Synthesis and biological evaluation of cyclic imides incorporating benzenesulfonamide moieties as carbonic anhydrase I, II, IV and IX inhibitors.

A group of cyclic imides was synthesized by reaction of amino-substituted benzenesulfonamides with a series of acid anhydrides such as succinic, maleic, tetrahydrophthalic, pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid anhydride, and substituted phthalic anhydrides. The synthesized sulfonamides were evaluated as carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) inhibitors against the human (h) isoforms hCA I, II, IV and IX, involved in a variety of diseases among which glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, etc. Some of these sulfonamides showed effective inhibitory action (in the nanomolar range) against the cytosolic isoform hCA II and the transmembrane, tumor-associated one hCA IX, making them interesting candidates for preclinical evaluation in glaucoma or various tumors in which the two enzymes are involved. hCA I and IV were on the other hand less inhibited by these sulfonamides, with inhibition constants in the micromolar range.