Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of theophylline containing variant acetylene derivatives as α-amylase inhibitors

A novel pharmacophore with theophylline and acetylene moieties was constructed by using a fragment-based drug design and a series of twenty theophylline containing acetylene conjugates were designed and synthesized, and all the compounds were evaluated by enzyme-based in vitro α-amylase inhibition activity. The in vitro evaluation revealed that most of the compounds displayed good inhibitory activities, and among them nine analogs 13–15, 20, 21 and 24–27 were exhibited more or nearly as equipotent inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values 1.11 ± 0.07, 1.14 ± 0.17, 1.07 ± 0.01 and 1.21 ± 0.03, 1.33 ± 0.09, 1.17 ± 0.01, 1.05 ± 0.02, 1.61 ± 0.04, 1.02 ± 0.03 μM respectively, as compared with standard, acarbose 1.37 ± 0.26 μM. Further, molecular docking simulation studies were done to identify the interactions and binding mode of synthesized analogs at binding site of α-amylase enzyme (PBD ID: 4GQR). Among the synthesized analogs, two compounds 25 and 27 were selected on the basis of α-amylase inhibition activity and evaluated for in vivo anti-diabetic activity by High Fat Diet-Streptozotocin (HFD-STZ) model in normal rats. At the dose of 10 mg/kg, bw, po these compounds have significantly reduced Plasma Glucose level in rats as compared to pioglitazone. The anti-diabetic activity results showed that the animal treated with the compounds 25 and 27 could better reverse and control the progression of the disease compared to the standard.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of 6-(benzyloxy)-4-methylquinolin-2(1H)-one derivatives as PDE3 inhibitors

Selective PDE3 (phosphodiesterase 3) inhibitors improve cardiac contractility and may be used in congestive heart failure. However, their proarrhythmic potential is the most important side effect. In this work ten new synthetic compounds (3-[(4-methyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydro-6-quinolinyl)oxy]methylbenzamide analogs: 4a–j) were designed, synthesized and tested for the inhibitory activity against human PDE3A and PDE3B. The strategy of the design was based on the structure of vesnarinone (a selective PDE3 inhibitor) and its docking analysis results. The synthetic compounds showed better PDE3 inhibitory activity in comparison with vesnarinone. Using docking analysis, a common binding model of each compound toward PDE3 was suggested. In the next step the potential cardiotonic activity of the best PDE3A inhibitors (4b, IC₅₀ = 0.43 ± 0.04 μM) was evaluated by using the spontaneously beating atria model. In the experiment, atrium of reserpine-treated rat was isolated and the contractile and chronotropic effects of the synthetic compound were assessed. That was carried out in comparison with vesnarinone. The best pharmacological profile was obtained for the compound 4b, which displayed selectivity for increasing the force of contraction (46 ± 3% change over the control) rather than the frequency rate (16 ± 4% change over the control) at 100 μM.     

Synthesis and in vitro anticancer evaluation of some fused indazoles,quinazolines and quinolines as potential EGFR inhibitors

derivatives of benzo[g]indazole 5a, b, benzo[h]quinazoline 7, 12a-c, 13a-c and 15a-c and benzo[h]quinoline 17a-c and 19a-c were synthesized from 6-methoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one (1). Anticancer activity of all the synthesized compounds was evaluated against four cancerous cell lines; HepG2, MCF-7, HCT116 and Caco-2. MCF-7 cells emerged as the most sensitive cell line against the target compounds. All the examined compounds, except 5a and 5b, displayed potent to moderate anticancer activity against MCF-7 cells with an IC₅₀ values ranging from 7.21 to 21.55 µM. In particular, compounds 15c and 19b emerged as the most potent derivatives against EGFR-expressing MCF-7 cells with IC₅₀ values = 7.70 ± 0.39 and 7.21 ± 0.43 μM, respectively. Additionally, both compounds did not display any significant cytotoxicity towards normal BHK-21 fibroblast cells (IC₅₀ value > 200 µM), thereby providing a good safety profile as anticancer agents. Furthermore, compounds 15c and 19b displayed potent inhibitory activity towards EGFR in the sub-micromolar range (IC₅₀ = 0.13 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.01 μM, respectively), compared to that of Erlotinib (IC₅₀ = 0.11 ± 0.01 μM). Docking studies for 15c and 19b into EGFR active site was carried out to explore their potential binding modes. Therefore, compounds 15c and 19b can be considered as interesting candidates for further development of more potent anticancer agents.     

Novel hybrids of benzothiazole-1,3,4-oxadiazole-4-thiazolidinone: Synthesis,in silico ADME study,molecular docking and in vivo anti-diabetic assessment

A series of new benzothiazole-1,3,4-oxadiazole-4-thiazolidinone hybrid analogs (Tz1-Tz28) were synthesized in search of potential anti-diabetic agents. Molecular docking study was conducted with binding pocket of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma to elucidate the binding interactions of newly synthesized targets. Seven selected compounds with best docking scores were further screened for in vivo anti-hyperglycemic efficacy by oral glucose tolerance test in non-diabetic rats and on streptozotocin induced diabetic rat models. All the tested compounds demonstrated excellent to moderate reduction in blood glucose levels. Three of the compounds (Tz21, Tz7 and Tz10) showed excellent anti-diabetic effect by reducing concentration of glucose to 157.15 ± 1.79 mg/dL, 154.39 ± 1.71 mg/dL, 167.36 ± 2.45 mg/dL, respectively better than the standard drug, pioglitazone, 178.32 ± 1.88 mg/dL. Moreover, three derivatives Tz21, Tz4 and Tz24 with IC50 values of 0.21 ± 0.01 µM, 9.03 ± 0.12 µM and 11.96 ± 0.40 µM respectively also showed better inhibitory activities on alpha-glucosidase even more than the standard acarbose (IC50 = 18.5 ± 0.20 µM), indicating Tz21 has the highest inhibitory effect among the seven tested derivatives. Prediction of Drug like properties using molinspiration online software suggests that all the synthesized compounds have potential of becoming the orally active molecules. Thus, these novel hybrids could serve as potential candidates to become leads for the development of new drugs eliciting anti-hyperglycemic effect orally.     

Design,synthesis, anticancer evaluation,molecular docking and cell cycle analysis of 3-methyl-4,7-dihydropyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives as potent histone lysine demethylases (KDM) inhibitors and apoptosis inducers

A novel series of pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines were synthesized and proved by their spectral and elemental analysis, some elected of the newly synthesized compounds were examined for their cytotoxic activity employing MTT assay on two cancer cell lines (Breast and Hela cancers). Compounds 5, 7e and 7i showed the higher cytotoxicity against two cancer cell lines with (IC₅₀ = 13.91 ± 1.4 and 22.37 ± 1.8 μM/L), (IC₅₀ = 6.56 ± 0.5 and 8.72 ± 0.9 μM/L) and (IC₅₀ = 4.17 ± 0.2 and 5.57 ± 0.4 μM/L) for two cancer cell lines breast and hela respectively, using doxorubicin as a reference drug. The most potent cytotoxic active compounds 5, 7e and 7i presented inhibitory activity against KDM (histone lysine demethylases) with IC₅₀ = 4.05, 1.91 and 2.31 μM, respectively. The most potent KDM inhibitor 7e (IC₅₀ = 1.91 μM) showed to cause cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase by 4 folds than control and induce total apoptotic effect by 10 folds more than control. In silico studies performed on the more potent cytotoxic active compounds 5, 7e and 7i included lipinisk's rule of five. Moreover, molecular docking study was utilized to explore the binding mode of the most active compounds to the target enzyme (PDB-ID: 5IVE). Also, some bioinformatics studies were carried out for compounds 7e and 7i using Swiss ADME (Swiss Institute of bioinformatics 2018).     

Design,synthesis and evaluation of N2,N4-diaminoquinazoline based inhibitors of phosphodiesterase type 5

We describe the design, synthesis and evaluation of a series of N²,N⁴-diaminoquinazoline analogs as PDE5 inhibitors. Twenty compounds were prepared and these were assessed in terms of their PDE5 and PDE6 activity, ex-vivo vasodilation response, mammalian cytotoxicity and aqueous solubility. Molecular docking was used to determine the binding mode of the series and this was demonstrated to be consistent with the observed SAR. Compound 15 was the most active PDE5 inhibitor (IC₅₀?=?0.072?±?0.008?µM) and exhibited 4.6-fold selectivity over PDE6. Ex-vivo assessment of 15 and 22 in a rat pulmonary artery vasodilation model demonstrated EC₅₀s of 1.63?±?0.72?µM and 2.28?±?0.74?µM respectively.     

Discovery of novel purine nucleoside derivatives as phosphodiesterase 2 (PDE2) inhibitors: Structure-based virtual screening,optimization and biological evaluation

Phosphodiesterase 2 (PDE2) has received much attention for the potential treatment of the central nervous system (CNS) disorders and pulmonary hypertension. Herein, we identified that clofarabine (4), an FDA-approved drug, displayed potential PDE2 inhibitory activity (IC₅₀?=?3.12?±?0.67?μM) by structure-based virtual screening and bioassay. Considering the potential therapeutic benefit of PDE2, a series of purine nucleoside derivatives based on the structure and binding mode of 4 were designed, synthesized and evaluated, which led to the discovery of the best compound 14e with a significant improvement of inhibitory potency (IC₅₀?=?0.32?±?0.04?μM). Further molecular docking and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations studies revealed that 5′-benzyl group of 14e could interact with the unique hydrophobic pocket of PDE2 by forming extra van der Waals interactions with hydrophobic residues such as Leu770, Thr768, Thr805 and Leu809, which might contribute to its enhancement of PDE2 inhibition. These potential compounds reported in this article and the valuable structure-activity relationships (SARs) might bring significant instruction for further development of potent PDE2 inhibitors.     

Design and synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidinone derivatives: Discovery of selective phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors

A novel series of 1,6-disubstituted pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-7-one derivatives, 2a-h, 4a-d, 5 and 6, were successfully synthesized, which showed promising, and potent inhibition of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5). The inhibitory activities of 5, 4b, 2a, 2d, 2f, 4d and 4a against PDE5 were similar to that of sildenafil (100%). These compounds exhibited potent relaxant effects on isolated rat cavernosum tissue with pEC₅₀ values ranging from 8.31 to 5.16 µM. Pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-7-one scaffolds have been rationally designed via consecutive molecular modelling studies prior to their synthesis and biological evaluation. In addition, the results of the pharmacophore-based virtual screening revealed that 1v0p_PVB might have promising activity as a PDE-5 inhibitor.     

Synthesis,biological activities,and docking studies of d-pantolactone derivatives as novel FAS inhibitors

A novel series of fatty acid synthase (FAS) inhibitors with D-(−)-pantolactone moiety and potential utility for the treatment of obesity were designed, synthesized and characterized, in which the structure of compound 3k was further confirmed by single X-ray diffraction. The mouse FAS inhibitory activity of synthesized compounds was evaluated. Major synthesized compounds (except 3g, 3i, 3k, 3l, and 3n) exhibited moderate FAS inhibitory properties with IC₅₀ values in the range of 13.68 ± 1.52–33.19 ± 1.39 μM, reference inhibitor C75 has IC₅₀ value of 13.86 ± 2.79 μM. Eight compounds (3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3j, 3m, 3q and 3r) also displayed inhibitory effect on lipid accumulation in human HepG2 cells. Additionally, the molecular docking study revealed that compound 3m having good inhibition activity against FAS and lipid accumulation also showed promising binding affinities with hFAS, while its binding model with hFAS (PDB ID: 4PIV) was different from that of reference compound C75.     

Semisynthesis of ent-norstrobane diterpenoids as potential inhibitor for factor Xa

A semisynthesis of two ent-strobane diterpenoids strobols C (7) and D (14) was accomplished via a Wagnar-Meerwein rearrangement. Compounds 7, 14, and the intermediate products were evaluated for their inhibition on factor Xa (FXa). Among all the compounds screened for FXa inhibitory activity, three compounds 6, 7, and 9 showed significant inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ values of 1067?±?164, 81?±?11, 1023?±?89?nM, respectively. The inhibitory activity on FXa described in this study highlight the importance of structural modification based on natural products in the development of FXa inhibitors.     

Targeting cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) in brain: Toward the development of a PET radioligand labeled with fluorine-18

With the aim to develop a specific radioligand for imaging the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) in brain by positron emission tomography (PET), seven new fluorinated inhibitors (3–9) were synthesized on the basis of a quinoline core. The inhibitory activity for PDE5 together with a panel of other PDEs was determined in vitro and two derivatives were selected for IC₅₀ value determination. The most promising compound 7 (IC₅₀ = 5.92 nM for PDE5A), containing a 3-fluoroazetidine moiety, was further radiolabeled by aliphatic nucleophilic substitution of two different leaving groups (nosylate and tosylate) using [¹⁸F]fluoride. The use of the nosylate precursor and tetra-n-butyl ammonium [¹⁸F]fluoride ([¹⁸F]TBAF) in 3-methyl-3-pentanol combined with the addition of a small amount of water proved to be the best radiolabeling conditions achieving a RCY of 4.9 ± 1.5% in an automated procedure. Preliminary biological investigations in vitro and in vivo were performed to characterize this new PDE5 radioligand. Metabolism studies of [¹⁸F]7 in mice revealed a fast metabolic degradation with the formation of radiometabolites which have been detected in the brain.     

Synthesis,in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory potential and molecular docking study of thiadiazole analogs

α-Glucosidase is a catabolic enzyme that regulates the body’s plasma glucose levels by providing energy sources to maintain healthy functioning. 2-Amino-thiadiazole (1–13) and 2-amino-thiadiazole based Schiff bases (14–22) were synthesized, characterized by ¹H NMR and HREI-MS and screened for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. All twenty-two (22) analogs exhibit varied degree of α-glucosidase inhibitory potential with IC₅₀ values ranging between 2.30 ± 0.1 to 38.30 ± 0.7 μM, when compare with standard drug acarbose having IC₅₀ value of 39.60 ± 0.70 μM. Among the series eight derivatives 1, 2, 6, 7, 14, 17, 19 and 20 showed outstanding α-glucosidase inhibitory potential with IC₅₀ values of 3.30 ± 0.1, 5.80 ± 0.2, 2.30 ± 0.1, 2.70 ± 0.1, 2.30 ± 0.1, 5.50 ± 0.1, 4.70 ± 0.2, and 5.50 ± 0.2 μM respectively, which is many fold better than the standard drug acarbose. The remaining analogs showed good to excellent α-glucosidase inhibition. Structure activity relationship has been established for all compounds. The binding interactions of these compounds were confirmed through molecular docking.     

Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis,structure–activity relationship,kinetics and molecular docking studies of non-cytotoxic benzamide derivatives as selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors

A series of benzamide derivatives 1–12 with various functional groups (–H, –Br, –F, –OCH₃, –OC₂H₅, and –NO₂) was synthesized using an economic, and facile Microwave-Assisted Organic Synthesis, and evaluated for acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE) activity in vitro. Structure–activity relationship showed that the substitution of –Br group influenced the inhibitory activity against BCHE enzyme. Synthesized compounds were found to be selective inhibitors of BCHE. In addition, all compounds 1–12 were found to be non-cytotoxic, as compared to the standard cycloheximide (IC₅₀ = 0.8 ± 0.2 µM). Among them, compound 3 revealed the most potent BCHE inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.8 ± 0.6 µM) when compared with the standard galantamine hydrobromide (IC₅₀ = 40.83 ± 0.37 µM). Enzyme kinetic studies indicated that compounds 1, 3–4, and 7–8 showed a mixed mode of inhibition against BCHE, while compounds 2, 5–6 and 9 exhibited an uncompetitive pattern of inhibition. Molecular docking studies further highlighted the interaction of these inhibitors with catalytically important amino acid residues, such as Glu197, Hip438, Phe329, and many others.     

Structure-based drug design of novel carborane-containing nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase inhibitors

A series of carborane-containing NAMPT inhibitors were designed and synthesized based on the structure of compounds 1 and the NAMPT inhibitory activity was evaluated using NAMPT Colorimetric Assay. Among the compounds synthesized, compounds 2b and 2c showed significant NAMPT inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 0.098 ± 0.008 and 0.057 ± 0.001 µM, respectively. Docking simulation of compound 2 toward NAMPT using the crystal structure of the FK866-NAMPT complex (PDB code: 2GVJ) with replacing the boron atom type by the C3 atom type of carboranes predicted that the NAMPT inhibitory activity of 2c was improved by the hydrogen bond formation between the carborane amide and H191 of NAMPT. Although dicarborane compounds 38, 50, 51, and 55 were synthesize aiming to two hydrophobic pockets present in the binding pocket of NAMPT, their inhibitory activity was moderate.     

Synthesis and bioevaluation study of novel N-methylpicolinamide and thienopyrimidine derivatives as selectivity c-Met kinase inhibitors

Four series of N-methylpicolinamide moiety and thienopyrimidine moiety bearing pyridazinone were designed and synthesized and evaluated for the IC₅₀ values against three cancer cell lines (A549, HepG2 and MCF-7) and some selected compounds were further evaluated for the activity against c-Met, Flt-3, VEGFR-2, c-Kit and EGFR kinases. Three compounds (35, 39 and 43) showed more active than positive control Foretinib against A549, HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines. The most promising compound 43 showed superior activity against A549, HepG2 and MCF-7, with the IC₅₀ values of 0.58?±?0.15?µM, 0.47?±?0.06?µM and 0.74?±?0.12?µM, which were 3.73–5.39-fold more activity than Foretinib, respectively. The experiments of enzyme-based showed that 43 restrain the c-Met selectively, with the IC₅₀ values of 16?nM, which showed equal activity to Foretinib (14?nM) and better than the compound 5 (90?nM). Moreover, AO and Annexin V/PI staining and docking studies were carried out.     

3,4-Dimethoxybenzohydrazide derivatives as antiulcer: Molecular modeling and density functional studies

3,4-Dimethoxybenzohydrazide derivatives (1–25) have been synthesized and evaluated for their urease inhibitory potential. Among the series, compounds 2, 3, 4 and 5 with IC₅₀ values 12.61 ± 0.07, 18.24 ± 0.14, 19.22 ± 0.21, and 8.40 ± 0.05 µM, respectively, showed excellent urease inhibitory potentials when compared with standard thiourea (IC₅₀ value 21.40 ± 0.21 µM). Compounds 1, 6, 8, 18, 19 and 20 also showed good to moderate inhibition, while the remaining compounds were found to be completely inactive. The structures of compounds 6 and 25 were confirmed through X-ray crystallography while the structures of remaining compounds were confirmed through ESI-MS and ¹H NMR. Molecular docking studies were performed understand the binding interactions with enzyme active site. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity and found to be nontoxic.     

Design,synthesis, docking study, α-glucosidase inhibition,and cytotoxic activities of acridine linked to thioacetamides as novel agents in treatment of type 2 diabetes

A novel series of acridine linked to thioacetamides 9a–o were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities. All the synthesized compounds exhibited excellent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in the range of IC₅₀ = 80.0 ± 2.0–383.1 ± 2.0 µM against yeast α-glucosidase, when compared to the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀ = 750.0 ± 1.5 µM). Among the synthesized compounds, 2-((6-chloro-2-methoxyacridin-9-yl)thio)-N-(p-tolyl) acetamide 9b displayed the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 80.0 ± 2.0 μM). The in vitro cytotoxic assay of compounds 9a–o against MCF-7 cell line revealed that only the compounds 9d, 9c, and 9n exhibited cytotoxic activity. Cytotoxic compounds 9d, 9c, and 9n did not show cytotoxic activity against the normal human cell lines HDF. Kinetic study revealed that the most potent compound 9b is a competitive inhibitor with a K_i of 85 μM. Furthermore, the interaction modes of the most potent compounds 9b and 9f with α-glucosidase were evaluated through the molecular docking studies.     

Discovery of thinopyrimidine-triazole conjugates as c-Met targeting and apoptosis inducing agents

Five series of N-methylpicolinamide moiety and thienopyrimidine moiety bearing triazole (21–26, 27–34, 35–41, 42–47 and 48–54) were designed and synthesized. And all the target compounds were evaluated for the IC₅₀ values against three cancer cell lines (A549, HepG2 and MCF-7) and some selected compounds (43, 49 and 52) were further evaluated for the activity against c-Met, Flt-3, VEGFR-2, c-Kit and EGFR kinases. Moreover, SARs and docking studies indicated that thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine bearing triazole moiety was privileged structure for the activity. Especially, the Cl atom on the 4-C position of aryl group showed the best activity. The most promising compound 49 showed 3.7–5.4-fold more activity than the lead drug Foretinib against A549, HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines, with the IC₅₀ values of 0.9 ± 0.1 µM, 0.5 ± 0.1 µM and 1.1 ± 0.2 µM, respectively. And The experiments of enzyme-based showed that 49 inhibitor the c-Met selectively, with the IC₅₀ values of 16 nM, which showed equal activity to Foretinib (14 nM). What’s more, According to the result of AO single staining and Annexin V/PI staining, it's claimed that the 49 could induce late apoptosis of HepG2 cells and by a concentration-dependent manner.     

Synthesis,anti-inflammatory screening,molecular docking,and COX-1,2/-5-LOX inhibition profile of some novel quinoline derivatives

New quinoline compounds comprising pyrazole scaffold through different amide linkages were synthesized. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity. Eight compounds (5c, 11b,c, 12c, 14a,b, 20a and 21a) were found to exhibit promising anti-inflammatory profiles in acute and sub-acute inflammatory models. They were screened for their ulcerogenic activity and none of them showed significant ulcerogenic activity comparable to the reference drug celecoxib and are well tolerated by experimental animals with high safety margin (ALD₅₀ > 0.3 g/kg). Compounds 5c, 11b,c, 12c, 14a,b, 20a and 21a showed significant in vitro LOX inhibitory activity higher than that of zileuton. In vitro COX-1/COX-2 inhibition study revealed that compounds 12c, 14a,b and 20a showed higher selectivity towards COX-2 than COX-1. Among the tested compounds, 12c, 14a and 14b showed the highest inhibitory activity against COX-2 with an IC₅₀ values of 0.1, 0.11 and 0.11 μM respectively. The docking experiments attempted to postulate the binding mode for the most active compounds in the binding site of COX-2 enzymes and confirmed the high selectivity binding towards COX-2 enzyme over COX-1.     

Novel oxazolxanthone derivatives as a new type of α-glucosidase inhibitor: synthesis,activities, inhibitory modes and synergetic effect

Xanthone derivatives have shown good α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and have drawn increased attention as potential anti-diabetic compounds. In this study, a series of novel oxazolxanthones were designed, synthesized, and investigated as α-glucosidase inhibitors. Inhibition assays indicated that compounds 4–21 bearing oxazole rings exhibited up to 30-fold greater inhibitory activity compared to their corresponding parent compound 1b. Among them, compounds 5–21 (IC₅₀?=?6.3?±?0.4–38.5?±?4.6?μM) were more active than 1-deoxynojirimycin (IC₅₀?=?60.2?±?6.2?μM), a well-known α-glucosidase inhibitor. In addition, the kinetics of enzyme inhibition measured by using Lineweaver–Burk analysis shows that compound 4 is a competitive inhibitor, while compounds 15, 16 and 20 are non-competitive inhibitors. Molecular docking studies showed that compound 4 bound to the active site pocket of the enzyme while compounds 15, 16, and 20 did not. More interestingly, docking simulations reveal that some of the oxazolxanthone derivatives bind to different sites in the enzyme. This prediction was further confirmed by the synergetic inhibition experiment, and the combination of representative compounds 16 and 20 at the optimal ratio of 4:6 led to an IC₅₀ value of 1.9?±?0.7?μM, better than the IC₅₀ value of 7.1?±?0.9?μM for compound 16 and 8.6?±?0.9?μM for compound 20.