Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 5-(imidazolyl-methyl) thiazolidinediones as antidiabetic agents.

A newly designed series of imidazolyl-methyl- l-2,4-thiazolidinediones 9 (a-m) were synthesized and In Silico studies were carried out to rationalize their anti-diabetic activity. Generally, all newly synthesized thiazolidinediones had anti-hyperglycemic activity compared with a diabetic-control group, without toxicity in 3T3 cells (viability ≥ 90%). These studies revealed that the compounds 9e and 9b (11∗10-6mol/kg) lowered blood glucose more effectively when compared to pioglitazone at the same dose. Following the administration of compound 9e, no weight gains or any serious side effects on liver and pancreas were observed. Moreover, the glucose consumption assay results showed a significant glucose-lowering effect (p < 0.001) in HepG2 cells, which were exposed to 11 mM of glucose at concentrations of 1.25-10 mM of compound 9e. Also, the PPAR-γ gene expression study revealed that pioglitazone and 9e showed similar behavior relative to the control group.