The diverse pharmacology and medicinal chemistry of phosphoramidates - a review

The phosphoramidates consist of compounds which possess at least one amino group bound directly to the phosphorus atom and are, therefore, phosphoramide acid derivatives. The inherent chemical properties of the element phosphorus include polarizability, low to medium electronegativity and derivatives exhibit low coordination numbers thereby allowing synthesis of a diverse range of compounds. In line with their physicochemical properties, phosphorus compounds have widespread industrial applications and also demonstrate a diverse range of biological activities. In the last two decades, notably, phosphoramidates have been evaluated for both their antitumor and antiviral efficacy. This brief review describes the most promising examples of this class which possess antiviral, antitumor, antibacterial, antimalarial and anti-protozoal activity, as well as urease, acetyl and butyrylcholinesterase enzyme inhibitor activity.