Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 5-Fluoro-2-Oxindole Derivatives as Potential α-Glucosidase Inhibitors

Abstract

α-Glucosidase inhibitors are known to prevent the digestion of carbohydrates and reduce the impact of carbohydrates on blood glucose. To develop novel α-glucosidase inhibitors, a series of 5-fluoro-2-oxindole derivatives (3a ∼ 3v) were synthesized, and their α-glucosidase inhibitory activities were investigated. Biological assessment results showed that most synthesized compounds presented potential inhibition on α-glucosidase. Among them, compounds 3d, 3f, and 3i exhibited much better inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 49.89 ± 1.16 μM, 35.83 ± 0.98 μM, and 56.87 ± 0.42 μM, respectively, which were about 10 ∼ 15 folds higher than acarbose (IC50 = 569.43 ± 43.72 μM). A kinetic mechanism study revealed that compounds 3d, 3f, and 3i inhibited the α-glucosidase in a reversible and mixed manner. Molecular docking was carried out to simulate the affinity between the compound and α-glucosidase.