Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of potential anti-AD hybrids with monoamine oxidase B inhibitory and iron-chelating effects

A series of active hybrids combining 3-hydroxypyridin-4(1 H )-one and coumarin pharmacophores were designed and synthesized as potential agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). All the compounds exhibited excellent iron-chelating activities (pFe 3+ = 14.8–19.2) and showed favorable monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitory effects compared to the reference drug Pargyline (IC 50  = 86.9 nM). Among them, compound 11 g displayed the best MAO-B inhibitory activity with an IC 50 value of 99.3 nM. Molecular docking analysis showed that compound 11 g could enter the entrance cavity and substrate cavity of MAO-B. Furthermore, the compound 11 g had an excellent antioxidant effect and was capable of protecting from the amyloid- β 1-42 (A β 1-42 ) induced PC12 cell damage. In silico tools were applied for predicting the blood–brain barrier (BBB) penetration and compound 11 g was proved to overcome the brain exposure challenge. In the mice behavioral study, compound 11 g significantly ameliorated cognitive impairment induced by Scopolamine. More importantly, compound 11 g displayed favorable pharmacokinetic profiles in a rat model. In summary, compound 11 g , with both anti-MAO-B and iron-chelating ability, was proved to be a promising potential anti-AD agent for further optimization.