Exploration of dual fatty acid amide hydrolase and cholinesterase inhibitory potential of some 3‐hydroxy‐3‐phenacyloxindole analogs

Indole-Based Compounds in the Development of Anti-Neurodegenerative Agents

Neurodegeneration is a gradual decay process leading to the depletion of neurons in both the central and peripheral nervous systems, ultimately resulting in cognitive dysfunctions and the deterioration of brain functions, alongside a decline in motor skills and behavioral capabilities. Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) impose a substantial socio-economic strain on society, aggravated by the advancing age of the world population and the absence of effective remedies, predicting a negative future. In this context, the urgency of discovering viable therapies is critical and, despite significant efforts by medicinal chemists in developing potential drug candidates and exploring various small molecules as therapeutics, regrettably, a truly effective treatment is yet to be found. Nitrogen heterocyclic compounds, and particularly those containing the indole nucleus, which has emerged as privileged scaffold, have attracted particular attention for a variety of pharmacological applications. This review analyzes the rational design strategy adopted by different research groups for the development of anti-neurodegenerative indole-based compounds which have the potential to modulate various molecular targets involved in NDs, with reference to the most recent advances between 2018 and 2023.

Lead optimization study on indoline-2,3-dione derivatives as potential fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitors

Based on the known isatin-based fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor BSS-7, we designed and synthesized two small sets (6-13 and 17-20) of N-1 and C-3 substituted isatin derivatives and evaluated them for their in vitro FAAH inhibition properties. The lead simplification by modification of bulky aryl moiety at N-1 with a flexible allyl group produced a nanomolar (IC50 = 6.7 nM, Ki = 5 nM) inhibitor 11 (Z)-3-((1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)imino)-1-allylindolin-2-one which exhibited a reversible and competitive FAAH inhibition with 1500 times more potency to BSS-7 (1.49 ± 0.03 µM). The lead compound 11 also showed a high blood-brain permeability and a significant antioxidant profile with no neurotoxicity. Docking results suggested that the inhibitor molecules occupied the active site of FAAH and offered optimal binding interactions. A molecular dynamics simulation study ascertained the stability of the lead inhibitor 11-FAAH complex. In silico ADMET profiling studies unveiled that compound 11 possesses good drug-like properties and merits further evaluation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Discovery of Isatin-Based Carbohydrazones as Potential Dual Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase and Monoacylglycerol Lipase

Using ligand-based design strategy, a set of isatin-3-carbohydrazones was designed, synthesized and evaluated for dual fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibition properties. Compound 5-chloro-N'-(5-chloro-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-2-hydroxybenzohydrazide (13 b) emerged as a potent MAGL inhibitor with nanomolar activity (IC₅₀ =3.33 nM), while compound 5-chloro-N'-(1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-2-hydroxybenzohydrazide (13 j) was the most potent selective FAAH inhibitor (IC₅₀ =37 nM). Compound 5-chloro-N'-(6-chloro-2-oxoindolin-3-ylidene)-2-hydroxybenzohydrazide (13 c) showed dual FAAH-MAGL inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ of 31 and 29 nM respectively. Enzyme kinetics studies revealed that the isatin-based carbohydrazones are reversible inhibitors for both FAAH and MAGL. Further, blood-brain permeability assay confirmed that the lead compounds (13 b, 13 c, 13 g, 13 m and 13 q) are suitable as CNS candidates. Molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed the putative binding modes and key interactions of lead inhibitors within the enzyme active sites. The lead dual FAAH-MAGL inhibitor 13 c showed significant antioxidant activity and neuroprotection in the cell-based cytotoxicity assay. In summary, the study yielded three potent FAAH/MAGL inhibitor compounds (13 b, 13 c and 13 j) with acceptable pharmacokinetic profile and thus can be considered as promising candidates for treating neurological and mood disorders.

Design and synthesis of new carbamates as inhibitors for fatty acid amide hydrolase and cholinesterases: Molecular dynamic, in vitro and in vivo studies

As anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamine, AEA) shows neuroprotective effects, the inhibition of its degradative enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) has been considered as a hopeful avenue for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's disease (AD). Memory loss, cognitive impairment and diminution of the cholinergic tone, due to the dying cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain, are common hallmarks in patients with AD. By taking advantage of cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs), the degradation of acetylcholine (ACh) is decreased leading to enhanced cholinergic neurotransmission in the aforementioned region and ultimately improves the clinical condition of AD patients. In this work, new carbamates were designed as inhibitors of FAAH and cholinestrases (ChEs) (acetylcholinestrase (AChE), butyrylcholinestrase (BuChE)) inspired by the structure of the native substrates, structure of active sites and the SARs of the well-known inhibitors of these enzymes. All the designed compounds were synthesized using different reactions. All the target compounds were tested for their inhibitory activity against FAAH and ChEs by employing the Cayman assay kit and Elman method respectively. Generally, compounds possessing aminomethyl phenyl linker was more potent compared to their corresponding compounds possessing piperazinyl ethyl linker. The inhibitory potential of the compounds 3a-q extended from 0.83 ± 0.03 μM (3i) to ˃100 μM (3a) for FAAH, 0.39 ± 0.02 μM (3i) to 24% inhibition in 113 ± 4.8 μM (3b) for AChE, and 1.8 ± 3.2 μM (3i) to 23.2 ± 0.2 μM (3b) for BuChE. Compound 3i a heptyl carbamate analog possessing 2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolin ring and aminomethyl phenyl linker showed the most inhibitory activity against three enzymes. Also, compound 3i was investigated for memory improvement using the Morris water maze test in which the compound showed better memory improvement at 10 mg/kg compared to reference drug rivastigmine at 2.5 mg/kg. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic studies of compound 3i into the enzymes displayed the possible interactions of key residues of the active sites with compound 3i. Finally, kinetic study indicated that 3i inhibits AChE through the mixed- mode mechanism and non-competitive inhibition mechanism was revealed for BuChE.