Novel Benzoxazine-Based Aglycones Block Glucose Uptake In Vivo by Inhibiting Glycosidases

Glycoside hydrolases catalyze the selective hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds in oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and their conjugates. β-glucosidases occur in all domains of living organisms and constitute a major group among glycoside hydrolases. On the other hand, the benzoxazinoids occur in living systems and act as stable β-glucosides, such as 2-(2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one)-β-D-gluco-pyranose, which hydrolyse to an aglycone DIMBOA. Here, we synthesized the library of novel 1,3-benzoxazine scaffold based aglycones by using 2-aminobenzyl alcohols and aldehydes from one-pot reaction in a chloroacetic acid catalytic system via aerobic oxidative synthesis. Among the synthesized benzoxazines, 4-(7-chloro-2,4-dihydro-1H-benzo[d][1,3]oxazin-2-yl)phenol (compound 7) exhibit significant inhibition towards glucosidase compared to acarbose, with a IC50 value of 11.5 µM. Based upon results generated by in silico target prediction algorithms (Naïve Bayesian classifier), these aglycones potentially target the additional sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 (where a log likelihood score of 2.70 was observed). Furthermore, the in vitro glucosidase activity was correlated with the in silico docking results, with a high docking score for the aglycones towards the substrate binding site of glycosidase. Evidently, the in vitro and in vivo experiments clearly suggest an anti-hyperglycemic effect via glucose uptake inhibition by 4-(7-chloro-2,4-dihydro-1H-benzo[d][1,3]oxazin-2-yl)phenol in the starved rat model. These synthetic aglycones could constitute a novel pharmacological approach for the treatment, or re-enforcement of existing treatments, of type 2 diabetes and associated secondary complications.