Comparison of the inhibitory potential towards carbonic anhydrase, acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase of chalcone and chalcone epoxide

Chalcones and chalcone epoxides are important synthetic intermediates in organic and medicinal chemistry. Chalcones possess a broad spectrum of biological activities; however, 1,3-diphenyl-2-propenone or chalcone has not been given the attention it deserve as its substituted derivatives. In this study, the inhibition effects of chalcone and its epoxidated derivative chalcone epoxide against human carbonic anhydrase isozymes I and II (hCA I and hCA II), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were evaluated. The results obtained showed that both compounds exhibited potent inhibitory activity, with IC50 values less than 10 mu M. IC50 values in the submicromolar (hCA I and hCA II) to low micromolar range (AChE and BuChE) were observed for both compounds. The mechanism of inhibition and the inhibitory constants (K-i values) for each compound were also determined. Furthermore, chalcone epoxide was docked within the active sites of hCA I, hCA II, AChE, and BuChE to explore its binding mode with the enzymes.