Acetic acid derivatives of 3,4-dihydro-2 H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxide as a novel class of potent aldose reductase inhibitors

A series of novel benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxide derivatives were synthesized and tested for their inhibitory activity against aldose reductase. Of these derivatives, 17 compounds, having a substituted N2-benzyl group and a N4-acetic acid group on the benzothiadiazine, were found to be potent and selective aldose reductase inhibitors in vitro with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.032 to 0.975 μM. 9m proved to be the most active in vitro. The eight top-scoring compounds coming from the in vitro test for ALR2 inhibition activity were then tested in vivo, whereby three derivatives, 9i, 9j, and 9m, demonstrated a significantly preventive effect on sorbitol accumulation in the sciatic nerve in the 5-day streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats in vivo. Structure-activity relationship and molecular docking studies highlighted the importance of substitution features of N4-acetic acid group and halogen-substituted N2-benzyl group in the benzothiadiazine scaffold and indicated that substitution with hallogen at C-7 had a remarkably strong effect on ALR2 inhibition potency.