Synthesis and evaluation of multifunctional ferulic and caffeic acid dimers for Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

<p>In this study, a series of novel ferulic and caffeic acid dimers was designed and synthesised, and their multifunctional properties against Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were evaluated. Results showed that our multifunctional strategy was great supported by enhancing the inhibition of A<i>β</i>_1–42 self-induced aggregation. Moreover, <b>7b</b> also had potent protective effects against glutamate-induced cell death without significant cell toxicity in mouse hippocampal neuronal HT22 cells and <b>10c</b> effectively scavenged diphenylpicrylhydrazyl free radicals. Collectively, these data strongly encourage further optimisation of <b>7b</b> as a new hit to develop multifunctional agents for the treatment of AD.</p