Novel Hexahydropyrimidine Derivatives as Potential Neutral Sphingomyelinase 2 Inhibitors: Synthesis, Metal Chelation, and In Silico Studies


KUYRUKÇU ÖZTÜRK Ö., DÜNDAR Y.

CHEMICAL BIOLOGY & DRUG DESIGN, cilt.107, sa.2, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 107 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1111/cbdd.70245
  • Dergi Adı: CHEMICAL BIOLOGY & DRUG DESIGN
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE, MEDLINE
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2) plays a pivotal role in exosome biogenesis and the progression of several neurodegenerative disorders and cancers. In this study, a series of hexahydropyrimidine and tetrahydropyrimidine derivatives were synthesized to explore their potential as nSMase2 inhibitors. The compounds were evaluated for Bacillus cereus SMase inhibition, which shares a highly conserved substrate-binding site with human nSMase2. The hexahydropyrimidine derivatives exhibited superior activity, with 4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-oxo-2-thioxohexahydropyrimidine-5-carbonitrile (compound 1j, IC50 = 1.88 mu M) emerging as the most potent inhibitor fourfold more active than the reference compound Cambinol (IC50 = 7.49 mu M). Compound 1j also demonstrated metal-chelating ability with Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions, which are implicated in the pathology of these diseases. Molecular docking studies revealed favorable interactions with the B. cereus SMase structure, and in silico ADME profiling suggested drug-like properties. These findings highlight novel hexahydropyrimidine derivatives as promising nSMase2 inhibitors for further investigation.