Nature-Inspired Multifunctional Ligands: Focusing on Amyloid-Based Molecular Mechanisms of Alzheimer's Disease

The amyloidogenic pathway is a prominent feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, growing evidence suggests that a linear disease model based on \u3b2-amyloid peptide (A\u3b2) alone is not likely to be realistic, which therefore calls for further investigations on the other actors involved in the play. The pro-oxidant environment induced by A\u3b2 in AD pathology is well established, and a correlation among A\u3b2, oxidative stress, and conformational changes in p53 has been suggested. In this study, we applied a multifunctional approach to identify allyl thioesters of variously substituted trans-cinnamic acids for which the pharmacological profile was strategically tuned by hydroxy substituents on the aromatic moiety. Indeed, only catechol derivative 3 [(S)-allyl (E)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)prop-2-enethioate] inhibited A\u3b2 fibrilization. Conversely, albeit to different extents, all compounds were able to decrease the formation of reactive oxygen species in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and to prevent alterations in the conformation of p53 and its activity mediated by soluble sub-lethal concentrations of A\u3b2. This may support an involvement of oxidative stress in A\u3b2 function, with p53 emerging as a potential mediator of their functional interplay