Benzofurans from Styrax agrestis as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors: structure-activity relationships and molecular modeling studies.

An extract of Styrax agrestis fruits, collected in Vietnam, significantly inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in vitro. Bioassay-guided fractionation revealed three new egonol-type benzofurans: egonol-9(Z),12(Z) linoleate (1), 7-demethoxyegonol-9(Z),12(Z) linoleate (2), and 7-demethoxyegonol oleate (4). Ten known egonol-type benzofurans were also isolated (3, 5, 6-13). In order to better understand structure-activity relationships in this series, egonol derivatives 14-19 were prepared by chemical modifications and evaluated for their inhibition of AChE, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and AChE-induced Aβ aggregation. Compounds 1-4 were the most potent inhibitors of the series, which exhibited inhibitory activity against AChE (IC50 1.4-3.1 μM) and, for 1, Aβ aggregation (77.6%). Molecular docking studies were also performed to investigate interaction of these compounds with the active site of AChE.