Carboxamide: A Privileged Pharmacophore for the Development of Anti-infectious and Anti-cancer Drugs

Carboxamide is a privileged scaffold that is often used in FDA-approved drugs. Unlike traditional amides, which exhibit properties similar to valence bonds, carboxamide has a more excellent binding mode and thus constructs rich pharmacological activities. According to the different working principles and N-terminus substitution of its specific structures, carboxamide can be further divided into N-unsubstituted carboxamide and N-substituted carboxamide. Both kinds of carboxamides have been widely studied and used in drug design and development. This review starts from the binding style and thus summarizes the excellent carboxamide structures, current research progress, and future challenges in the fields of anti-infection and anti-cancer.