Depression is one of the most frequent psychiatric complications of Alzheimer's disease (AD), affecting up to 50% of the patients. A novel series of hybrid molecules were designed and synthesized by combining the pharmacophoric features of vilazodone and tacrine as potential multitarget-directed ligands for the treatment of AD with depression. In vitro biological assays were conducted to evaluate the compounds; among the 30 hybrids, compound 1e showed relatively balanced profiles between acetylcholinesterase inhibition (IC50 = 3.319 ± 0.708 μM), 5-HT1A agonist (EC50 = 107 ± 37 nM), and 5-HT reuptake inhibition (IC50 = 76.3 ± 33 nM). Compound 1e displayed tolerable hepatotoxicity and moderate hERG inhibition activity, and could penetrate the blood-brain barrier in vivo. Furthermore, an oral intake of 30 mg/kg 1e·HCl could significantly improve the cognitive function of scopolamine-induced amnesia mice and alleviate the depressive symptom in tail suspension test. The effectivity of 1e validates the rationality of our design strategy.
Keywords: 5-HT reuptake inhibition; 5-HT1A agonist; Alzheimer’s disease; ChE inhibition; depression; multitarget-directed ligand.