Design, synthesis and anti-HIV evaluation of 5-alkyl- 6-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-alkyl)-2-mercaptopyrimidin-4(3H)-ones as potent HIV-1 NNRTIs

A pair of new oxindole alkaloids isolated from Uncaria macrophylla

A pair of new oxindole alkaloids, named macrophyllines C (1) and D (2), together with two known oxindole alkaloids isorhynchophylline (3) and corynoxine (4) were isolated from Uncaria macrophylla. Their structures were elucidated based on detailed spectroscopic analysis and by comparison with literature data. In addition, all the isolates were tested for their anti-HIV activities and cytotoxicities in C8166 cells and compounds 2-4 showed weak anti-HIV activities with EC₅₀ values of 11.31 ± 3.29 μM, 18.77 ± 6.14 μM and 30.02 ± 3.73 μM, respectively.

Structure-Based Discovery and Characterization of a Preclinical Drug Candidate for the Treatment of HIV-1 Infection

HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) area key component of the current HIV-1 combination drug regimens. Although they exhibit potent anti-HIV-1 activity and modest toxicity, the emergence of mutant strains limits their application in clinical. Our previous research efforts contributed to the identification of compound K-5a2, which exhibits nanomolar activity in HIV-1-infected MT-4 cells. In this study, K-5a2 was shown to have a high level of anti-HIV-1 activity against various lab-adapted strains and clinical isolate strains, being comparable to ETR. Moreover, we showed the feasibility of K-5a2 as a preclinical anti-HIV-1 candidate by establishing its synergistic or additive anti-HIV-1 activity in combination with other representative anti-HIV-1 drugs and candidates. In addition, K-5a2 exhibited no inhibitory activity to the primary CYP isoforms and favorable pharmacokinetics. Taken together, its robust anti-HIV-1 potency, synergistic or additive effects with other anti-HIV drugs, and favorable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles make K-5a2 a potent alternative drug for HIV/AIDS treatment.

C6-structural optimizations of 2-aryl-1H-pyrazole-S-DABOs: From anti-HIV to anti-DENV activity

Both HIV and DENV are serious threats to human life, health and social economy today. So far, no vaccine for either HIV or DENV has been developed successfully. The research on anti-HIV or DENV drugs is still of great significance. In this study we developed a series of novel 2-Aryl-1H-pyrazole-S-DABOs with C6-strucutral optimizations as potent NNRTIs, among which, 8 compounds had low cytotoxicity and EC₅₀ values in the range of 0.0508 ∼ 0.0966 μM, and their selectivity index was SI > 1415 ∼ 3940. In particular, two compounds 4a and 4b were identified to have good inhibitory effects on DENV of four serotypes. The EC₅₀ of compound 4a and 4b against DENV-II (13.2 μM and 9.23 μM, respectively) were better than that of the positive control ribavirin (EC₅₀ = 40.78 μM). In addition, the effect of C-6 substituents on the anti-HIV or anti-DENV activity of these compounds was also discussed.