Dihydropyrano [2,3-c] pyrazole: Novel in vitro inhibitors of yeast α-glucosidase.

Inhibition of α-glucosidase enzyme activity is a reliable approach towards controlling post-prandial hyperglycemia associated risk factors. During the current study, a series of dihydropyrano[2,3-c] pyrazoles (1-35) were synthesized and evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Compounds 1, 4, 22, 30, and 33 were found to be the potent inhibitors of the yeast α-glucosidase enzyme. Mechanistic studies on most potent compounds reveled that 1, 4, and 30 were non-competitive inhibitors (Ki=9.75±0.07, 46±0.0001, and 69.16±0.01μM, respectively), compound 22 is a competitive inhibitor (Ki=190±0.016μM), while 33 was an uncompetitive inhibitor (Ki=45±0.0014μM) of the enzyme. Finally, the cytotoxicity of potent compounds (i.e. compounds 1, 4, 22, 30, and 33) was also evaluated against mouse fibroblast 3T3 cell line assay, and no toxicity was observed. This study identifies non-cytotoxic novel inhibitors of α-glucosidase enzyme for further investigation as anti-diabetic agents.