Aromatic Esters of the Crinane Amaryllidaceae Alkaloid Ambelline as Selective Inhibitors of Butyrylcholinesterase

J Nat Prod. 2020 May 22;83(5):1359-1367. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b00561. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Abstract

A total of 20 derivatives (1-20) of the crinane-type alkaloid ambelline were synthesized. These semisynthetic derivatives were assessed for their potency to inhibit both acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). To predict central nervous system (CNS) availability, logBB was calculated, and the data correlated well with those obtained from the parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA). All compounds should be able to permeate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) according to the obtained results. A total of 7 aromatic derivatives (5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, and 16) with different substitution patterns showed inhibitory potency against human serum BuChE (IC50 < 5 μM), highlighting the three top-ranked compounds as follows: 11-O-(1-naphthoyl)ambelline (16), 11-O-(2-methylbenzoyl)ambelline (6), and 11-O-(2-methoxybenzoyl)ambelline (9) with IC50 values of 0.10 ± 0.01, 0.28 ± 0.02, and 0.43 ± 0.04 μM, respectively. Notably, derivatives 6, 7, 9, and 16 displayed selective human BuChE (hBuChE) inhibition profiles with a selectivity index > 100. The in vitro results were supported by computational studies predicting plausible binding modes of the compounds in the active sites of hBuChE.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amaryllidaceae / chemistry*
  • Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids / chemical synthesis*
  • Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids / pharmacokinetics
  • Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids / pharmacology*
  • Blood-Brain Barrier
  • Butyrylcholinesterase / drug effects*
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / chemical synthesis*
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / pharmacokinetics
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Esters
  • Humans
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Docking Simulation
  • Molecular Structure
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors
  • Esters
  • Butyrylcholinesterase