Bioactive pyrrole-based compounds with target selectivity

The discovery of novel synthetic compounds with drug-like properties is an ongoing challenge in medicinal chemistry. Natural products have inspired the synthesis of compounds for pharmaceutical application, most of which are based on N-heterocyclic motifs. Among these, the pyrrole ring is one of the most explored heterocycles in drug discovery programs for several therapeutic areas, confirmed by the high number of pyrrole-based drugs reaching the market. In the present review, we focused on pyrrole and its hetero-fused derivatives with anticancer, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities, reported in the literature between 2015 and 2019, for which a specific target was identified, being responsible for their biological activity. It emerges that the powerful pharmaceutical and pharmacological features provided by the pyrrole nucleus as pharmacophore unit of many drugs are still recognized by medicinal chemists.