Pyrazole: an emerging privileged scaffold in drug discovery

Future Med Chem. 2023 Nov;15(21):2011-2023. doi: 10.4155/fmc-2023-0207. Epub 2023 Nov 7.

Abstract

Pyrazole or 1H-pyrazole, a five-membered 1,2-diazole, is found in several approved drugs and some bioactive natural products. A myriad number of derivatives of this small molecule have been reported in clinical and preclinical studies for the potential treatment of several diseases. The number of drugs containing a pyrazole nucleus has increased significantly in the last 10 years. Some of the best-selling drugs in this class are ibrutinib, ruxolitinib, axitinib, niraparib and baricitinib, and are used to treat different types of cancers; lenacapavir to treat HIV; riociguat to treat pulmonary hypertension; and sildenafil to treat erectile dysfunction. Several aniline-derived pyrazole compounds have been reported as potent antibacterial agents with selective activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Here, we discuss the pyrazole-derived drugs reported up to September 2023.

Keywords: MRSA; antibacterial; anticancer; indazole; kinase inhibitor; lenacapavir; pyrazole; sildenafil; zavegepant.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Drug Discovery
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Pyrazoles / pharmacology

Substances

  • pyrazole
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Pyrazoles