Skip to content
Review

Unlocking the pharmacological potential of rhodanine derivatives: Drug design strategies and structure-activity relationships

Aug 2026 · Phosphorus Sulfur and Silicon and the Related Elements · Vol 201, pp. 1389 - 1410 · 0 citations · 166 references

TL;DR

Rational design strategies for rhodanine-based heterocycles and their therapeutic potential as antibacterial, anti-diabetes, anti-Alzheimer’s, anticancer, anthelmintic, anti-obesity, and against COVID-19 are discussed.

Abstract

Abstract The rhodanine core or 2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one, a five-membered heterocyclic ring system, has garnered significant interest in drug discovery, owing to its diverse biological activities. Derivatization of rhodamine has yielded many clinically useful therapeutic compounds for various ailments due to the presence of both nitrogen and sulfur heteroatoms within its ring system. Its broad-spectrum activities are facilitated by its two key electrophilic binding groups, ketone and thioketone, which enable interactions with various biological targets. Significant advances have been made toward its efficient synthetic strategies for drug discovery and development. This comprehensive review discusses rational design strategies for rhodanine-based heterocycles and their therapeutic potential as antibacterial, anti-diabetes, anti-Alzheimer’s, anticancer, anthelmintic, anti-obesity, and against COVID-19. The article also sheds light on the synthetic strategies used to develop rhodamine derivatives and drug design supported with detailed structure-activity relationships (SAR). Further molecular docking providing mechanistic insights into their binding modes within receptors are also presented. These structural insights could help in further rational design of potent rhodamine derivatives as newer and safer therapeutic agents. Graphical AbstractCentral yellow molecular structure linked to various disease icons: anticancer, antibacterial, anti-Alzheimer, anti-COVID-19, antidiabetic, and anthelmintic.The diagram presents a central yellow molecular structure with elements like nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), and oxygen (O). It illustrates connections to diverse biological applications: anticancer, antibacterial, anti-Alzheimer, anti-COVID-19, antidiabetic & anti-obesity, and anthelmintic, represented by icons in surrounding circles. A curved green line labeled "Structure Activity Relationship" encircles the categories. Above, a labeled 'Drug Design' oval and precursor molecules R-NH2, ClCH2COOH, and CS2 are included, visually connecting the drug synthesis process and biological targets.

View source

Similar papers

Review Sep 2026

Dihydropyrimidines as Multifaceted Scaffolds: A Comprehensive Review of Synthetic Approaches and Biological Significance.

Dihydropyrimidines (DHPMs) are an important class of heterocyclic compounds with broad pharmacological and therapeutic potential. Among the various synthetic routes for assembling the DHPM frame, the classical Biginelli reaction remains the most effective and widely used method due to its convenient one-pot procedure....

P. Sabale, Priya Rahangdale, D. Verma et al. · 0 citations
Review Aug 2026

Recent synthetic strategies for N-heterocyclic β-carboline derivatives in drug discovery: chemical and biological perspectives.

β-Carboline derivatives are important nitrogen-containing heterocycles widely studied in medicinal chemistry because of their diverse biological activities and flexible chemical properties. This mini-review summarises recent progress reported from 2013 to 2025 in the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of β-carbol...

Nadhirah Najwa Mohd Farith, Nurul Shafiqah Zamri, Karimah Kassim et al. · 0 citations
Review Aug 2026

s-triazine-based Derivatives as Anticancer Agents.

An overview of the recent primary literature concerning the development of s-triazine-based antitumor agents is provided, focusing on the most potent compounds acting on specific molecular targets and discussing the structure-activity relationships (SARs), when available.

Doralice Giorgini, Jacopo Castagnoli, Lorenzo Filidei et al. · 0 citations
Review Open access Sep 2026

Recent biological evaluations of novel bioactive pyrazole derivatives developed between 2025 and 2026

Pyrazoles represent a privileged heterocyclic scaffold in modern medicinal chemistry owing to their remarkable structural versatility and broad spectrum of biological activities. Over the past decade, pyrazole-containing compounds have gained considerable attention as key pharmacophores in the development of therapeuti...

Nikunj Patadiya, V. Vaghela · 0 citations
Review Open access Aug 2026

Quinoline Scaffold in Drug Discovery: Synthetic Strategies, Therapeutic Applications, and Emerging Drug Candidates

Quinoline is a bicyclic aromatic heterocycle composed of a fused benzene and pyridine ring, and it has held an important place in medicinal chemistry for nearly two centuries. F. Runge first isolated it from coal tar in 1834, and it was later found to form the structural core of well-known natural products such as quin...

A. El-mrabet, A. Haoudi, Amine Ez‐zoubi et al. · 0 citations
Review Open access Sep 2026

Progress on quinoline‑based antitumour agents: Mechanistic insights and optimization strategies (Review).

Quinoline derivatives are a class of heterocycles featuring a fused benzene‑pyridine scaffold that have attracted notable interest in anticancer drug discovery owing to their favourable physicochemical properties, structural versatility and broad biological activities. Accumulating evidence indicates that quinoline‑bas...

Yuwen Zeng, Yue Yan, Shi-Ye Wu et al. · 0 citations

We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads. See our Cookie Policy.