O-aminobenzamide: An increasingly popular privileged scaffold in drug discovery

Abstract

Privileged scaffolds, as functional building blocks in approved drugs and drug candidates, have been instrumental in accelerating the discovery of new molecular entities due to their ability to enhance the drug potency as well as overcome drug resistance. Among these scaffolds, o-aminobenzamide distinguishes itself as a novel scaffold with considerable potential, although it has been rarely explored in previous studies. This review mainly focuses on o-aminobenzamide motif for the first time, emphasizing its medicinal versatility in drug discovery. Herein, we provide a comprehensive summary of the structure-activity relationship and the structural basis for target recognition of such analogs. Owing to their wide-ranging applications in antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and particularly antitumor therapies, o-aminobenzamide derivatives are poised to gain increasing attention from medicinal chemists. This review could serve as a valuable reference for diverse drug discovery initiatives in the future.