Transforming ureas into carbamates: From allosteric p38α MAPK ligands to dual BChE/p38α MAPK inhibitors

Abstract

Given the limited benefits of anticholinergic drugs and the repeated clinical failures of anti-amyloid therapies, the therapeutic focus in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is gradually shifting toward addressing both disease symptoms and its major underlying cause - neuroinflammation. We have developed novel multi-target directed ligands that inhibit butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) and p38 alpha mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 alpha MAPK) to simultaneously target cholinergic deficits and neuroinflammation in AD. Following in silico design, we converted known allosteric pyrazolyl urea p38 alpha MAPK ligands into N,N-disubstituted carbamates that pseudo-irreversibly inhibit hBChE while retaining p38 alpha MAPK inhibitory activity. The lead compound 13a has favourable central nervous system (CNS) drug-like properties in vitro and shows procognitive effects in an in vivo scopolamine-induced amnesia model. Our series demonstrates that targeted structural modifications of selective kinase inhibitors, based on a comprehensive knowledge of cholinesterase structure and function, enable expansion of the effect to the CNS. This approach offers critical insights to pave the way for the development of novel dual-target agents that modulate both cholinergic and neuroinflammatory pathways in neurodegenerative diseases.