Inspired by the significant -glucosidase inhibitory activities of (+)- and (-)-pericosine E, we herein designed and synthesized 16 analogs of these marine natural products bearing a methoxy group instead of a chlorine atom at C6. Four of these compounds exhibited moderate -glucosidase inhibitory activities, which were weaker than those of the corresponding chlorine-containing species. The four compounds could be prepared by coupling reactions utilizing the (-)-pericosine B moiety. An additional in silico docking simulation suggested that the reason of reduced activity of the C6-methoxylated analogs might be an absence of hydrogen bonding between a methoxy group with the surrounding amino acid residues in the active site in -glucosidase.
Keywords: C6-methoxy analogue; anti-diabetes drug; docking simulation; marine natural product; pericosine E; α-glucosidase inhibitor.