Compounds containing 2-substituted imidazole ring for treatment against human African trypanosomiasis

A series of compounds containing 2-substituted imidazoles has been synthesized from imidazole and tested for its biological activity against human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). The 2-substituted 5-nitroimidazoles such as fexinidazole (7a) and 1-[4-(1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-ylmethoxy)-pyridin-2-yl-piperazine (9e) exhibited potent activity against T. brucei in vitro with low cytotoxicity and good solubility. The presence of the NO(2) group at the 5-position of the imidazole ring in 2-substituted imidazoles is the crucial factor to inhibit T. brucei.