Design and synthesis of benzodiazepine-1,2,3-triazole hybrid derivatives as selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors

A new series of compounds based on benzodiazepine-1,2,3-triazole were synthesized and evaluated as cholinesterase inhibitors by Ellman’s method. The compounds proved to be selective inhibitors of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) over acetylcholinesterase. The most potent compound was 3,3-dimethyl-11-(3-((1-(4-nitrobenzyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methoxy)phenyl)-2,3,4,5,10,11-hexahydro-1H-dibenzo[b,e][1,4]diazepin-1-one, identified as a submicromolar inhibitor of BuChE with IC50 value of 0.2 µM. In addition, the amyloid-β self-aggregation evaluation studies for selected compounds showed potent inhibitory effects compared to donepezil. The docking and cell viability studies supported the potential of compound 9b-6 as significant BuChE inhibitor.