Syntheses, in vitro, and in silico studies of rhodanine-based schiff bases as potential α-amylase inhibitors and radicals (DPPH and ABTS) scavengers

A two-step reaction method was used to synthesize a series of rhodanine-based Schiff bases ( 2–33 ) that were characterized using spectroscopic techniques. All compounds were assessed for α -amylase inhibitory and radical scavenging (DPPH and ABTS) activities. In comparison to the standard acarbose (IC 50 = 9.08 ± 0.07 µM), all compounds demonstrated good to moderate α -amylase inhibitory activity (IC 50 = 10.91 ± 0.08–61.89 ± 0.102 µM). Compounds also demonstrated significantly higher DPPH (IC 50 = 10.33 ± 0.02–96.65 ± 0.03 µM) and ABTS (IC 50 = 12.01 ± 0.12–97.47 ± 0.13 µM) radical scavenging activities than ascorbic acid (DPPH, IC 50 = 15.08 ± 0.03 µM; ABTS, IC 50 = 16.09 ± 0.17 µM). The limited structure-activity relationship (SAR) suggests that the position and nature of the substituted groups on the phenyl ring have a vital role in varying inhibitory potential. Among the series, compounds with an electron-withdrawing group at the para position showed the highest potency. Kinetic studies revealed that the compounds followed a competitive mode of inhibition. Molecular docking results are found to agree with experimental findings, showing that compounds reside in the active pocket due to the main rhodanine moiety. Graphical abstract