Exploring the HIV‑1 Reverse Transcriptase p51/p66 Interface: Structure-Based Design and Optimization of Novel 2,4,6-Trisubstituted Pyrimidines as Potent NNRTIs with Improved Resistance Profiles

The emerging challenge of HIV-1 drug resistance urgently
demands
the development of next-generation HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase
inhibitors (NNRTIs). Herein, we designed and synthesized two series
of novel 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyrimidines that target a previously
insufficiently explored binding site at the interface between the
p66 and p51 subunits of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). After iterative
structural optimization, 15k turned out to exhibit potent
antiviral activity to wild-type and mutant HIV-1 strains, with EC50 values ranging from 0.0046 to 0.033 μM and relatively
low cytotoxicity (CC50 = 26.64 μM). Molecular modeling
revealed that 15k adopts a unique “Y-shaped”
conformation within the NNRTI-binding pocket (NNIBP), forming novel
hydrogen bonds with E138 and K101 at the p51-p66 interfacea
key factor contributing to its potent resistance profile. Moreover, 15k exhibits favorable in vivo metabolic
(T1/2 = 2.12 h) and safety profiles. In
summary, newly discovered 15k represents a promising
anti-HIV-1 drug candidate for further development.