Scientists from Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology, have developed new molecules that can treat Alzheimer’s Disease. The team designed and synthesised novel non-toxic molecules through a blend of synthetic, computational, and in-vitro studies that could be effective in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer’s, which occurs due to an imbalance in certain hormones, is the most common form of dementia and constitutes around 75 per cent of all dementia cases.
Of the about 55 million people worldwide with dementia, 60 to 70 per cent are estimated to have Alzheimer’s. The team from Agharkar Research Institute developed a rapid one-pot, three-component reaction with high synthetic yields to generate novel molecules. Using in-vitro screening methods they assessed the potency and cytotoxicity of these molecules. “The molecules were found to be non-toxic and effective against cholinesterase enzymes. The lead molecule was found to be selective for acetylcholinesterase with a significant selectivity ratio compared to butyrylcholinesterase,” said the team. Effective molecules have also shown good stability in the pocket of enzymes through interactions with amino acids during molecular dynamics simulation, said the team. The molecules proved to be good dual cholinesterase inhibitors, and could be further optimised to develop more effective anti-AD ligands, said the researchers.
Cholinesterase inhibitors are a group of drugs that increase the availability of acetylcholine — a chemical messenger that’s important for memory and learning. The drugs are used to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. “These molecules could be exploited to develop dual anti-cholinesterase drugs to treat AD in combination with other drugs,” the researchers said. In further studies, they will plan to synthesise novel substituted carbazole and chromene clubbed analogues with additional anti-AD properties.
–IANS
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