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Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors have made significant contributions and remain an indispensable approach of molecular and mechanistic diversity for the discovery of antineurodegenerative drugs. However, their usage has been hampered by nonselective and/or irreversible action which resulted in drawbacks like liver toxicity, cheese effect, and so forth. Hence, the search for selective MAO inhibitors (MAOIs) has become a substantial focus in current drug discovery. This review summarizes our current understanding on MAO‐A/MAO‐B including their structure, catalytic mechanism, and biological functions with emphases on the role of MAO‐B as a potential therapeutic target for the development of medications treating neurodegenerative disorders. It also highlights the recent developments in the discovery of potential MAO‐B inhibitors (MAO‐BIs) belonging to diverse chemical scaffolds, arising from intensive chemical‐mechanistic and computational studies documented during past 3 years (2015‐2018), with emphases on their potency and selectivity. Importantly, readers will gain knowledge of various newly established MAO‐BI scaffolds and their development potentials. The comprehensive information provided herein will hopefully accelerate ideas for designing novel selective MAO‐BIs with superior activity profiles and critical discussions will inflict more caution in the decision‐making process in the MAOIs discovery.

A series of 3-hydroxy-3-phenacyloxindole analogues of isatin were designed, synthesized, and evaluated in vitro for their inhibitory activity toward monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B. Most of the synthesized compounds proved to be potent and selective inhibitors of MAO-A rather than MAO-B. 1-Benzyl-3-hydroxy-3-(4'-hydroxyphenacyl)oxindole (compound 18) showed the highest MAO-A inhibitory activity (IC50 : 0.009 ± 0.001 μM, Ki : 3.69 ± 0.003 nM) and good selectivity (selectivity index: 60.44). Kinetic studies revealed that compounds 18 and 16 (1-benzyl-3-hydroxy-3-(4'-bromophenacyl)oxindole) exhibit competitive inhibition against MAO-A and MAO-B, respectively. Structure-activity relationship studies suggested that the 3-hydroxy group is an essential feature for these analogues to exhibit potent MAO-A inhibitory activity. Computational studies revealed the possible molecular interactions between the inhibitors and MAO isozymes. The computational data obtained are congruent with experimental results. Further studies on the lead inhibitors, including co-crystallization of inhibitor-MAO complexes and in vivo evaluations, are essential for their development as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of MAO-associated neurological disorders.

Bone mineralisation is a well-orchestrated procedure triggered by a protein-based template inducing the nucleation of hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocrystals on the matrix. In an attempt to fabricate superior nanocomposites from silk fibroin, textile braided structures made of natively spun fibres of Bombyx mori silkworm were compared against regenerated fibroin (lyophilised and films) underpinning the influence of intrinsic properties of fibroin matrices on HA nucleation. We found that native braids could bind Ca 2+ ions through electrostatic attraction, which initiated the nucleation and deposition of HA, as evidenced by discrete shift in amide peaks via ATR-FTIR. This phenomenon also suggests the involvement of amide linkages in promoting HA nucleation on fibroin. Moreover, CaCl 2 -SBF immersion of native braids resulted in preferential growth of HA along the c-axis, forming needle-like nanocrystals and possessing Ca/P ratio comparable to commercial HA. Though regenerated lyophilised matrix also witnessed prominent peak shift in amide linkages, HA growth was restricted to (211) plane only, albeit at a significantly lower intensity than braids. Regenerated films, on the other hand, provided no crystallographic evidence of HA deposition within 7 days of SBF immersion. The present work sheds light on the primary fibroin structure of B.mori which probably plays a crucial role in regulating template-induced biomineralisation on the matrix. We also found that intrinsic material properties such as surface roughness, geometry, specific surface area, tortuosity and secondary conformation exert influence in modulating the extent of mineralisation. Thus our work generates useful insights and warrants future studies to further investigate the potential of bone mimetic, silk/mineral nanocomposite matrices for orthopaedic applications.

Monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) is an important drug target for the treatment of neurological disorders. A series of 6-nitrobenzothiazole-derived semicarbazones were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as inhibitors of the rat brain MAO-B isoenzyme. Most of the compounds were found to be potent inhibitors of MAO-B, with IC(50) values in the nanomolar to micromolar range. Molecular docking studies were performed with AutoDock 4.2 to deduce the affinity and binding mode of these inhibitors toward the MAO-B active site. The free energies of binding (ΔG) and inhibition constants (K(i)) of the docked compounds were calculated by the Lamarckian genetic algorithm (LGA) of AutoDock 4.2. Good correlations between the calculated and experimental results were obtained. 1-[(4-Chlorophenyl)(phenyl)methylene]-4-(6-nitrobenzothiazol-2-yl)semicarbazide emerged as the lead MAO-B inhibitor, with top ranking in both the experimental MAO-B assay (IC(50): 0.004±0.001 μM) and in computational docking studies (K(i): 1.08 μM). Binding mode analysis of potent inhibitors suggests that these compounds are well accommodated by the MAO-B active site through stable hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions. Interestingly, the 6-nitrobenzothiazole moiety is stabilized in the substrate cavity with the aryl or diaryl residues extending up into the entrance cavity of the active site. According to our results, docking experiments could be an interesting approach for predicting the activity and binding interactions of this class of semicarbazones against MAO-B. Thus, a binding site model consisting of three essential pharmacophoric features is proposed, and this can be used for the design of future MAO-B inhibitors.

A library of 3,4-(methylenedioxy)aniline-derived semicarbazones was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as monoamine oxidase (MAO) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Most of the new compounds selectively inhibited MAO-B and AChE, with IC50 values in the micro- or nanomolar ranges. Compound 16, 1-(2,6-dichlorobenzylidene)-4-(benzo[1,3]dioxol-5-yl)semicarbazide presented a balanced multifunctional profile of MAO-A (IC50 =4.52±0.032 μm), MAO-B (IC50 =0.059±0.002 μm), and AChE (IC50 =0.0087±0.0002 μm) inhibition without neurotoxicity. Kinetic studies revealed that compound 16 exhibits competitive and reversible inhibition against MAO-A and MAO-B, and mixed-type inhibition against AChE. Molecular docking studies further revealed insight into the possible interactions within the enzyme-inhibitor complexes. The most active compounds were found to interact with the enzymes through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Additionally, in silico molecular properties and ADME properties of the synthesized compounds were calculated to explore their drug-like characteristics.

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