Coumarin-chalcone hybrids targeting insulin receptor: Design, synthesis, anti-diabetic activity, and molecular docking

Four series of thirteen new coumarin-chalcone hybrids (DPCU 1-13, DPCT 1-13, DCCU 1-13 and DCCT 1-13) were designed and synthesized using Biginelli synthesis, Pechmann condensation, Acetylation, and Claisen-Schmidt reactions. Synthesized compounds were tested for insulin receptor in silico docking studies (PDB ID: 1IR3); DCCU 13 and DCCT 13 derivatives received the lowest docking score; Streptozocin (STZ) and Nicotinamide (NA) induced type II diabetes was tested for their anti-diabetic activity in rats. In vivo tests suggested that fasting blood glucose levels of animals treated with DCCU 13 (30 mg/kg body weight) and DCCT 13 (30 mg/kg body weight) were significantly and moderately suppressed, respectively, relative to fasting blood glucose levels of diabetic control animals. Similarly, therapy with DCCU 13 and DCCT 13 attenuated oxidative stress parameters such as lipid peroxidation (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and increased the glutathione (GSH) in the liver and pancreas in a dose-dependent manner. In comparison, therapy with DCCU 13 (30 mg/kg body weight) mitigated alterations in the histological architecture of the liver and pancreatic tissue. These results indicated that the hybrids DUUC 13 and DCCT 13 at 30 mg/kg had an anti-hyperglycemic and antioxidant impact on STZ + NA mediated type II diabetes in rats. Further detailed work could be required to determine the precise mode of action of the anti-diabetic behavior of hybrids.