Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of compounds with a new scaffold as anti-neuroinflammatory agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Twenty-eight compounds with a new scaffold were designed and synthesized by assembling fragments derived from known agents such as stilbenes and piperazinyl pyrimidines. Many strategies have been explored to improve the druggability of these series of compounds, such as increasing the distance between two benzene rings in the scaffold and introducing functional groups at designated positions. These compounds were validated for their anti-neuroinflammatory activity in BV2 cells. Experimental results reveal that the most active compound 8b can inhibit nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production with IC₅₀ values of 1.0, 2.6, and 0.5 μM, respectively. The compound can also significantly modulate the MAPK pathways through inhibiting the phosphorylation of JNK, ERK1/2, and p38 MAPK without disturbing NF-κB pathway. Parallel artificial membrane permeation assay demonstrated that the most active compound can overcome the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Therefore, this compound can be a promising lead for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Anti-neuroinflammation; Fragment-based drug design.