Recent progress in the synthetic and medicinal perspective of imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole derivatives

Imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole represents a privileged heterocyclic moiety in medicinal chemistry which garnered huge attention among the researchers because of its extensive biological properties and ease of synthetic feasibility. Substituted imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole analogs with diverse therapeutic outcomes play a crucial role in the cure or management of various human ailments. The impact of this moiety in drug discovery can be realized from the fact that drugs based on this scaffold are used clinically. Medicinal and synthetic chemists have widely explored the chemical space around this scaffold for the generation of novel molecules capable of interacting with different biological targets of therapeutic concern. Due to its fascinating pharmacological profile, chemists have unfolded different facile and efficient synthetic protocols for imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole-based molecules. The present review highlights its outstanding role in drug discovery including different approaches for the synthesis of imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole hybrids. The recent advancements in the medicinal chemistry of imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole based analogs along with structure-activity relationships (SARs) and molecular docking studies have been compiled. The present review provides valuable insights for the design and development of imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole based bioactive agents as potential therapeutic candidates with desired efficacy and safety profile.