Highly potent, selective, and low cost bis-tetrahydroaminacrine inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase. Steps toward novel drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease

J Biol Chem. 1996 Sep 27;271(39):23646-9. doi: 10.1074/jbc.271.39.23646.

Abstract

We report highly potent, selective, and low cost bifunctional acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors developed by our two-step prototype optimization strategy utilizing computer modeling of ligand docking with target proteins: 1) identify low affinity sites normally missed by x-ray crystallography; and 2) design bifunctional analogs capable of simultaneous binding at the computer-determined low affinity site and the x-ray-identified high affinity site. Applying this strategy to 9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine (THA), a drug for Alzheimer's disease, we obtained alkylene linked bis-THA analogs. These analogs were up to 10,000-fold more selective and 1,000-fold more potent than THA in inhibiting rat AChE and yet required one simple reaction to synthesize. Additionally, alkylene linked benzyl-THA analogs were developed to examine the specificity of the docking-derived low affinity THA peripheral site in AChE. The present work and our previous computational studies strongly suggest that a low affinity THA peripheral site exists in AChE. This peripheral site provides a structural basis for design of improved cholinesterase ligands for treating Alzheimer's disease and for other health-related purposes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acetylcholinesterase / blood
  • Animals
  • Brain / enzymology
  • Butyrylcholinesterase / metabolism
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / chemistry*
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / economics
  • Computer Simulation
  • Costs and Cost Analysis
  • Drug Design
  • Kinetics
  • Ligands
  • Rats
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Tacrine / chemistry*
  • Tacrine / pharmacology

Substances

  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors
  • Ligands
  • Tacrine
  • Acetylcholinesterase
  • Butyrylcholinesterase