ABSTRACT
Manzamine A and related derivatives isolated from a common Indonesian sponge, Acanthostrongylophora, have been identified as a new class of GSK-3beta inhibitors. The semisynthesis of new analogues and the first structure-activity relationship studies with GSK-3beta are also reported. Moreover, manzamine A proved to be effective in decreasing tau hyperphosphorylation in human neuroblastoma cell lines, a demonstration of its ability to enter cells and interfere with tau pathology. Inhibition studies of manzamine A against a selected panel of five different kinases related to GSK-3beta, specifically CDK-1, PKA, CDK-5, MAPK, and GSK-3alpha, show the specific inhibition of manzamine A on GSK-3beta and CDK-5, the two kinases involved in tau pathological hyperphosphorylation. These results suggest that manzamine A constitutes a promising scaffold from which more potent and selective GSK-3 inhibitors could be designed as potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease.
Subject(s)
Alkaloids/chemistry , Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy , Carbazoles/chemistry , Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3/antagonists & inhibitors , Porifera/chemistry , Animals , Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques , Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta , Humans , Indonesia , Molecular Structure , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
We have synthesized a series of novel coplanar chromophores in which heteroarenes, namely, thiophene, benzothiophene, and carbazole, were fused to neighboring phenylene ring(s) through intramolecular annulation via sp(3)-hybridized carbon atoms bearing two p-tolyl groups as peripheral substituents. The molecular configurations of the pi-conjugated backbones were determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis; the heteroarene-fused molecular frameworks of these novel molecules exhibit nearly coplanar conformations. [structure: see text]
ABSTRACT
[structure: see text] Novel ter(9,9-ditolylfluorene) analogues containing thiophene and pyridine rings embedded as functional constituents within the parent hydrocarbon backbone have been synthesized. These new molecules exhibit highly efficient photoluminescence and high thermal and morphological stability. The electronic structure of the terfluorene backbone is significantly perturbed, which allows modulation of the backbone energy levels.