4-Aminoquinoline-Based Adamantanes as Potential Anticholinesterase Agents in Symptomatic Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Nascent pharmacological advancement in adamantane derivatives

The adamantane moiety has attracted significant attention since its discovery in 1933 due to its remarkable structural, chemical, and medicinal properties. This molecule has a notable impact in the therapeutic field because of its "add-on" lipophilicity to any pharmacophoric moieties. As in the case of molecular hybridization, in which one pharmacophore is attached to another one(s) with a probability of increasing the biological activity, adding an adamantane unit improves the absorption distribution, metabolism and excretion properties of the resultant hybrid molecule. This review summarizes various reports highlighting the biological activities of adamantane-based synthetic compounds and their structure-activity relationship study. The information presented in this review may open up possible dimensions for adamantane-based drug development and discovery in the pharmaceutical industry after proper structural modifications.

Exploring diverse frontiers: Advancements of bioactive 4-aminoquinoline-based molecular hybrids in targeted therapeutics and beyond

Amongst heterocyclic compounds, quinoline and its derivatives are advantaged scaffolds that appear as a significant assembly motif for developing new drug entities. Aminoquinoline moiety has gained significant attention among researchers in the 21stcentury. Considering the biological and pharmaceutical importance of aminoquinoline derivatives, herein, we review the recent developments (since 2019) in various biological activities of the 4-aminoquinoline scaffold hybridized with diverse heterocyclic moieties such as quinoline, pyridine, pyrimidine, triazine, dioxine, piperazine, pyrazoline, piperidine, imidazole, indole, oxadiazole, carbazole, dioxole, thiazole, benzothiazole, pyrazole, phthalimide, adamantane, benzochromene, and pyridinone. Moreover, by gaining knowledge about SARs, structural insights, and molecular targets, this review may help medicinal chemists design cost-effective, selective, safe, and more potent 4-aminoquinoline hybrids for diverse biological activities.

Aerobic Dehydrogenative Aromatization in the Preparation of 4-Aminoquinoline Derivatives by Synergistic Pd/Cu Catalysis

The 4-aminoquinoline moiety is widely present in various bioactive compounds and marketed drugs, while the preparation of this target structure relies heavily on the amination of 4-chloroquinolines. Herein, an atom and step economic procedure was developed based on an aerobic dehydrogenative aromatization strategy. Unlike the well-known palladium-catalyzed dehydrogenative aromatization of cyclohexanones with amines, synergistic Pd/Cu catalysis is crucial for 2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-one type of substrates. Under the optimized conditions, a range of aromatic/aliphatic amines and 2,3-dihydroquinolin-4(1H)-ones were coupled to give the corresponding 4-aminoquinoline products in moderate to high yields, and the application of the current methodology for the preparation and late-stage diversification of marketed drugs was also demonstrated.

Evaluation of 4-aminoquinoline derivatives with an n-octylamino spacer as potential multi-targeting ligands for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

The most successful therapeutic strategy in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is directed toward increasing levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) by inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), the enzymes responsible for its hydrolysis. In this paper, we extended our study on 4-aminoquinolines as human cholinesterase inhibitors on twenty-six new 4-aminoquinolines containing an n-octylamino spacer on C(4) and different substituents on the terminal amino group. We evaluated the potency of new derivatives to act as multi-targeted ligands by determining their inhibition potency towards human AChE and BChE, ability to chelate biometals Fe, Cu and Zn, ability to inhibit the action of β-secretase 1 (BACE1) and their antioxidant capacity. All of the tested derivatives were very potent inhibitors of human AChE and BChE with inhibition constants (Ki) ranging from 0.0023 to 1.6 μM. Most of the compounds were estimated to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by passive transport and were nontoxic to human neuronal, kidney and liver cells in concentrations in which they inhibit cholinesterases. Generally, newly synthesised compounds were weak reductants compared to standard antioxidants, but all possessed a certain amount of antioxidant activity compared to tacrine. Of the eleven most potent cholinesterase inhibitors, eight compounds also inhibited BACE1 activity at 10-18%. Based on our overall results, compounds 8 with 3-fluorobenzyl, 11 with 3-chlorobenzyl and 17 with 3-metoxy benzyl substituents on the terminal amino group stood out as the most promising for the treatment of AD; they strongly inhibited AChE and BChE, were non-toxic on HepG2, HEK293 and SH-SY5Y cells, had the potential to cross the BBB and possessed the ability to chelate biometals and/or inhibit the activity of BACE1 within a range close to the therapeutically desired degree of inhibition.

Potential of Vitamin B6 Dioxime Analogues to Act as Cholinesterase Ligands

Seven pyridoxal dioxime quaternary salts (1–7) were synthesized with the aim of studying their interactions with human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). The synthesis was achieved by the quaternization of pyridoxal monooxime with substituted 2-bromoacetophenone oximes (phenacyl bromide oximes). All compounds, prepared in good yields (43–76%) and characterized by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, were evaluated as reversible inhibitors of cholinesterase and/or reactivators of enzymes inhibited by toxic organophosphorus compounds. Their potency was compared with that of their monooxime analogues and medically approved oxime HI-6. The obtained pyridoxal dioximes were relatively weak inhibitors for both enzymes (Ki = 100–400 µM). The second oxime group in the structure did not improve the binding compared to the monooxime analogues. The same was observed for reactivation of VX-, tabun-, and paraoxon-inhibited AChE and BChE, where no significant efficiency burst was noted. In silico analysis and molecular docking studies connected the kinetic data to the structural features of the tested compound, showing that the low binding affinity and reactivation efficacy may be a consequence of a bulk structure hindering important reactive groups. The tested dioximes were non-toxic to human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) and human embryonal kidney cells (HEK293).

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Biscarbamates as Potential Selective Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

As butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) plays a role in the progression of symptoms and pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), selective inhibition of BChE over acetylcholinesterase (AChE) can represent a promising pathway in treating AD. The carbamate group was chosen as a pharmacophore because the carbamates currently or previously in use for the treatment of AD displayed significant positive effects on cognitive symptoms. Eighteen biscarbamates with different substituents at the carbamoyl and hydroxyaminoethyl chain were synthesized, and their inhibitory potential toward both cholinesterases and inhibition selectivity were determined. The ability of carbamates to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by passive transport, their cytotoxic profile and their ability to chelate biometals were also evaluated. All biscarbamates displayed a time-dependent inhibition with inhibition rate constants within 10^-3-10^-6 M^-1 min^-1 range for both cholinesterases, with generally higher preference to BChE. For two biscarbamates, it was determined that they should be able to pass the BBB by passive transport, while for five biscarbamates, this ability was slightly limited. Fourteen biscarbamates did not exhibit a cytotoxic effect toward liver, kidney and neuronal cells. In conclusion, considering their high BChE selectivity, non-toxicity, ability to chelate biometals and pass the BBB, compounds 2 and 16 were pointed out as the most promising compounds for the treatment of middle and late stages of AD.