Discovery of MAGL Inhibition by Lophine Derivatives: An Unexpected Finding from Chemiluminescent Assay Development

The inhibitory effects of two novel lophine derivatives were unexpectedly discovered during the development of a chemiluminescent monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) assay. The proposed lophine derivatives were found to exhibit concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on MAGL with the octanoic and palm...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Roberta Ottria, Silvana Casati, Ornella Xynomilakis, Aleksandar Veselinović, Pierangela Ciuffreda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/7/1605
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849730370249949184
author Roberta Ottria
Silvana Casati
Ornella Xynomilakis
Aleksandar Veselinović
Pierangela Ciuffreda
author_facet Roberta Ottria
Silvana Casati
Ornella Xynomilakis
Aleksandar Veselinović
Pierangela Ciuffreda
author_sort Roberta Ottria
collection DOAJ
description The inhibitory effects of two novel lophine derivatives were unexpectedly discovered during the development of a chemiluminescent monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) assay. The proposed lophine derivatives were found to exhibit concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on MAGL with the octanoic and palmitic acid esters of 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole showing the strongest activity. Reversibility assays using a fluorometric method confirmed that these compounds interact with MAGL in a stable, irreversible manner. To further investigate their mode of interaction, docking studies were performed, supporting the hypothesis that compounds <b>3</b> and <b>4</b> may act as competitive and irreversible inhibitors. Lophine derivatives were initially designed and synthesized as potential chemiluminescence pro-enhancers. However, assay optimization revealed no signal production upon MAGL hydrolysis, precluding their use as chemiluminescent probes. These findings suggest that lophine is a promising candidate for the development of MAGL inhibitors, although further optimization is needed to enhance binding affinity and selectivity.
format Article
id doaj-art-23f673b44c5e48d4a7f9a2e0704ebe07
institution DOAJ
issn 1420-3049
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Molecules
spelling doaj-art-23f673b44c5e48d4a7f9a2e0704ebe072025-08-20T03:08:53ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-04-01307160510.3390/molecules30071605Discovery of MAGL Inhibition by Lophine Derivatives: An Unexpected Finding from Chemiluminescent Assay DevelopmentRoberta Ottria0Silvana Casati1Ornella Xynomilakis2Aleksandar Veselinović3Pierangela Ciuffreda4Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Cliniche, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20157 Milano, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Cliniche, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20157 Milano, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Cliniche, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20157 Milano, ItalyDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Blvd. Dr. Zorana Đinđića 81, 18000 Niš, SerbiaDipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Cliniche, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20157 Milano, ItalyThe inhibitory effects of two novel lophine derivatives were unexpectedly discovered during the development of a chemiluminescent monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) assay. The proposed lophine derivatives were found to exhibit concentration-dependent inhibitory effects on MAGL with the octanoic and palmitic acid esters of 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazole showing the strongest activity. Reversibility assays using a fluorometric method confirmed that these compounds interact with MAGL in a stable, irreversible manner. To further investigate their mode of interaction, docking studies were performed, supporting the hypothesis that compounds <b>3</b> and <b>4</b> may act as competitive and irreversible inhibitors. Lophine derivatives were initially designed and synthesized as potential chemiluminescence pro-enhancers. However, assay optimization revealed no signal production upon MAGL hydrolysis, precluding their use as chemiluminescent probes. These findings suggest that lophine is a promising candidate for the development of MAGL inhibitors, although further optimization is needed to enhance binding affinity and selectivity.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/7/1605lophine derivativesmonoacylglycerol lipaseMAGLchemiluminescence assayenhancersinhibitors
spellingShingle Roberta Ottria
Silvana Casati
Ornella Xynomilakis
Aleksandar Veselinović
Pierangela Ciuffreda
Discovery of MAGL Inhibition by Lophine Derivatives: An Unexpected Finding from Chemiluminescent Assay Development
Molecules
lophine derivatives
monoacylglycerol lipase
MAGL
chemiluminescence assay
enhancers
inhibitors
title Discovery of MAGL Inhibition by Lophine Derivatives: An Unexpected Finding from Chemiluminescent Assay Development
title_full Discovery of MAGL Inhibition by Lophine Derivatives: An Unexpected Finding from Chemiluminescent Assay Development
title_fullStr Discovery of MAGL Inhibition by Lophine Derivatives: An Unexpected Finding from Chemiluminescent Assay Development
title_full_unstemmed Discovery of MAGL Inhibition by Lophine Derivatives: An Unexpected Finding from Chemiluminescent Assay Development
title_short Discovery of MAGL Inhibition by Lophine Derivatives: An Unexpected Finding from Chemiluminescent Assay Development
title_sort discovery of magl inhibition by lophine derivatives an unexpected finding from chemiluminescent assay development
topic lophine derivatives
monoacylglycerol lipase
MAGL
chemiluminescence assay
enhancers
inhibitors
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/7/1605
work_keys_str_mv AT robertaottria discoveryofmaglinhibitionbylophinederivativesanunexpectedfindingfromchemiluminescentassaydevelopment
AT silvanacasati discoveryofmaglinhibitionbylophinederivativesanunexpectedfindingfromchemiluminescentassaydevelopment
AT ornellaxynomilakis discoveryofmaglinhibitionbylophinederivativesanunexpectedfindingfromchemiluminescentassaydevelopment
AT aleksandarveselinovic discoveryofmaglinhibitionbylophinederivativesanunexpectedfindingfromchemiluminescentassaydevelopment
AT pierangelaciuffreda discoveryofmaglinhibitionbylophinederivativesanunexpectedfindingfromchemiluminescentassaydevelopment