Synthesis of N-alkylated noeurostegines and evaluation of their potential as treatment for Gaucher's disease

The potent and selective inhibitor of β-glucosidases, noeurostegine, was evaluated as an inhibitor of glucocerebrosidase (GCase) to give an IC₅₀ value of 0.4 μM, being 250- and 150-fold better than N-butyl and N-nonyl noeurostegine, respectively. The parent noeurostegine and its N-butyl and N-nonyl alkylated congeners were also tested as pharmacological chaperones against a N370S GCase mutant. Of these, only noeurostegine, was found to increase enzyme activity, which in potency was comparable to that previously reported for isofagomine.