Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel carboxylic acid DHA-alkanolamine derivatives as anti-inflammatory agents by targeting Nur77

Abstract

In this study, twenty-five novel carboxylic acid DHA-alkanolamine derivatives were synthesized by the reaction of cis-docosa-4,7,10,13,16,19-hexaenoic acid-alkanolamine (DHA-AA) with various carboxylic acids, including Naproxen (S1), Ibuprofen (S2), Ferulic acid (S3), Mefenamic acid (S4), and Aspirin (S5). Their molecular structures were characterized using 1H/13C NMR and HRMS techniques. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of synthesized compounds, RAW264.7 macrophage cells pretreated with or without these compounds, were stimulated by LPS, and the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (NO, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) were then measured by ELISA, qPCR, and Western Blot. The cell-based assays showed that compound 11 had marked anti-inflammatory activity. In addition, the molecular docking study and SPR assay demonstrated that compound 11 exhibited good Nur77-binding affinity (KD = 3.61 × 10−6 M). Moreover, compound 11 was found to inhibit NF-κB activation in a Nur77-dependent manner. Notably, compound 11 could attenuate LPS-induced inflammation in the mouse acute lung injury (ALI) model. In conclusion, these derivatives are potential Nur77-targeting anti-inflammatory agents against versatile inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.