Miniaturized click chemistry and direct screening facilitate the discovery of triazole piperazine SARS-CoV-2 M inhibitors with improved metabolic stability.

The continuous mutational nature of SARS-CoV-2 and its inter-species' similarities emphasize the urgent need to design and develop more direct-acting antiviral agents against highly infectious variants. Herein, we report on the efficient discovery of potent non-covalent non-peptide-derived M inhibitors using miniaturized click chemistry and direct screening. Based on the privileged piperazine scaffold, 68 triazole-containing derivatives were assembled and screened.

[Not Available].

The main protease (M) of SARS-CoV-2 is an attractive target in anti-COVID-19 therapy for its high conservation and major role in the virus life cycle. The covalent M inhibitor nirmatrelvir (in combination with ritonavir, a pharmacokinetic enhancer) and the non-covalent inhibitor ensitrelvir have shown efficacy in clinical trials and have been approved for therapeutic use. Effective antiviral drugs are needed to fight the pandemic, while non-covalent M inhibitors could be promising alternatives due to their high selectivity and favorable druggability.

Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Trisubstituted Piperazine Derivatives as Noncovalent Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Main Protease Inhibitors with Improved Antiviral Activity and Favorable Druggability.

The ongoing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 necessitates the development of additional potent antiviral agents capable of combating the current highly infectious variants and future coronaviruses. Here, we present the discovery of potent nonpeptide main protease (M) inhibitors with prominent antiviral activity and improved pharmacokinetic properties. Three series of 1,2,4-trisubstituted piperazine derivatives were designed and synthesized, and the optimal demonstrated high enzyme-inhibitory potency (IC = 0.

Discovery of novel sulfonamide substituted indolylarylsulfones as potent HIV-1 inhibitors with better safety profiles.

Indolylarylsulfones (IASs) are classical HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) with a unique scaffold and possess potent antiviral activity To address the high cytotoxicity and improve safety profiles of IASs, we introduced various sulfonamide groups linked by alkyl diamine chain to explore the entrance channel of non-nucleoside inhibitors binding pocket. 48 compounds were designed and synthesized to evaluate their anti-HIV-1 activities and reverse transcriptase inhibition activities. Especially, compound RL was endowed with significant inhibitory activity towards wild-type HIV-1 (EC = 0.

Discovery and Crystallographic Studies of Nonpeptidic Piperazine Derivatives as Covalent SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors.

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 keeps threatening human life and health, and small-molecule antivirals are in demand. The main protease (M) is an effective and highly conserved target for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug design. Herein, we report the discovery of potent covalent non-peptide-derived M inhibitors.