Synthesis of polyhydroquinoline derivatives as potent antidiabetic and antioxidant agents: in vitro biological activities and computational studies

Abstract

Aims Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a severe metabolic disease characterized by increased blood glucose levels due to reduced insulin action or secretion. This study aimed to synthesize new polyhydroquinoline (PHQ)-based acyl hydrazide derivatives and assess their potential as dual inhibitors of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes.Materials and methods Various acyl hydrazide derivatives of PHQ were synthesized via a multi-step reaction and structurally deduced through modern spectroscopic techniques. These compounds were evaluated for their in vitro studies, while molecular docking was performed to gain mechanistic insights into their biological activities.Results and discussion In the series, compound (2c) emerged as the most potent inhibitor against both enzymes (IC50 = 0.44 ± 0.07 µM and 0.17 ± 0.01 µM, respectively), showing greater efficacy than acarbose. Density functional theory (DFT) analysis revealed valuable insights into the electronic properties and showed the best correlation with the biological targets. Moreover, molecular docking analysis showed good binding interactions with the active sites of both enzymes, which was supported by the experimental activities.Conclusion These integrated experimental and computational results demonstrate that the polyhydroquinoline scaffold represents a promising platform for developing next-generation antidiabetic therapeutics with enhanced efficacy and favorable safety profiles.