Synthesis of novel thioalkylated triazolothiazoles and their promising in-vitro antiviral activity

A novel series of 1,2,4-triazolothiazoles were efficiently synthesized by the reaction of 5-amino-4H-1,2,4-triazol3-thiol, benzyl bromides, phenyl isothiocyanates and phenacyl bromides under one-pot process in the presence of EtOH/DMF. The products were obtained in pure form with high yields. All the newly synthesized compound structures were confirmed by spectral analysis i.e. IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. All the synthesized derivatives were screened against a broad panel of viruses. Among them, two derivatives (5a and 5i) were capable of inhibiting both HIV-1 and HIV-2 replication in MT-4 cells, while seven other compounds showed selectivity towards HIV-2. Moreover, compound 5f has showed promising activity against the replication of Zika virus. Further, molecular docking studies were performed for the most active compounds.