Discovery of novel dual functional agent as PPARγ agonist and 11β-HSD1 inhibitor for the treatment of diabetes

PPAR gamma and 11 beta-HSD1 are attractive therapeutic targets for type 2 diabetes. However, PPAR gamma agonists induce adipogenesis, which causes the side effect of weight gain, whereas 11 beta-HSD1 inhibitors prevent adipogenesis and may be beneficial for the treatment of obesity in diabetic patients. For the first time, we designed, synthesized a series of alpha-aryloxy-alpha-methylhydrocinnamic acids as dual functional agents which activate PPAR gamma and inhibit 11 beta-HSD1 simultaneously. The compound 11e exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity compared to that of the lead compound 2, with PPAR gamma (EC50 = 6.76 mu M) and 11 beta-HSD1 (IC50 = 0.76 mu M) in vitro. Molecular modeling study for compound 11e was also presented. Compound 11e showed excellent efficacy for lowering glucose, triglycerides, body fat, in well established mice and rats models of diabetes and obesity and had a favorable ADME profile. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.