Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel tris-chalcones as potent carbonic anhydrase, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase and α-glycosidase inhibitors

A novel class of fluoro-substituted tris-chalcones derivatives (5a-5i) was synthesized from phloroglucinol and corresponding benzaldehydes. A three step synthesis method was followed for the production of these tris-chalcone compounds. The structures of the newly synthesized compounds (5a-5i) were confirmed on the basis of IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and elemental analysis.The compounds' inhibitory activities were tested against human Carbonic Anhydrase I and II isoenzymes (hCA I and hCA II), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and α-glycosidase (α-Gly). These chalcone derivatives had K_i values in the range of 19.58-78.73 nM for hCA I, 12.23-41.70 nM for hCA II, 1.09-6.84 nM for AChE, 8.30-32.30 nM for BChE and 0.93 ± 0.20-18.53 ± 5.06 nM against α-glycosidase. These results strongly support the promising nature of the tris-chalcone scaffold as selective Carbonic Anhydrase, acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and α-glycosidase inhibitor. Overall, due to these derivatives' inhibitory potential on the tested Enzymes, they are promising drug candidates for the treatment of diseases like glaucoma, leukemia, epilepsy; Alzheimer's disease; type-2 diabetes mellitus that are associated with high enzymatic activity of Carbonic Anhydrase, acetylcholine esterase, butyrylcholinesterase, and α-glycosidase.