Glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) is a widely investigated molecular target for numerous diseases, and inhibition of GSK-3β activity has become an attractive approach for the treatment of diabetes. Meridianin C, an indole-based natural product isolated from marine Aplidium meridianum, has been reported as a potent GSK-3β inhibitor. In the present study, applying the structural-based optimization strategy, the pyrimidine group of meridianin C was modified by introducing different substituents based on the 2-aminopyrimidines-substituted pyrazolo pyridazine scaffold. Among them, compounds B29 and B30 showed a much higher glucose uptake than meridianin C (<5%) and the positive compound 4-benzyl-2-methyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolidine-3,5-dione (TDZD-8, 16%), with no significant toxicity against HepG2 cells at the same time. Furthermore, they displayed good GSK-3β inhibitory activities (IC50 = 5.85; 24.4 μM). These results suggest that these meridianin C analogues represent novel lead compounds with therapeutic potential for diabetes.
糖原合酶激酶 3β(GSK-3β)是一种被广泛研究的治疗多种疾病的分子靶点,抑制 GSK-3β 的活性已成为治疗糖尿病的一种有吸引力的方法。Meridianin C 是一种从海洋 Aplidium meridianum 中分离出来的吲哚类天然产物,据报道它是一种有效的 GSK-3β 抑制剂。在本研究中,应用基于结构的优化策略,在 2-氨基嘧啶取代的吡唑并哒嗪支架上引入不同的取代基,对 Meridianin C 的嘧啶基团进行了修饰。其中,化合物 B29 和 B30 的葡萄糖吸收率远高于 Meridianin C(5%)和阳性化合物 4-苄基-2-甲基-1,2,4-噻二唑烷-3,5-二酮(TDZD-8,16%),同时对 HepG2 细胞无明显毒性。此外,它们还显示出良好的 GSK-3β 抑制活性(IC50 = 5.85; 24.4 μM)。这些结果表明,这些美利曲辛 C 类似物是具有治疗糖尿病潜力的新型先导化合物。