Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex disease with an unknown etiology. Available treatments, limited to cholinesterase inhibitors and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonists, provide symptomatic relief only. As single-target therapies have not proven effective, rational specific-targeted combination into a single molecule represents a more promising approach for treating AD, and is expected to yield greater benefits in alleviating symptoms and slowing disease progression. In the present study, we designed, synthesized, and biologically evaluated 24 novel N-methylpropargylamino-quinazoline derivatives. Initially, compounds were thoroughly inspected by in silico techniques determining their oral and CNS availabilities. We tested, in vitro, the compounds' effects on cholinesterases and monoamine oxidase A/B (MAO-A/B), as well as their impacts on NMDAR antagonism, dehydrogenase activity, and glutathione levels. In addition, we inspected selected compounds for their cytotoxicity on undifferentiated and differentiated neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. We collectively highlighted II-6h as the best candidate endowed with a selective MAO-B inhibition profile, NMDAR antagonism, an acceptable cytotoxicity profile, and the potential to permeate through BBB. The structure-guided drug design strategy applied in this study imposed a novel concept for rational drug discovery and enhances our understanding on the development of novel therapeutic agents for treating AD.

• Klíčová slova
• Alzheimer’s disease, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, acetylcholinesterase, enzyme inhibition, monoamine oxidase A/B, multi-target directed ligands,
• MeSH
• acetylcholinesterasa metabolismus   MeSH
• Alzheimerova nemoc * farmakoterapie   MeSH
• cholinesterasové inhibitory terapeutické užití   MeSH
• inhibitory MAO terapeutické užití   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• monoaminoxidasa metabolismus   MeSH
• neuroblastom * farmakoterapie   MeSH
• racionální návrh léčiv MeSH
• vztahy mezi strukturou a aktivitou MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• acetylcholinesterasa MeSH
• cholinesterasové inhibitory MeSH
• inhibitory MAO MeSH
• monoaminoxidasa MeSH

Twenty-four novel compounds bearing tetrahydroacridine and N-propargyl moieties have been designed, synthesised, and evaluated in vitro for their anti-cholinesterase and anti-monoamine oxidase activities. Propargyltacrine 23 (IC50 = 21 nM) was the most potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, compound 20 (IC50 = 78 nM) showed the best inhibitory human butyrylcholinesterase (hBChE) profile, and ligand 21 afforded equipotent and significant values on both ChEs (human AChE [hAChE]: IC50 = 0.095 ± 0.001 µM; hBChE: IC50 = 0.093 ± 0.003 µM). Regarding MAO inhibition, compounds 7, 15, and 25 demonstrated the highest inhibitory potential towards hMAO-B (IC50 = 163, 40, and 170 nM, respectively). In all, compounds 7, 15, 20, 21, 23, and 25 exhibiting the most balanced pharmacological profile, were submitted to permeability and cell viability tests. As a result, 7-phenoxy-N-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridin-9-amine hydrochloride (15) has been identified as a permeable agent that shows a balanced pharmacological profile [IC50 (hAChE) = 1.472 ± 0.024 µM; IC50 (hBChE) = 0.659 ± 0.077 µM; IC50 (hMAO-B) = 40.39 ± 5.98 nM], and consequently, as a new hit-ligand that deserves further investigation, in particular in vivo analyses, as the preliminary cell viability test results reported here suggest that this is a relatively safe therapeutic agent.

• Klíčová slova
• Alzheimer’s disease, Cholinesterase inhibitor, monoamine oxidase inhibitor, propargyl amines, tacrine,
• MeSH
• acetylcholinesterasa metabolismus   MeSH
• Alzheimerova nemoc * farmakoterapie   MeSH
• aminy MeSH
• butyrylcholinesterasa * metabolismus   MeSH
• cholinesterasové inhibitory farmakologie   terapeutické užití   MeSH
• inhibitory MAO farmakologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• ligandy MeSH
• monoaminoxidasa MeSH
• oxidoreduktasy MeSH
• racionální návrh léčiv MeSH
• takrin terapeutické užití   MeSH
• vztahy mezi strukturou a aktivitou MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• acetylcholinesterasa MeSH
• aminy MeSH
• butyrylcholinesterasa * MeSH
• cholinesterasové inhibitory MeSH
• inhibitory MAO MeSH
• ligandy MeSH
• monoaminoxidasa MeSH
• oxidoreduktasy MeSH
• takrin MeSH