Synthesis and evaluation of stilbenylbenzoxazole and stilbenylbenzothiazole derivatives for detecting beta-amyloid fibrils

Discovery and Characterization of Novel Naphthalimide Analogs as Potent Multitargeted Directed Ligands against Alzheimer's Disease

Current therapeutic drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) can only offer limited symptomatic benefits and do not halt disease progression. Multitargeted directed ligands (MTDLs) have been considered to be a feasible way to treat AD due to the multiple neuropathological processes in AD. Previous studies proposed that compounds containing two aromatic groups connected by a carbon chain should act as effective amyloid β (Aβ) aggregation inhibitors although the optimal length of the carbon chain has not been explored. In the current study, a series of naphthalimide analogs were designed and synthesized based on the proposed structure and multiple bioactivities beneficial to the AD treatment were reported. In vitro studies showed that compound 8, which has two aromatic groups connected by a two-carbon chain, exhibited significant inhibition of Aβ aggregation through the prevention of elongation and association of Aβ fibril growth. Furthermore, this compound also displayed antioxidative activities and neuroprotection from Aβ monomer induced toxicity in primary cortical neurons. The results of the present study highlight a novel naphthalimide-based compound 8 as a promising MTDL against AD. Its structural elements can be further explored for enhanced therapeutic capabilities.

Synthesis, structure and photophysical properties of a 2-(1'-hydroxypyrenyl)benzothiazole

A pyrene-based 2-aryl-benzothiazole derivative, 2-(1'-hydroxypyrenyl)benzothiazole (1H2PBT), was synthesized. Its crystal structure and photophysical properties were investigated. In comparison with the generally studied parent compound, 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (HBT), 1H2PBT exhibited red-shifted absorption and emission in solution, as well as impressive solid state emission with high efficiency (0.35).

A one-pot reaction to synthesize two types of fluorescent materials containing benzothiazolyl moiety

Two different types of fluorescent materials containing benzothiazolyl moiety, 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol derivatives and 3-(benzothiazol-2-yl)coumarin derivatives, were synthesized synchronously using ethyl cyanoacetate, appropriate aromatic aldehyde and 2-aminothiophenol as the starting materials under the catalysis of benzoic acid by one-pot reaction. This method has the advantages of mild reaction conditions, easy processing and low waste. All synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, (1)H NMR spectra. The structures of 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol derivatives, 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol (BTP) and 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)naphthol (BTN), were determined by X-ray single crystal analysis. The UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra of all synthesized compounds were investigated. The 2-(benzothiazol-2-yl)phenol derivatives exhibit bright green emissions and 3-(benzothiazol-2-yl)coumarin derivatives emit bright blue light in solutions.

Insight into amyloid structure using chemical probes

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the deposition of amyloids in the brain. One prominent form of amyloid is composed of repeating units of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. Over the past decade, it has become clear that these Aβ amyloids are not homogeneous; rather, they are composed of a series of structures varying in their overall size and shape and the number of Aβ peptides they contain. Recent theories suggest that these different amyloid conformations may play distinct roles in disease, although their relative contributions are still being discovered. Here, we review how chemical probes, such as Congo red, thioflavin T and their derivatives, have been powerful tools for the better understanding of amyloid structure and function. Moreover, we discuss how design and deployment of conformationally selective probes might be used to test emerging models of AD.

[(18)F]-labeled isoindol-1-one and isoindol-1,3-dione derivatives as potential PET imaging agents for detection of beta-amyloid fibrils

In this study a novel series of isoindol-1-one and isoindol-1,3-dione derivatives for beta-amyloid-specific binding agents is described. Twelve compounds were synthesized and evaluated via a competitive binding assay with [(125)I]TZDM against beta-amyloid 1-42 (Abeta42) aggregates. Two new [(18)F]-labeled isoindole derivatives were synthesized and evaluated as potential beta-amyloid imaging probes based on the in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles. The preliminary results suggest that these [(18)F]18b and [(18)F]18c are promising positron emission tomography (PET) imaging probes for studying accumulation of Abeta fibrils in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.