Novel carbocyclic nucleoside analogs suppress glomerular mesangial cells proliferation and matrix protein accumulation through ROS-dependent mechanism in the diabetic milieu. II. Acylhydrazone-functionalized pyrimidines.

We report herein the synthesis of a novel series of carbocyclic acylhydrazone derivatives of uracil, thymine and cytosine from the corresponding nucleic bases and their biological activity to treat diabetic nephropathy. Intriguingly, five derivatives significantly reduced high-glucose induced glomerular mesangial cells proliferation and matrix protein accumulation in vitro. The anti-oxidative effects displayed by these molecules suggest that their activity might involve a ROS-dependent mechanism.