In
this article, a series of benzothiazole-bearing N-sulfonamide 2-pyridone derivatives were synthesized via the reaction
of benzothiazole sulfonylhydrazide with sodium salts of both (hydroxymethylene)
cycloalkanones and unsaturated ketones, as well as ethoxymethylene
derivatives. The structures of the resultant compounds were confirmed
using IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 1H–1H correlation spectroscopy (COSY), 1H–13C heteronuclear multiple bond coherence (HMBC), and 1H–13C heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence
(HSQC) spectral analysis and elemental analysis. The newly synthesized
compounds were evaluated in vitro for their antiviral activities against
the HSV-1, HAV HM175, HCVcc genotype 4, CBV4, and HAdV7 viruses. Additionally,
the compounds were examined for their cytotoxic effect on five normal
cell lines. It was observed that five compounds were found to possess
viral reduction of 50% or more against CBV4 with significant IC50, CC50, and SI values. In the case of HSV-1 and
HAV HM175 viruses, three compounds have shown more than 50% reduction,
while in the case of HCVcc genotype 4 and HAdV7 viruses, only two
compounds demonstrated more than 50% reduction. Furthermore, the physicochemical
properties of the most active compounds were evaluated. The two most
potent compounds against HSV-1 virus, 7e and 13a, were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against USP7. Docking
studies using Molecular Operating Environment (MOE) were used to identify
the interactions between 7e and 13a compounds
and the active site of the USP7 enzyme.