Arylpiperazine derivatives of diphenylsulfide: Synthesis and evaluation for dual 5-HT1A/SSRI activities

The design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel series of arylpiperazine derivatives of diphenylsulfide with dual 5-HT1A/SSRI activities are reported. The target compounds exhibit low to moderate 5-HT transporter affinity and moderate to high 5-HT1A affinity. Compound 13a shows moderate dual activities and is a promising lead compound for further structure–activity relationships studies.