Nitroimidazoles. V. Synthesis and anti-HIV evaluation of new 5-substituted piperazinyl-4-nitroimidazole derivatives

Nitroimidazoles. V. Synthesis and anti-HIV evaluation of new 5-substituted piperazinyl-4-nitroimidazole derivatives A series of 2-alkylthio-1-[4-(1-benzyl-2-ethyl-4-nitro-1 H - -imidazol-5-yl)-piperazin-1-y]lethanones ( 3-9 ) and alkyl- [4-(1-benzyl-2-ethyl-4-nitro-1 H -imidazol-5-yl)-piperazin- -1-yl)ketones ( 11-20 ) as well as the indole analogue 22 were synthesized from 4-nitro-5-piperazinyl imidazole derivative 1 , with the aim to develop newly non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). The newly synthesized compounds were assayed against HIV-1 and HIV-2 in MT-4 cells. Compound 2 showed inhibition of HIV-1 (EC50 0.45 mg mL -1 ) and HIV-2 (0.50 mg mL -1 ), while 9 showed inhibition of HIV-1 (EC 50 2.48 mg mL -1 , SI = 4).