Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel 3-Aminomethylindole Derivatives as Potential Multifunctional Anti-Inflammatory and Neurotrophic Agents.

The development of multifunctional molecules that are able to simultaneously interact with several pathological components has been considered as a solution to treat the complex pathologies of neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, a series of aminomethylindole derivatives were synthesized, and evaluation of their application for antineuroinflammation and promoting neurite outgrowth was disclosed. Our initial screening showed that most of the compounds potently inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of NO in microglial cells and potentiated the action of NGF to promote neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. Interestingly, with outstanding NO/TNF-α production inhibition and neurite outgrowth-promoting activities, compounds 8c and 8g were capable of rescuing cells after injury by H2O2. Their antineuroinflammatory effects were associated with the downregulation of the LPS-induced expression of the inflammatory mediators inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay results indicated that the mechanism of their antineuroinflammatory actions involved suppression of the MAPK/NF-κB signal pathways. Further studies revealed that another important reason for the high comprehensive antineuroinflammatory activity was the anti-COX-2 capabilities of the compounds. All these results suggest that the potential biochemical multifunctional profiles of the aminomethylindole derivatives provide a new sight for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.