Synthesis of novel beta-aminoalcohols containing nabumetone moiety with potential antidiabetic activity

Twenty five new beta-aminoalcohols containing nabumetone moiety were prepared via the reduction of potassium borohydride with a convenient and efficient procedure, starting from beta-aminoketones that have been synthesized by our group. Their chemical structures were determined by IR, MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HR-MS and antidiabetic activities were screened in vitro. Preliminary results revealed that the antidiabetic activity of most beta-aminoalcohols were better than that of the corresponding beta-aminoketones. Although most compounds showed weak antidiabetic activity, the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity of compounds 5hd(1) and 5id(2) reached 74.37% and 90.15%, respectively, which were superior to the positive control. The relative peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor response element (PPRE) activity of five compounds were more than 60%, among them compound 5ca possessed the highest activity (112.59%). As lead molecules of antidiabetic agents, compounds 5hd(1), 5id(2) and 5ca deserve further study.