Discovery of Potent Benzothiazole Inhibitors of Oxidoreductase NQO2, a Target for Inflammation and Cancer

Inhibitors of NQO2 (NRH: quinone oxidoreductase) have potential application in several areas of medicine and pharmacology, including cancer, neurodegeneration (PD and AD), stroke, and diabetes. Here, resveratrol, a known inhibitor of NQO2, was used as the lead by replacing the double bond in resveratrol with a benzothiazole scaffold. Fifty-five benzothiazoles were designed as NQO2 inhibitors and synthesized, comprising five benzothiazole series with 3,5-dimethoxy, 2,4-dimethoxy, 2,5-dimethoxy, 3,4-dimethoxy, and 3,4,5-trimethoxy substituents, the key synthetic step being a Jacobson cyclisation with the appropriate thiobenzamide. All compounds were evaluated in an NQO2 enzyme inhibition assay, with four compounds having IC₅₀ values of <100 nM. The most active (IC₅₀ 25 nM) was 6-hydroxy-2-(3',5'-dihydroxyphenyl)benzo[d]thiazole (15), a good mimetic of resveratrol. Three of the 3',4',5'-trimethoxybenzothiazole analogues, with 6-methoxy (40, IC₅₀ 51 nM), 6-amino (48, IC₅₀ 79 nM), and 6-acetamide (49, IC₅₀ 31 nM) substituents, were also potent inhibitors of NQO2. Computational modelling indicated the most active compounds exhibited good shape complementarity and polar interactions with the NQO2 active site. Through the inhibition of NQO2, benzothiazole-based compounds may have the potential to enhance the efficiency of cancer therapies or minimise oxidative damage in neuroinflammation.