Synthesis and biological evaluation of N-acetyl-β-aryl-1,2-didehydroethylamines as new HIV-1 RT inhibitors in vitro

A variety of N-acetyl-β-aryl-1,2-didehydroethylamines were synthesized by direct reduction–acetylation of β-aryl-nitroolefins and assayed as HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) for the first time. Compound 7a exhibited a TI value of >13.2 with CC50 value of >0.787 mM in C8166 cells. This structure–activity relationship (SAR) study provided a new lead for design and discovery of more potent and selective analogues act as NNRTIs.