Design, synthesis, and preclinical evaluations of novel 4-substituted 1,5-diarylanilines as potent HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) drug candidates

Twenty-one new 4-substituted diarylaniline compounds (DAANs) (series 13, 14, and 15) were designed, synthesized, and evaluated against wild-type and drug resistant HIV-1 viral strains. As a result, approximately a dozen new DAANs showed high potency with low nano- to subnanomolar EC(50) values ranging from 0.2 to 10 nM. The three most promising compounds 14e, 14h, and 15h exhibited high potency against wild-type and drug-resistant viral strains with EC(50) values at the subnanomolar level (0.29-0.87 nM) and were comparable to or more potent than the new NNRTI drug riplivirine (2) in the same assays. Druglike physicochemical property assessments revealed that the most active DAANs (EC(50) < 10 nM) have better aqueous solubility (>1-90 μg/mL at pH 7.4 and pH 2) and metabolic stability in vitro than 2, as well as desirable log P values (<5) and polar surface areas (PSA) (<140 Å(2)). These promising results warrant further development of this novel compound class as potential potent anti-AIDS clinical trial candidates.