Solid-phase synthesis of the alkenyldiarylmethane (ADAM) series of non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

The Sonogashira and Stille cross-coupling reactions have been employed in the synthesis of several non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) in the alkenyldiarylmethane (ADAM) series. The synthesis has been carried out both in solution and on a solid support. In contrast to previous syntheses of NNRTIs in the ADAM series, the present strategy allows the incorporation of differently substituted aromatic rings in a stereochemically defined fashion. The most potent of the new ADAMs inhibited the cytopathic effect of HIV-1(RF) in CEM-SS cell culture with an EC50 value of 20 nM.