Adalat_2023_Pharmaceuticals.(Basel)_16_

Twenty-one analogs were synthesized based on benzimidazole, incorporating a substituted benzaldehyde moiety (1-21). These were then screened for their acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition profiles. All the derivatives except 13, 14, and 20 showed various inhibitory potentials, ranging from IC(50) values of 0.050 +/- 0.001 microM to 25.30 +/- 0.40 microM against acetylcholinesterase, and 0.080 +/- 0.001 microM to 25.80 +/- 0.40 microM against butyrylcholinesterase, when compared with the standard drug donepezil (0.016 +/- 0.12 microM and 0.30 +/- 0.010 microM, against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, respectively). Compound 3 in both cases was found to be the most potent compound due to the presence of chloro groups at the 3 and 4 positions of the phenyl ring. A structure-activity relationship study was performed for all the analogs except 13, 14, and 20, further, molecular dynamics simulations were performed for the top two compounds as well as the reference compound in a complex with acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. The molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed that compound 3 formed the most stable complex with both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, followed by compound 10. As compared to the standard inhibitor donepezil both compounds revealed greater stabilities and higher binding affinities for both acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase.