Discovery of novel β-carboline derivatives as selective AChE inhibitors with GSK-3β inhibitory property for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract

The natural product harmine, a representative β-carboline alkaloid from the seeds of Peganum harmala L. (Zygophyllaceae), possesses a broad spectrum of biological activities. In this study, a novel series of harmine derivatives containing N-benzylpiperidine moiety were identified for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The results showed that all the derivatives possessed significant anti-acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and good selectivity over butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). In particular, compound ZLWH-23 exhibited potent anti-AChE activity (IC50 = 0.27 μM) and selective BChE inhibition (IC50 = 20.82 μM), as well as acceptable glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3β) inhibition (IC50 = 6.78 μM). Molecular docking studies and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that ZLWH-23 could form stable interaction with AChE and GSK-3β. Gratifyingly, ZLWH-23 exhibited good selectivity for GSK-3β over multi-kinases and very low cytotoxicity towards SH-SY5Y, HEK-293T, HL-7702, and HepG2 cell lines. Importantly, ZLWH-23 displayed efficient reduction against tau hyperphosphorylation on Ser-396 site in Tau (P301L) 293T cell model. Collectively, harmine-based derivatives could be considered as possible drug leads for the development of AD therapies.

• Authors: Wenwu Liu, Xin Liu, Wenjie Liu, Yaping Gao, Limeng Wu, Yaoguang Huang, Huanhua Chen, Deping Li, Lijun Zhou, Nan Wang, Zihua Xu, Xiaowen Jiang, Qingchun Zhao
• Journal: European journal of medicinal chemistry (Eur J Med Chem) Vol. 229 Pg. 114095 (Feb 05 2022) ISSN: 1768-3254 [Electronic] France
• PMID: 34995924 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents
• Carbolines
• Cholinesterase Inhibitors
• Protein Kinase Inhibitors
• Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta
• Acetylcholinesterase

Topics

• Acetylcholinesterase (metabolism)
• Alzheimer Disease (drug therapy)
• Antineoplastic Agents (chemistry, pharmacology)
• Apoptosis (drug effects)
• Carbolines (chemical synthesis, pharmacology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Cholinesterase Inhibitors (chemical synthesis, pharmacology)
• Drug Design
• Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta (antagonists & inhibitors)
• Humans
• Molecular Docking Simulation
• Molecular Dynamics Simulation
• Protein Binding
• Protein Kinase Inhibitors (chemical synthesis, pharmacology)
• Signal Transduction
• Structure-Activity Relationship