Flavonols and flavones as BACE-1 inhibitors: structure-activity relationship in cell-free, cell-based and in silico studies reveal novel pharmacophore features.

Generation and accumulation of the amyloid beta peptide (Abeta) following proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by BACE-1 (Beta-site APP Cleaving Enzyme-1, beta-secretase) and gamma-secretase is a main causal factor of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Consequently, inhibition of BACE-1, a rate-limiting enzyme in the production of Abeta, is an attractive therapeutic approach for the treatment of AD. In this study, we discovered that natural flavonoids act as non-peptidic BACE-1 inhibitors and potently inhibit BACE-1 activity and reduce the level of secreted Abeta in primary cortical neurons. In addition, we demonstrated the calculated docking poses of flavonoids to BACE-1 and revealed the interactions of flavonoids with the BACE-1 catalytic center. We firstly revealed novel pharmacophore features of flavonoids by using cell-free, cell-based and in silico docking studies. These results contribute to the development of new BACE-1 inhibitors for the treatment of AD.