2,5-Disubstituted furan derivatives containing imidazole, triazole or tetrazole moiety as potent α-glucosidase inhibitors.

α-Glucosidase inhibitors (AGIs) are oral antidiabetic drugs, preferably used in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, that delay the absorption of carbohydrates from the gastrointestinal system. In this work, 2,5-disubstituted furan derivatives containing imidazole, triazole or tetrazole moiety (III-01 ∼ III-45) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, HRMS, H NMR, C NMR and single crystal X-ray. Their inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase was screened. The most promising inhibitors were compound III-11 (IC = 6.0 ± 1.1 μM), III-16 (IC = 2.2 ± 0.2 μM) and III-39 (IC = 4.6 ± 1.9 μM), respectively. Kinetic study revealed that compounds III-11 and III-39 were uncompetitive inhibitors against α-glucosidase. Meanwhile, III-16 (Ki = 5.1 ± 0.7 μM) was a competitive inhibitor. Furthermore, molecular docking studies indicated that the existence of the azole group played a critically important role in hydrogen bond interaction with α-glucosidase. Significantly, in vivo toxicity towards HEK293 cells, RAW264.7 cells and HepG2 cells suggested that compounds III-11 and III-39 possessed non-toxicity, that could be considered as potential candidates for further development of novel antidiabetic drugs.