The Proof-of-Concept of MBA121, a Tacrine-Ferulic Acid Hybrid, for Alzheimer's Disease Therapy

Great effort has been devoted to the synthesis of novel multi-target directed tacrine derivatives in the search of new treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Herein we describe the proof of concept of MBA121, a compound designed as a tacrine-ferulic acid hybrid, and its potential use in the therapy of AD. MBA121 shows good b-amyloid (A beta) anti-aggregation properties, selective inhibition of human butyrylcholinesterase, good neuroprotection against toxic insults, such as A b 1-40, A beta(1-42), and H2O2, and promising ADMET properties that support translational developments. A passive avoidance task in mice with experimentally induced amnesia was carried out, MBA121 being able to significantly decrease scopolamine-induced learning deficits. In addition, MBA121 reduced the A b plaque burden in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus in APP(swe)/PS1 (Delta E9) transgenic male mice. Our in vivo results relate its bioavailability with the therapeutic response, demonstrating that MBA121 is a promising agent to treat the cognitive decline and neurodegeneration underlying AD.