1,3,5-Pyrazoline Derivatives in CNS Disorders: Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and Structural Insights through Molecular Docking

Background: Anxiety and oxidative stress are the common disorders prevailing in the modern age. Many new pyrazoline derivatives have been synthesized and patented, but there is still continuous research in progress to explore antidepressant and antioxidant potential of pyrazoline scaffold. Objectives: The present work was carried out to synthesize, characterize and evaluate the pharmacological potential of 1,3,5-Pyrazoline derivatives. Methods: Ten new 1,3,5-Pyrazoline derivatives were synthesized and characterized by IR, 1HNMR and mass spectral techniques. The synthesized pyrazoline derivatives were investigated for their in vivo antidepressant activity by Tail Suspension Test (TST) and in vitro antioxidant activity by FRAP and DPPH assay methods. The docking studies and in silico ADME and toxicity characteristics were also evaluated. Results: Among the synthesized analogues, IVh showed the highest antidepressant activity with a significant reduction in the duration of immobility. The compound IVh emerged as the most potent antioxidant compound due to the presence of an electron releasing hydroxyl group. Docking studies of most potent compounds revealed good interaction points with the MAO-A enzyme. The compounds were found to obey Lipinski’s Rule of Five and displayed the least in silico toxicity profile. Conclusion: The synthesized compounds were found to possess great potential in decreasing the duration of immobility in Swiss albino mice and scavenging free radicals. These compounds may serve as new leads for further drug exploration.