Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of (E)-3,4-Dihydroxystyryl Aralkyl Sulfones and Sulfoxides as Novel Multifunctional Neuroprotective Agents

Discovery of lipoic acid-4-phenyl-1H-pyrazole hybrids as novel bifunctional ROCK inhibitors with antioxidant activity

A potently selective ROCK2 inhibitor with antioxidative properties.

The Role of Dopamine and Its Dysfunction as a Consequence of Oxidative Stress

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is produced in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and hypothalamus of the brain. Dysfunction of the dopamine system has been implicated in different nervous system diseases. The level of dopamine transmission increases in response to any type of reward and by a large number of strongly additive drugs. The role of dopamine dysfunction as a consequence of oxidative stress is involved in health and disease. Introduce new potential targets for the development of therapeutic interventions based on antioxidant compounds. The present review focuses on the therapeutic potential of antioxidant compounds as a coadjuvant treatment to conventional neurological disorders is discussed.

Direct Synthesis of Thioethers from Carboxylates and Thiols Catalyzed by FeCl3

A new and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of thioethers from carboxylates and thiols. The reaction proceeds via a Fe(III)-catalyzed direct displacement of carboxylates from benzylic or allylic esters by heterocyclic thiols. Short reaction times, good to excellent yields of products, and few side reactions are the significant features of the new protocol.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of tricyclic diterpene derivatives as novel neuroprotective agents against ischemic brain injury

Lead compound 7 has neuroprotective effects, and it was discovered by screening a small synthetic natural product-like (NPL) library. Based on the lead, a series of tricyclic diterpene derivatives was designed and synthesized, and their neuroprotective effects were further evaluated against glutamate-, oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)- and nutrient deprivation-induced neuronal injury using cell-based assays. To our delight, most of these synthetic compounds exhibited increased neuroprotective effects and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability without cellular toxicity. The most potent compound, compound 30, showed significantly improved neuroprotection against neuronal injury in primary neurons. Furthermore, compound 30 exhibited remarkable neuroprotection in transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) rats by reducing their infarct sizes and neurological deficit scores. A mechanistic exploration using in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that the neuroprotection of these compounds was at least partly mediated by improving the levels of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein. Therefore, these tricyclic diterpene derivatives could be used as promising leads for the development of a new type of neuroprotective agents against ischemic brain injury.

Neuroprotective effects of (E)-3,4-diacetoxystyryl sulfone and sulfoxide derivatives in vitro models of Parkinson's disease

(E)-3,4-dihydroxystyryl aralkyl sulfones and sulfoxides have been reported as novel multifunctional neuroprotective agents in previous studies, which as phenolic compounds display antioxidative and antineuroinflammatory properties. To further enhance the neuroprotective effects and study structure-activity relationship of the derivatives, we synthesized their acetylated derivatives, (E)-3,4-diacetoxystyryl sulfones and sulfoxides, and examined their neuroprotective effects in vitro models of Parkinson's disease. The results indicate that (E)-3,4-diacetoxystyryl sulfones and sulfoxides can significantly inhibit kinds of neuron cell injury induced by toxicities, including 6-OHDA, NO, and H2O2. More important, they show higher antineuroinflammatory properties and similar antioxidative properties to corresponding un-acetylated compounds. Thus, we suggest that (E)-3,4-diacetoxystyryl sulfones and sulfoxides may have potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, especially Parkinson's disease.

Synthesis of piperlongumine analogues and discovery of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activators as potential neuroprotective agents

The cellular antioxidant system plays key roles in blocking or retarding the pathogenesis of adult neurodegenerative disorders as elevated oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of such diseases. Molecules with the ability in enhancing the antioxidant defense thus are promising candidates as neuroprotective agents. We reported herein the synthesis of piperlongumine analogues and evaluation of their cytoprotection against hydrogen peroxide- and 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neuronal cell oxidative damage in the neuron-like PC12 cells. The structure-activity relationship was delineated after the cytotoxicity and protection screening. Two compounds (4 and 5) displayed low cytotoxicity and confer potent protection of PC12 cells from the oxidative injury via upregulation of a panel of cellular antioxidant molecules. Genetically silencing the transcription factor Nrf2, a master regulator of the cellular stress responses, suppresses the cytoprotection, indicating the critical involvement of Nrf2 for the cellular action of compounds 4 and 5 in PC12 cells.

A Direct Metal-Free Decarboxylative Sulfono Functionalization (DSF) of Cinnamic Acids to α,β-Unsaturated Phenyl Sulfones

A metal-free room temperature decarboxylative cross-coupling between cinnamic acids and arylsulfonyl hydrazides has been realized for the first time for the synthesis of (E)-vinyl sulfones. The scope and versatility of the reaction has been demonstrated by the regio- and stereoselective synthesis of 22 derivatives with diverse structural features.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel 5,6,7-trimethoxyflavone-6-chlorotacrine hybrids as potential multifunctional agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

A series of 5,6,7-trimethoxyflavone-6-chlorotacrine hybrids were designed, synthesized and evaluated as multifunctional agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results showed that the target compounds exhibited good acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory potencies, high selectivity toward AChE over butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), potential antioxidant activities and significant inhibitory potencies of self-induced beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ) aggregation. In particular, compound 14c had the strongest AChE inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 12.8 nM, potent inhibition of self-induced Aβ1-42 aggregation with inhibition ratio of 33.8% at 25 μM. Moreover, compound 14c acted as an antioxidant, as well as a neuroprotectant. Furthermore, 14c could cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vitro. The results showed that compound 14c might be a potential multifunctional candidate for the treatment of AD.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of multitarget-directed selenium-containing clioquinol derivatives for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

A series of selenium-containing clioquinol derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as multifunctional anti-Alzheimer's disease (AD) agents. In vitro examination showed that several target compounds exhibited activities such as inhibition of metal-induced Aβ aggregation, antioxidative properties, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, and the prevention of copper redox cycling. A parallel artificial membrane permeation assay indicated that selenium-containing clioquinol derivatives possessed significant blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Compound 8a, with a propynylselanyl group linked to the oxine, demonstrated higher hydrogen peroxide scavenging and intracellular antioxidant activity than clioquinol. Furthermore, 8a exhibited significant inhibition of Cu(II)-induced Aβ1-42 aggregation and was capable of disassembling the preformed Cu(II)-induced Aβ aggregates. Therefore, 8a is an excellent multifunctional promising compound for development of novel drugs for AD.