N-Methyl-N-((1-methyl-5-(3-(piperidin-1-yl)propoxy)-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)methyl)prop-2-yn-1-amine (MBA-159), a new multitarget small molecule for the therapy of Alzheimer's disease

As part of a project aimed at the pharmacological optimization of Contilisant, herein we describe molecular modelling studies that led to the identification of MBA-159 as a new polyfunctionalized, multitarget-directed ligand and a promising drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. We synthesized MBA-159 and conducted comprehensive in vitro and in vivo evaluations. In in vivo studies MBA-159 demonstrated favourable pharmacokinetics, anti-amnesic properties and significantly improved non-spatial memory (contextual and recognition memory) in a mouse model of scopolamine-induced amnesia. Additionally, MBA-159 showed a tendency to increase synaptic plasticity biomarkers and reduce neuroinflammatory trends (assessed by qPCR), as well as cognitive enhancement in a senescence-accelerated prone mouse 8 model.