Recent Advances in the Research of 2,3-Diaryl-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one Derivatives as Potent HIV-1 Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Derived from the structure of 1H,3H-thiazolo[3,4-a]benzimidazoles (TBZs), 2,3-diaryl-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one derivatives became a novel class of HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Under the guidance of continuous structureactivity relationship (SAR) analysis and molecular modeling, various structural modifications were carried out on nearly all the positions of the thiazolidin-4-one nucleus. Some of the derivatives proved to be highly effective against HIV-1 replication at 10–40 nanomolar concentration ranges with minimal cytotoxicities. In this article, the whole development of 2,3-diaryl-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one series from the discoveries to recent advances, their panoramic SAR studies and binding modes based on molecular modeling were reviewed, and also some enlightenments for further investigation were presented. Keywords: HIV, AIDS, 1, 3-Thiazolidin-4-ones, HIV-1 NNRTIs, Antiviral, Drug design