Quinquennial Overview of Benzimidazole Scaffolds: From Lead Compounds to Clinically Relevant Agents

Abstract:Benzimidazole, a fused bicyclic heterocyclic scaffold featuring a benzene ring fused to animidazole nucleus, has attracted considerable interest in the field of modern medicalchemistry. This nitrogen-containing heterocycle is very important because it has a widerange of pharmacological properties, including antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory,anticancer, antitubercular, antihypertensive, and antiparasitic effects. Many clinicallyapproved drugs have the benzimidazole core in them, which shows how useful it is as apharmacophore in drug design. Moreover, a substantial quantity of patents submitted duringthe preceding five years underscores the persistent interest in investigating benzimidazolederivatives for innovative therapeutic uses. The current study offers an extensive summary ofrecent developments reported by scientists globally in the past five years, emphasizingstructural alterations, structure–activity relationship (SAR) investigations, and the burgeoningmedicinal potential of benzimidazole-based derivatives.