Syntheses, resolution, and structure-activity relationships of potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: 8-carbaphysostigmine analogues

Palladium-catalyzed cascade 5-exo-trig radical cyclization/aromatic C-H alkylation with unactivated alkyl iodides

A novel and convenient palladium-catalyzed cascade 5-exo-trig radical cyclization/aromatic C-H alkylation with unactivated alkyl iodides has been described. This strategy provides an efficient access to a variety of 3a-methyl-1,2,3,3a,4,8b-hexahydroindeno[1,2-b]pyrrole derivatives, which facilitate access to a series of medically important heterocyclic bioactive molecules. This protocol involves mild catalytic reaction conditions and shows high functional group tolerance with high stereoselectivity. Mechanistic investigations reveal that an alkyl radical pathway is involved in this reaction.

Discovery of Novel Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors as Potential Candidates for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) catalyzes the hydrolysis of neurotransmitter acetylcholine to acetate and choline in a synaptic cleft. Deficits in cholinergic neurotransmitters are linked closely with the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory impairment, and a disordered cognitive function. Since the previously approved AChE inhibitors, donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Reminyl), and rivastigmine (Exelon), have side effects and several studies are being carried out out to develop novel AD drugs, we have applied a three-dimensional quantitative structure−activity relationship (3D QSAR) and structure-based pharmacophore modeling methodologies to identify potential candidate inhibitors against AChE. Herein, 3D QSAR and structure-based pharmacophore models were built from known inhibitors and crystal structures of human AChE in complex with donepezil, galantamine, huperzine A, and huprine W, respectively. The generated models were used as 3D queries to screen new scaffolds from various chemical databases. The hit compounds obtained from the virtual screening were subjected to an assessment of drug-like properties, followed by molecular docking. The final hit compounds were selected based on binding modes and molecular interactions in the active site of the enzyme. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations for AChE in complex with the final hits were performed to evaluate that they maintained stable interactions with the active site residues. The binding free energies of the final hits were also calculated using molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann surface area method. Taken together, we proposed that these hits can be promising candidates for anti-AD drugs.

Pharmacophore-based design and discovery of (-)-meptazinol carbamates as dual modulators of cholinesterase and amyloidogenesis

Multifunctional carbamate-type acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors with anti-amyloidogenic properties like phenserine are potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We reported here the design of new carbamates using pharmacophore model strategy to modulate both cholinesterase and amyloidogenesis. A five-feature pharmacophore model was generated based on 25 carbamate-type training set compounds. (-)-Meptazinol carbamates that superimposed well upon the model were designed and synthesized, which exhibited nanomolar AChE inhibitory potency and good anti-amyloidogenic properties in in vitro test. The phenylcarbamate 43 was highly potent (IC₅₀ 31.6 nM) and slightly selective for AChE, and showed low acute toxicity. In enzyme kinetics assay, 43 exhibited uncompetitive inhibition and reacted by pseudo-irreversible mechanism. 43 also showed amyloid-β (Aβ) lowering effects (51.9% decrease of Aβ₄₂) superior to phenserine (31% decrease of total Aβ) in SH-SY5Y-APP₆₉₅ cells at 50 µM. The dual actions of 43 on cholinergic and amyloidogenic pathways indicated potential uses as symptomatic and disease-modifying agents.

Ligand-based 3D-QSAR studies of physostigmine analogues as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

Natural alkaloid Physostigmine is one of the most potent pseudo-irreversible inhibitor of Acetylcholinesterase. It was found to accelerate long-term memory process, but due to its short half life and variable bioavailability, has inconsistent clinical efficacy. 3D-QSAR studies based on the comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis were applied to a set of 40 Physostigmine derivatives which are divided into two classes: A and B. The study was conducted to obtain a highly reliable and extensive dynamic QSAR model based on alignment procedure with co-crystallized Ganstigmine as template. The strategy yielded significant 3D-QSAR models with the cross-validated q(2) values 0.762 and 0.754 for comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis, respectively. Resulted models were validated by external set of eight compounds yielding high correlation coefficient r(2) values of 0.730 and 0.720 for comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis, respectively. Furthermore, the analysis of comparative molecular field analysis and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis contour maps within the active site of AChE were conducted in order to understand the interactions between the receptor and the Physostigmine derivatives. This study will facilitate the rational design of more potent Physostigmine compounds which might have better activity and reduce toxicity for the treatment of Alzheimer disease.

Chiral toxicology: it's the same thing...only different

Chiral substances possess a unique architecture such that, despite sharing identical molecular formulas, atom-to-atom linkages, and bonding distances, they cannot be superimposed. Thus, in the environment of living systems, where specific structure-activity relationships may be required for effect (e.g., enzymes, receptors, transporters, and DNA), the physiochemical and biochemical properties of racemic mixtures and individual stereoisomers can differ significantly. In drug development, enantiomeric selection to maximize clinical effects or mitigate drug toxicity has yielded both success and failure. Further complicating genetic polymorphisms in drug disposition, stereoselective metabolism of chiral compounds can additionally influence pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and toxicity. Optically pure pharmaceuticals may undergo racemization in vivo, negating single enantiomer benefits or inducing unexpected effects. Appropriate chiral antidotes must be selected for therapeutic benefit and to minimize adverse events. Enantiomers may possess different carcinogenicity and teratogenicity. Environmental toxicology provides several examples in which compound bioaccumulation, persistence, and toxicity show chiral dependence. In forensic toxicology, chiral analysis has been applied to illicit drug preparations and biological specimens, with the potential to assist in determination of cause of death and aid in the correct interpretation of substance abuse and "doping" screens. Adrenergic agonists and antagonist, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, SSRIs, opioids, warfarin, valproate, thalidomide, retinoic acid, N-acetylcysteine, carnitine, penicillamine, leucovorin, glucarpidase, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, phenylethylamines, and additional compounds will be discussed to illustrate important concepts in "chiral toxicology."

Accommodation of physostigmine and its analogues by acetylcholinesterase is dominated by hydrophobic interactions

The role of the functional architecture of the HuAChE (human acetylcholinesterase) in reactivity toward the carbamates pyridostigmine, rivastigmine and several analogues of physostigmine, that are currently used or considered for use as drugs for Alzheimer's disease, was analysed using over 20 mutants of residues that constitute the interaction subsites in the active centre. Both steps of the HuAChE carbamylation reaction, formation of the Michaelis complex as well as the nucleophilic process, are sensitive to accommodation of the ligand by the enzyme. For certain carbamate/HuAChE combinations, the mode of inhibition shifted from a covalent to a noncovalent type, according to the balance between dissociation and covalent reaction rates. Whereas the charged moieties of pyridostigmine and rivastigmine contribute significantly to the stability of the corresponding HuAChE complexes, no such effect was observed for physostigmine and its analogues, phenserine and cymserine. Moreover, physostigmine-like ligands carrying oxygen instead of nitrogen at position -1 of the tricyclic moiety (physovenine and tetrahydrofurobenzofuran analogues) displayed comparable structure-function characteristics toward the various HuAChE enzymes. The essential role of the HuAChE hydrophobic pocket, comprising mostly residues Trp(86) and Tyr(337), in accommodating (-)-physostigmine and in conferring approximately 300-fold stereoselectivity toward physostigmines, was elucidated through examination of the reactivity of selected HuAChE mutations toward enantiomeric pairs of different physostigmine analogues. The present study demonstrates that certain charged and uncharged ligands, like analogues of physostigmine and physovenine, seem to be accommodated by the enzyme mostly through hydrophobic interactions.

Syntheses of Tetrahydrofurobenzofurans and Dihydromethanobenzodioxepines from 5-Hydroxy-3-methyl-3H-benzofuran-2-one. Rearrangement and Ring Expansion under Reductive Conditions on Treatment with Hydrides

5-Hydroxy-3-methyl-3H-benzofuran-2-one, 5, easily obtained from pyruvic acid and 1,4-cyclohexanedione, was used as a starting material to prepare (+/-)-5-hydroxy-3a-methyl-2,3,3a,8a-tetrahydro-furo[2,3-b]benzofuran, 10, and (+/-)-7-hydroxy-5-methyl-4,5-dihydro-2,5-methano-1,3-benzodioxepine, 14. Reduced reactivity relative to 5-hydroxy-3-methoxycarbonylmethylene-3-methyl-3H-benzofuran-2-one, 6, was preliminarily studied. Meanwhile, a plausible mechanism with regard to the formation of 10 and 14, which included cyclization, rearrangement, and ring expansion of hemiacetal, 15, is proposed. Specific carbamates of phenols, 10 and 14, have shown impressive inhibitory activities against human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) ex vivo.

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by physostigmine analogs: conformational mobility of cysteine loop due to the steric effect of the alkyl chain

The effect of a series of physostigmine analogs on acetylcholinesterase activity was investigated. The second-order rate constant k(on) of the enzyme-inhibitor complex correlates with the conformational positioning of aromatic residues, especially Trp84, in the transition state complex. The van der Waals interactions are an important structural element of this conformational change. A transient mobility of the cysteine loop (Cys67-Cys94) was confined only to the presence of a significant steric effect. Even with this limitation, however, the steric effect seems to be an appropriate model for future tests on the "back door" hypothesis involving facilitated opening for faster product clearance.

First generation design, synthesis, and evaluation of azepine-based cryptophycin analogues

[structure: see text] Azepine-based cryptophycin mimics (+)-4 and (+)-5 have been designed and synthesized. Biological evaluation revealed modest in vitro activity against several human tumor cell lines, thereby supporting the utility of novel scaffolds for the design and synthesis of cryptophycin analogues.

Inhibition of AChE: structure-activity relationship among conformational transition of Trp84 and biomolecular rate constant

In this study the authors attempt to correlate kinetic constants for carbamylation of AChE, by a series of carbamate inhibitors, with the conformational positioning of Trp84 in transition state complexes of the same carbamates with Torpedo AChE, as obtained by computerized molecular modelling. They present evidence for changes in the distance of the carbamates from the center of the indole ring which can be correlated with the bimolecular rate constants for inhibition. As a result the greater the distance from Trp84, the smaller the bimolecular inhibition constant value, ki (= k2/Ka), becomes. In conclusion, the value of the bimolecular rate constant for selected AChE inhibitors (structural changes that have been hypothesised or natural alkaloids of unknown activity) which possess similar size and rigidity, can be obtained. Under these conditions energy minimization alone seems to be sufficient even to accurately predict protein-substrate interactions that actually occur. Modelling studies also suggest that conformational re-orientation of Trp84 in the transition state could produce an overall movement of the Cys67-Cys94 loop.

The 'aromatic patch' of three proximal residues in the human acetylcholinesterase active centre allows for versatile interaction modes with inhibitors

The role of the functional architecture of the human acetylcholinesterase (HuAChE) active centre in accommodating the non-covalent inhibitors tacrine and huperzine A, or the carbamates pyridostigmine and physostigmine, was analysed using 16 mutants of residues lining the active-centre gorge. Despite the structural diversity of the ligands, certain common properties of the complexes could be observed: (a) replacement of aromatic residues Tyr133, Tyr337 and especially Trp86, resulted in pronounced changes in stability of all the complexes examined; (b) effects due to replacements of the five other aromatic residues along the active-centre gorge, such as the acyl pocket (Phe295, Phe297) or at the peripheral anionic site (Tyr124, Trp286, Tyr341) were relatively small; (c) effects due to substitution of the carboxylic residues in the gorge (Glu202, Glu450) were moderate. These results and molecular modelling indicate that the aromatic side chains of residues Trp86, Tyr133 and Tyr337 form together a continuous 'aromatic patch' lining the wall of the active-centre gorge, allowing for the accommodation of the different ligands via multiple modes of interaction. Studies with HuAChE mutants carrying replacements at positions 86, 133 and 337 indicate that the orientations of huperzine A and tacrine in the HuAChE complexes in solution are significantly different from those observed in X-ray structures of the corresponding complexes with Torpedo californica AChE (TcAChE). These discrepancies may be explained in terms of structural differences between the complexes of HuAChE and TcAChE or, more likely, by the enhanced flexibility of the AChE active-centre gorge in solution as compared with the crystalline state.

The role of TRP84 in catalytic power and the specificity of AChE

The structure-function relationship between the alkaloids physostigmine, physovenine and the three structurally related compounds were investigated by employing kinetic studies and molecular modeling. Crystallographic data from the X-ray conformation of the Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase complex together with the transition state analog inhibitor m-(N,N,N,-Trimethylammonio) trifluoroacetophenone (TMTFA) was used as template onto which inhibitors were superimposed. Among the structural elements of the active site, TRP84 residue shows a versatile role. In fact, its aromatic electrons not only can be employed in pi-cation interactions, as is the case for ACh, but they can also provide a polarizable surface for van der Waals and London interactions.

A comparative QSAR analysis of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors currently studied for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Considering the relevance of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors as potential agents for the treatment of the Alzheimer's disease, we have undertaken a comparative QSAR analysis aimed at individuating the physico-chemical properties governing the inhibitory activity of such compounds. The QSAR equations for 13 series of derivatives have been calculated and discussed. The series studied are all those we found in the literature suitable for a QSAR analysis and represent the three main classes of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors currently investigated, namely, physostigmine analogues, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridines and benzylamines. The equations we obtained show that, within each class, the main physico-chemical properties affecting the inhibitory activity are almost the same for all the series and can be individuated by the use of proper parameters. The conclusions of this study can be summarized as follows: (a) hydrophobicity plays a critical role in both the physostigmine- and the benzylamine-derived classes; (b) electronic effects are important for the interactions carried out by the variable portion of benzylamine derivatives; and (c) steric factors are also significant, but, as in other cases, the collinearity between steric and hydrophobic parameters does not allow one to draw any final conclusion.

Structure-activity relationships in platelet-activating factor (PAF). 8. Tetrahydrofuran derivatives as dual PAF antagonists and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: anti-acetylcholinesterase activity and comparative SAR

2,5-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran derivatives display a dual functionality: they are PAF antagonists and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors. In vitro anti-AChE activity and in vivo trials are presented herein. These compounds are competitive and potent AChE inhibitors. Structure-activity relationships are described and compared with PAF-antagonist results. The presence of an onium group, a suitable distance supplied by a chain of 7 or 10 carbon atoms separating the function from the polar head and an appreciable chain hydrophobicity (4 < sigma f < 7) are the main features required for a dual activity. The derivatives are evaluated in a mouse passive avoidance model. Only compounds with both activities are able to reverse scopolamine-induced amnesia. In addition, they display a very weak toxicity.

In vivo studies of acetylcholinesterase activity using a labeled substrate, N-[11C]methylpiperdin-4-yl propionate ([11C]PMP)

Two esters, N-[11C]methylpiperidyl acetate ([11C]AMP) and N-[11C]methylpiperidyl propionate ([11C]PMP), were synthesized in no-carrier-added forms and evaluated as in vivo substrates for brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE). After peripheral injection in mice, each ester showed rapid penetration into the brain and a regional retention of radioactivity (striatum > cortex, hippocampus > cerebellum) reflecting known levels of AChE activity in the brain. Regional brain distributions after [11C]PMP administration showed better discrimination between regions of high, intermediate, and low AChE activities. Chromatographic analysis of blood and brain tissue extracts showed rapid and nearly complete hydrolysis of [11C]PMP within 10 min after injection. For both [11C]AMP and [11C]PMP, retention of radioactivity in all regions was reduced by pretreatment with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), a specific irreversible AChE inhibitor. DFP treatment also significantly increased the proportions of unhydrolyzed ester in both blood and brain. Radioactivity localization in brain after peripheral injection was thus dependent on AChE-catalyzed hydrolysis to the hydrophilic product N-[11C]methylpiperidinol. PET imaging of [11C]AMP or [11C]PMP distributions in monkey brain showed clear accumulation of radioactivity in areas of highest AChE activity (striatum, cortex). These esters are thus in vivo substrates for brain AChE, with potential applications as in vivo imaging agents of enzyme action in the human brain. [11C]PMP, the ester with a slower rate of hydrolysis, appears to be the better candidate radiotracer for further development.