Novel hybrids of benzothiazole-1,3,4-oxadiazole-4-thiazolidinone: Synthesis, in silico ADME study, molecular docking and in vivo anti-diabetic assessment.

A series of new benzothiazole-1,3,4-oxadiazole-4-thiazolidinone hybrid analogs (Tz1-Tz28) were synthesized in search of potential anti-diabetic agents. Molecular docking study was conducted with binding pocket of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma to elucidate the binding interactions of newly synthesized targets. Seven selected compounds with best docking scores were further screened for in vivo anti-hyperglycemic efficacy by oral glucose tolerance test in non-diabetic rats and on streptozotocin induced diabetic rat models. All the tested compounds demonstrated excellent to moderate reduction in blood glucose levels. Three of the compounds (Tz21, Tz7 and Tz10) showed excellent anti-diabetic effect by reducing concentration of glucose to 157.15 ± 1.79 mg/dL, 154.39 ± 1.71 mg/dL, 167.36 ± 2.45 mg/dL, respectively better than the standard drug, pioglitazone, 178.32 ± 1.88 mg/dL. Moreover, three derivatives Tz21, Tz4 and Tz24 with IC50 values of 0.21 ± 0.01 µM, 9.03 ± 0.12 µM and 11.96 ± 0.40 µM respectively also showed better inhibitory activities on alpha-glucosidase even more than the standard acarbose (IC50 = 18.5 ± 0.20 µM), indicating Tz21 has the highest inhibitory effect among the seven tested derivatives. Prediction of Drug like properties using molinspiration online software suggests that all the synthesized compounds have potential of becoming the orally active molecules. Thus, these novel hybrids could serve as potential candidates to become leads for the development of new drugs eliciting anti-hyperglycemic effect orally.