ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Piperazine as a privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry: biological activities, synthetic strategies, and multitarget drug design

Neha Rathod, Kalyani R. Thombre, Krishna R. Gupta, and Milind J. Umekar

Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Smt. Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee, India

E-mail: rathodneha366@gmail.com

Abstract:

Piperazine, a six-membered heterocyclic compound characterized by the presence of two nitrogen atoms positioned oppositely, serves as a privileged scaffold within the domain of medicinal chemistry due to its adjustable physicochemical characteristics, structural adaptability, and advantageous pharmacokinetic profile. The presence of dual basic centers permits the modulation of solubility, permeability, and binding interactions with targets, thereby promoting engagement with a variety of biological receptors and enzymes. As a result, derivatives of piperazine demonstrate extensive therapeutic applicability against various conditions, including cancer, metabolic disorders, microbial infections, and diseases affecting the central nervous system. The synthetic versatility inherent to this scaffold further facilitates rational modifications and optimizations aimed at multitarget drug design, thereby allowing for the creation of multifunctional ligands that can engage with intricate disease pathways. This review comprehensively delineates recent advancements in piperazine-based therapeutics, accentuating structure–activity relationships, synthetic methodologies, mechanistic understandings, and contemporary computational techniques that expedite the discovery of lead compounds. Collectively, these insights underscore piperazine as a structurally versatile and pharmacologically significant chemotype for the advancement of next-generation drug development and serve as a thorough reference for medicinal chemists involved in the rational design of scaffolds.

Graphical abstract

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-04818-1

Chemical Papers 80 (8) 8481–8512 (2026)