Recent Applications of Benzimidazole as a Privileged Scaffold in Drug Discovery

Benzimidazole is an aromatic bicyclic heterocycle that is regarded as a valuable privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry. Many marketed drugs and natural products containing benzimidazole scaffolds exert great influence in fighting various diseases, such as hypertension, peptic ulcers, parasitic infections, and cancer. In this review, we introduce the pharmacological applications of some marketed drugs and lead compounds with a focus on anticancer agents, reporting the corresponding data to show the biological activities at their targets. The publications in this review encompass those from 2014 to 2019.

Automated summary

Benzimidazole, an aromatic bicyclic heterocycle, is considered valuable in medicinal chemistry and is found in many marketed drugs and natural products that fight various diseases. This review focuses on the pharmacological applications of these drugs, especially anticancer agents, from 2014 to 2019, showcasing their biological activities at targets.