Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (España), European Commission, Chioua, Mourad, Buzzi, Eleonora, Moraleda, Ignacio, Iriepa, Isabel, Maj, Maciej, Wnorowski, Artur, Giovannini, Catia, Tamarin, Anna, Portali, Federica, Ismaili, Lhassane, López-Alvarado, Pilar, Bolognesi, Maria Laura, Jóźwiak, Krzysztof, Menéndez, J. Carlos, Marco-Contelles, José, Bartolini, Manuela, Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (España), European Commission, Chioua, Mourad, Buzzi, Eleonora, Moraleda, Ignacio, Iriepa, Isabel, Maj, Maciej, Wnorowski, Artur, Giovannini, Catia, Tamarin, Anna, Portali, Federica, Ismaili, Lhassane, López-Alvarado, Pilar, Bolognesi, Maria Laura, Jóźwiak, Krzysztof, Menéndez, J. Carlos, Marco-Contelles, José, and Bartolini, Manuela
Notwithstanding the combination of cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition and calcium channel blockade within a multitarget therapeutic approach is envisaged as potentially beneficial to confront Alzheimer's disease (AD), this strategy has been scarcely investigated. To explore this promising line, a series of 5- amino-4-aryl-3,4,6,7,8,9-hexahydropyrimido [4,5-b]quinoline-2(1H)-thiones (tacripyrimidines) (4a-l) were designed by juxtaposition of tacrine, a ChE inhibitor (ChEI), and 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thiones, as efficient calcium channel blockers (CCBs). In agreement with their design, all tacripyrimidines, except the unsubstituted parent compound and its p-methoxy derivative, acted as moderate to potent CCBs with activities generally similar or higher than the reference CCB drug nimodipine and were modest-to-good ChEIs. Most interestingly, the 30-methoxy derivative (4e) emerged as the first well balanced ChEI/CCB agent, acting as low micromolar hChEI (3.05 mM and 3.19 mM on hAChE and hBuChE, respectively) and moderate CCB (30.4% at 1 mM) with no significant hepatotoxicity toward HepG2 cells and good predicted oral absorption and blood brain barrier permeability