Nitric oxide (NO) mimetics and other agents capable of enhancing NO/cGMP signaling have demonstrated efficacy as potential therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. A group of thiol-dependent NO mimetics known as furoxans may be designed to exhibit attenuated reactivity to provide slow onset NO effects. The present study describes the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a furoxan library resulting in the identification of a prototype furoxan, 5a, which was profiled for use in the central nervous system. Furoxan 5a demonstrated negligible reactivity toward generic cellular thiols under physiological conditions. Nonetheless, cGMP-dependent neuroprotection was observed, and 5a (20 mg/kg) reversed cholinergic memory deficits in a mouse model of passive avoidance fear memory. Importantly, 5a can be prepared as a pharmaceutically acceptable salt and is observed in the brain 12 h after oral administration, suggesting potential for daily dosing and excellent metabolic stability. Continued investigation into furoxans as attenuated NO mimetics for the CNS is warranted.

中文翻译：

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具有减弱的反应性的呋喃喃类药物（Oxadiazole-4 N-氧化物）具有神经保护作用，可越过血脑屏障，并改善被动回避记忆

一氧化氮（NO）模拟物和其他能够增强NO / cGMP信号传导的药物已证明可作为治疗阿尔茨海默氏病的有效方法。可以设计一组称为呋喃喃的硫醇依赖性NO模拟物，以表现出减弱的反应性，从而提供缓慢的NO效应。本研究描述了呋喃聚糖文库的设计，合成和评估，从而鉴定出了呋喃喃原型5a，该原型已被确定可用于中枢神经系统。在生理条件下，呋喃喃5a对普通细胞硫醇的反应性可忽略不计。尽管如此，仍观察到了cGMP依赖性神经保护作用，并且5a（20 mg / kg）在被动回避恐惧记忆的小鼠模型中逆转了胆碱能记忆缺陷。重要的是，可以将5a制成可药用盐的形式，并在口服12小时后在大脑中观察到，这表明每日给药的潜力和出色的代谢稳定性。继续研究呋喃喃类药物作为中枢神经系统的减毒NO模拟物是有必要的。