Discovery of novel propargylamine-modified 4-aminoalkyl imidazole substituted pyrimidinylthiourea derivatives as multifunctional agents for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease

A series of novel propargylamine-modified pyrimidinylthiourea derivatives (1–3) were designed and synthesized as multifunctional agents for Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy, and their potential was evaluated through various biological experiments. Among these derivatives, compound 1b displayed good selective inhibitory activity against AChE (vs BuChE, IC50 = 0.324 μM, SI > 123) and MAO-B (vs MAO-A, IC50 = 1.427 μM, SI > 35). Molecular docking study showed that the pyrimidinylthiourea moiety of 1b could bind to the catalytic active site (CAS) of AChE, and the propargylamine moiety interacted directly with the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) of MAO-B. Moreover, 1b demonstrated mild antioxidant ability, good copper chelating property, effective inhibitory activity against Cu2+-induced Aβ1−42 aggregation, moderate neuroprotection, low cytotoxicity, and appropriate blood−brain barrier (BBB) permeability in vitro and was capable of ameliorating scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment in mice. These results indicated that 1b has the potential to be a multifunctional candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. [Display omitted] •Novel compounds with good multifunctional anti-AD activities were discovered.•Compound 1b showed potential druggability: low cytotoxicity and BBB permeability.•Compound 1b ameliorated scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment in mice.