Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder characterized by memory deterioration, behavioural changes, and impaired cognitive functions. The multifactorial pathogenesis confirms the importance of developing multitarget directed ligands capable of modulating multiple therapeutic pathways. Currently, interesting therapeutic targets include the enzymes monoamine oxidases (MAO) and choline esterases (ChE).
Based on the known inhibitors of these enzymes, we designed and synthesized new dual inhibitors of MAO and ChE and evaluated their structure-activity relationship. We synthesized eleven derivatives of 4-phenethyl-1-(prop-2-in-1-il)piperidine and determined their inhibitory potencies against human acetylcholine and butyrylcholine esterase (hAChE and hBChE) and human monoamine oxidases A and B (hMAO-A and hMAO-B). The starting reagent was piperidine 4 carboxylic acid, which was protected with tert-butyl carbamate group and reduced into aldehyde via Weinreb’s amide. The aldehyde was then subjected to Wittig reaction to form an alkene. Following the double bond reduction, removal of the protecting carbamate group and N-alkylation with propargyl bromide, we obtained corresponding derivatives of 4-phenethyl-1-(prop-2-in-1-il)piperidine. The derivatives with methoxy substituent were additionally demethylated with BBr3 to form phenols, which were then reacted with phenyl isocyanate or N-ethyl-N-methylcarbamoyl chloride to form final carbamates.
All of the synthesized compounds inhibited hMAO-B and 1,4-disubstituted derivatives with larger hydrophobic substituents exhibited superior inhibitory properties. Propargylamine moiety was present in all compounds and most likely formed a covalent bond with the enzyme’s cofactor. For the hBChE inhibition, the presence of carbamate moiety was found as essential. We synthesized three dual inhibitors (27, 28 in 29) and among them, the most promising compound for further optimization is 29 (IC50 (hBChE) = 4.30 µM, IC50 (hMAO B) = 8.45 µM). The compound 29 is a structural analogue of confirmed covalent inhibitors of MAO-B and its time dependant inhibition of BChE implies a covalent mechanism of inhibition.
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