Coumarin–azasugar–benzyl conjugates as non-neurotoxic dual inhibitors of butyrylcholinesterase and cancer cell growth

Abstract

We have applied the copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction to prepare a library of ten coumarin–azasugar–benzyl conjugates and two phthalimide–azasugar–benzyl conjugates with potential anti-Alzheimer and anti-cancer properties. The compounds were evaluated as cholinesterase inhibitors, demonstrating a general preference, of up to 676-fold, for the inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) over acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Nine of the compounds behaved as stronger BuChE inhibitors than galantamine, one of the few drugs in clinical use against Alzheimer's disease. The most potent BuChE inhibitor (IC₅₀ = 74 nM) was found to exhibit dual activities, as it also showed high activity (GI₅₀ = 5.6 ± 1.1 μM) for inhibiting the growth of WiDr (colon cancer cells). In vitro studies on this dual-activity compound on Cerebellar Granule Neurons (CGNs) demonstrated that it displays no neurotoxicity.