Synthesis and multi-target evaluation of 2-(2-phenylethyl)/2,3-styrylchromone derivatives as potential...

A series of novel 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone and 2/3-styrylchromone derivatives (A1-A16, B1-B43) were designed, synthesized, and systematically evaluated for their multi-target activities against key pathological factors of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In vitro studies demonstrated that compound B22 exhibited potent and selective acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition (IC₅₀ = 2.52 ± 1.11 μM) with negligible activity against butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) (IC₅₀ > 500 μM), along with strong monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibition (93.6% inhibition at 1 μM). Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assays revealed that B18 and B22 effectively inhibited the aggregation of both Aβ40/42 peptides (IC₅₀ = 1.44 and 1.00 μM, respectively) and Tau fibrillization (IC₅₀ = 2.61 and 3.32 μM), while promoting the disaggregation of pre-formed amyloid fibrils. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that B22 exhibited favorable binding affinities (ΔG ≈ - 7.3 kcal/mol) and stable interactions within the AChE active site. Furthermore, B22 significantly attenuated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels (by up to 89.5%) and rescued Aβ-induced cytotoxicity in SHSY5Y cells, restoring cell viability to 85.7% at 20 μM. Collectively, these results highlight chromone-based scaffolds, particularly compound B22, as promising multifunctional candidates for the development of disease-modifying therapeutics targeting AD.