Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-Phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one derivatives as polyfunctional compounds against Alzheimer’s disease

Polyfunctional compounds comprise a novel class of therapeutic agents for the treatment of multi-factorial diseases. A series of 2-Phenyl-4H-chromen-4-one and its derivatives (5a–n) were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their poly-functionality against acetylcholinestrase (AChE) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation inhibitors against Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The screening results showed that most of them exhibited a significant ability to inhibit AChE AGEs formation with additional radical scavenging activity. Especially, 5m, 5b, and 5j displayed the greatest ability to inhibit AChE (IC50 = 8.0, 8.2, and 11.8 nM, respectively) and AGEs formation (IC50 = 55, 79, and 54 µM, respectively) with good antioxidant activity. Molecular docking studies explored the detailed interaction pattern with active, peripheral, and mid-gorge sites of AChE. These compounds, exhibiting such multiple pharmacological activities, can be further taken a lead for the development of potent drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.