Synthesis and biological evaluation in vitro and in mammalian cells of new heteroaryl carboxyamides as HIV-protease inhibitors

New heteroaryl HIV-protease inhibitors bearing a carboxyamide spacer were synthesized in few steps and high yield, from commercially available homochiral epoxides. Different substitution patterns were introduced onto a given isopropanoyl-sulfonamide core modifying the type of heteroarene and the cen- tral core, with the presence of either H or benzyl group. Their in vitro inhibition activity against recom- binant protease showed a general beneficial effect of carboxyamide moiety, the IC50 values ranging between 1 and 15 nM. In particular benzofuryl derivatives showed IC50 values among the best for such structurally simple inhibitors. Docking analysis allowed to identify the favorable situation of such benzo- furyl derivatives in terms of number of interactions in the active site, supporting the experimental results on activity. The inhibition activity of such molecules has been also evaluated in HEK293 cells expressing the pro- tease fused to green fluorescent protein, by western blotting analysis, fluorescence microscopy and cytofluorimetry.