New chromone derivatives bearing thiazolidine-2,4-dione moiety as potent PTP1B inhibitors: Synthesis and biological activity evaluation

2β-Acetoxyferruginol derivatives as α-glucosidase inhibitors: Synthesis and biological evaluation

To find potential α-glucosidase inhibitors, a series of 2β-acetoxyferuginol derivatives containing cinnamic acid (WXC-1 ∼ 25) were synthesized and investigated their biological activity. All derivatives (WXC-1 ∼ 25) displayed better inhibitory activity (IC50 values: 7.56 ± 1.35 ∼ 25.63 ± 1.72 μM) compared to acarbose (IC50 vaule: 564.28 ± 48.68 μM). In particularly, WXC-25 with 4-hydroxycinnamic acid section showed the best inhibitory activity (IC50 vaule: 2.02 ± 0.14 μM), ∼75-fold stronger than acarbose. Kinetics results suggested WXC-25 being one reversible non-competition inhibitors. Fluorescence quenching results indicated that WXC-25 quenched the fluorescence of α-glucosidase in a static manner. 3D fluorescence spectra results indicated that WXC-25 treatment could cause the conformation changes of α-glucosidase. Moreover, molecular docking simulated the detailed interaction of WXC25 with α-glucosidase.

Theoretical study on the design of allosteric inhibitors of diabetes associated protein PTP1B

The protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a critical therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Many PTP1B inhibitors have been reported, however, most of them lack high specificity and have adverse effects. Designing effective PTP1B inhibitors requires understanding the molecular mechanism of action between inhibitors and PTP1B. To this end, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and molecular mechanics Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PB/SA) methods were used to observe the binding patterns of compounds with similar pentacyclic triterpene parent ring structures but different inhibition abilities. Through structure and energy analysis, we found that the positions of cavities and substituents significantly affect combining capacity. Besides, we constructed a series of potential inhibitor molecules using LUDI and rational drug design methods. The ADMET module of Discovery Studio 2020 was used to predict the properties of these inhibitor molecules. Lastly, we obtained compounds with low toxicity and significant inhibitory activity. The study will contribute to the treatment of T2DM.

Identification of 1,3,4-Thiadiazolyl-Containing Thiazolidine-2,4-dione Derivatives as Novel PTP1B Inhibitors with Antidiabetic Activity

Forty-one 1,3,4-thiadiazolyl-containing thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives (MY1-41) were designed and synthesized as protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitors with activity against diabetes mellitus (DM). All synthesized compounds (MY1-41) presented potential PTP1B inhibitory activities, with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 0.41 ± 0.05 to 4.68 ± 0.61 μM, compared with that of the positive control lithocholic acid (IC50 = 9.62 ± 0.14 μM). The most potent compound, MY17 (IC50 = 0.41 ± 0.05 μM), was a reversible, noncompetitive inhibitor of PTP1B. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and molecular docking were employed to analyze the binding interaction between MY17 and PTP1B. In HepG2 cells, MY17 treatment could alleviate palmitic acid (PA)-induced insulin resistance by upregulating the expression of phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate and protein kinase B. In vivo, oral administration of MY17 could reduce the fasting blood glucose level and improve glucose tolerance and dyslipidemia in mice suffering from DM.

Rhodanine Derivatives Containing 5-Aryloxypyrazole Moiety as Anti-inflammatory and Anticancer Agents

In this study, a series of rhodanine derivatives containing 5-aryloxypyrazole moiety were identified as potential agents with anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Most of the synthesized compounds demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity. Notably, compound 7 g (94.1 %) exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity compared with the reference drugs celecoxib (52.5 %) and hydrocortisone (79.4 %). Compound 7 g, at various concentrations, effectively inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot results showed that compound 7 g could prevents LPS-induced expression of inflammatory mediators in macrophages. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay suggested that 7 g is a promising compound capable of blocking the downstream signaling of COX-2. In summary, these findings indicate that compound 7 g could be a promising candidate for further investigation.