Advances in Synthesis of Piperazine Analogues and Molecular Targets: Unlocking Their Potential in CNS Disorder Therapy

According to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Committee for Europe's 2013 European Mental Health Action Plan, Central nervous system disorders and mental illnesses are among the biggest public health concerns in terms of prevalence, burden of disease, and disability. The types of psychological disorders include anxiety, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, etc. The etiology of mental diseases is significantly influenced by disruptions in the equilibrium between neurotransmitters, primarily serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and noradrenaline (NA), as a result of advances in our understanding of brain processes. Multi-receptor ligands are synthesized as antipsychotic drugs that could play multiple roles in different mental illnesses. These ligands utilize a multiple-ligand strategy between serotonin (5-HT1A and 5-HT2A) and dopamine (D2) receptors to imply their pharmacological action. Piperazine derivatives are a significant class of bioactive substances, especially when it comes to treating mental health issues. These compounds are useful in the treatment of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and other CNS disorders because they can interact with a range of neurotransmitter systems. In this review, we have underlined the synthetic methods for piperazine and its derivatives, which include coupling reactions, Gabriel synthesis, catalytic synthesis, etc. This work also enumerated the molecular targets, which have been reported to be responsible for the biological activities of piperzines. Furthermore, this work also paves the way for further research, formulation, and development of more useful molecules.