The neuroprotective action of JNK3 inhibitors based on the 6,7-dihydro-5H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole scaffold

Imidazole-based structures of p38 inhibitors served as a starting point for the design of JNK3 inhibitors. Construction of a 6,7-dihydro-5H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazole scaffold led to the synthesis of the (S)-enantiomers, which exhibited p38/JNK3 IC50 ratio of up to 10 and were up to 20 times more potent inhibitors of JNK3 than the relevant (R)-enantiomers. The JNK3 inhibitory potency correlated well with inhibition of c-Jun phosphorylation and neuroprotective properties of the compounds in low K+-induced cell death of rat cerebellar granule neurones.

Graphical abstractThe synthesis and neuroprotective properties of three representative enantiomeric pairs (S)-2 and (R)-2 are reported.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide