fold(RES056,EC_(50) Z 15.8 nmol/L)more effective than that of the marketed drug ETR.Molecular docking results illustrated the detailed interactions formed by compound 15a and WT,F227L/V106A,and RES056 RT.Moreover,15a-HCl carried outstanding pharmacokinetic(t1/2 Z 1.32 h,F Z 40.8%)and safety profiles(LD_(50)>2000 mg/kg),which demonstrated that 15a HCl is a potential anti-HIV-1 drug candidate.
基金funded by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81872791 and 21372050)the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by the China Association forScience and Technology(2017QNRC061)+1 种基金National Key R&D Program of China(2017YFA0506000)the Key Research and Development Program of Ningxia(2019BFG02017 and 2018BFH02001,China)
文摘Human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)is the primary infectious agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS),and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs)are the cornerstone of HIV treatment.In the last 20 years,our medicinal chemistry group has made great strides in developing several distinct novel NNRTIs,including 1-[(2-hydroxyethoxy)methyl]-6-(phenylthio)thymine(HEPT),thio-dihydro-alkoxy-benzyl-oxopyrimidine(S-DABO),diaryltriazine(DATA),diarylpyrimidine(DAPY)analogues,and their hybrid derivatives.Application of integrated modern medicinal strategies,including structure-based drug design,fragment-based optimization,scaffold/fragment hopping,molecular/fragment hybridization,and bioisosterism,led to the development of several highly potent analogues for further evaluations.In this paper,we review the development of NNRTIs in the last two decades using the above optimization strategies,including their structure-activity relationships,molecular modeling,and their binding modes with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT).Future directions and perspectives on the design and associated challenges are also discussed.
基金financial support from the Key Project of NSFC for International Cooperation(No.81420108027,China)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC Nos.81273354,81573347,81903453)+6 种基金Young Scholars Program of Shandong University(YSPSDU No.2016WLJH32,China)Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation(ZR2019BH011,China)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2018M640641,2019T120596)Key research and development project of Shandong Province(No.2017CXGC1401,China)KU Leuven(GOA 10/014,Belgium)the Spanish Government(MINECO Project SAF2017-881074-R,AEI/FEDER,UE)Generalitat de Catalunya(2017SGR1746,Spain)for the financial support
文摘In this report,a series of novel piperidine-substituted thiophene[3,2-d]pyrimidine derivatives were designed to explore the hydrophobic channel of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors binding pocket(NNIBP)by incorporating an aromatic moiety to the left wing of the lead K-5 a2.The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for anti-HIV potency in MT-4 cells and inhibitory activity to HIV-1 reverse transcriptase(RT).Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited broad-spectrum activity toward wild-type and a wide range of HIV-1 strains carrying single non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTI)-resistant mutations.Especially,compound 26 exhibited the most potent activity against wild-type and a panel of single mutations(L1001,K103 N,Y181 C,Y188 L and E138 K)with an EC50 ranging from 6.02 to 23.9 nmol/L,which were comparable to those of etravirine(ETR).Moreover,the RT inhibition activity,preliminary structure-activity relationship and molecular docking were also investigated.Furthermore,26 exhibited favorable pharmacokinetics(PK)profiles and with a bioavailability of 33.8%.Taken together,the results could provide valuable insights for further optimization and compound 26 holds great promise as a potential drug candidate for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.
基金supported in part by grants from NSFC (39970851,30560179)863 Program (2006AA020602)+3 种基金973 Program (2009CB522306)Key Scientificand Technology Projects of China (2008ZX10001-015,2009ZX09501-029)Yunnan (2007BC006,2009BC018)CAS(KSCX1-YW-R-24)
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.20972011 and 21042009)
文摘An effective synthesis method for preparing 4,6-disubstituted pyridinones was reported. Ethyl 3-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate was an important intermediate, by which 6-substituted pyridinones could be prepared. The decarboxylation condition was optimized for compound 4. After protected with a methoxy group, the compound was reacted with BnBr to form the target compound 11. The structures were characterized by ^1H NMR, ^13C NMR and HRMS, and its enzyme inhibition activity was also determined.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.21967020,U1702286,21362017,21262044)Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University(No.IRT17R94,China)Fund of Academician Working Station of Yunnan Province(No.2018IC057)。
文摘In continuation of our efforts toward the discovery of potent HIV-1 NNRTIs with diverse structures,a series of novel S-DACO analogues of 6-(2-cyclohexyl-1-allkyl)-2-(2-oxo-2-phenyl-ethylsulfanyl)pyrimidin-4(3 H)-ones were designed,synthesized and evaluated for their antiviral activities in MT-4 cells.Most of these new compounds showed moderate to good activities against wild type HIV-1 with IC_(50) values ranging from 7.55μmol/L to 0.018μmol/L.Among them,compound 5 c was identified as the most promising inhibitor against HIV-1 replication with an IC_(50)=0.018μmol/L,CC_(50)=194μmol/L,and SI=12791,which was much more potent than the reference drugs NVP and DLV and comparable to AZT and EFV.In addition,5 c also exhibited improved activity against double mutant HIV-1 strain RES056 compared to that of the reference drugs NVP/DLV and DB02.The preliminary structure-activity relationship(SAR)and molecular modeling studies were also discussed,which provides some useful indications for guiding the further rational design of new S-DACO analogues.
文摘The new regioisomer 7-methyl-pyrazolo[4,5-e][1,2,4]thiadiazine nucleus (5) was synthesized, and its novel mono-N2- or N4-substituted pyrazolo[4,5-e][1,2,4]thiadiazines (6, 7) were regioselectively prepared by deprotonation of N2 or/and N4 atoms with different molar ratio of NaH and alkyl halides. Anti-HIV-1 screening tests showed some compounds to be potent as HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (HIV-1 NNRTIs).
基金financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22077018)National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2017YFA0506000)。
文摘A novel series of CHOR-HEPT non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors were developed by means of structure-based design strategy based on compound 6 reported previously by our group. Most of these compounds showed moderate to good activity toward wild-type HIV-1 strain with EC50values in the range of 0.18–51.88 μmol/L and SI values in the range of 4–907. The compound 14aj with a CHOH linker and compound 13i with a CHOTMS linker in this series exhibited improved anti-HIV-1 activity(EC50= 0.18 μmol/L, and 0.20 μmol/L) with higher selectivity(SI = 907, and 665) as comparison with the lead compound 6(EC50= 0.59 μmol/L, SI = 9). These two compounds 14aj and 13i were more sensitive than 6 toward clinically relevant mutant L100I, K103N and E138K viruses, which were further evaluated for their activity against wild-type reverse transcriptase and displayed a good correlation with the cell-based activity. Preliminary molecular modeling investigations provided insight for further structural optimization of HEPT.
