A review on the chemistry and pharmacological properties of benzodiazepine motifs in drug design

Abstract Benzodiazepines are an important class of heterocyclic compounds in organic chemistry. They are known for their diverse physicochemical and biological properties. Some benzodiazepine derivates are well-known drugs with diverse and strong pharmacophoric moiety. An immense number of pharmacological research on benzodiazepine heterocycles and their derivatives have recently been conducted to explore its numerous pharmacological potentials as better therapeutic candidates for the treatment of various disorders, benzodiazepines, however, are one of the main sources of interest for many medicinal chemists. Researchers are drawn to the benzodiazepine nucleus for the synthesis of new drugs because of its potent pharmacophoric moiety and ring shape. Due to the emergence of new pathogenic strains’ resistance to the presently available drugs, there has been a constant demand for more effective and selective drugs. Benzodiazepine moiety has all the desired qualities for selective drug candidates used as useful therapeutic agents. Given the importance of benzodiazepine moiety, the current review aims to assess benzodiazepine syntheses as well as their pharmacological properties for potential molecular targets in therapeutic development.