10.1016/S0223-5234(97)81681-9
The study investigates the development of more specific carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors, focusing on Schiff bases derived from aromatic sulfonamides. The researchers synthesized 21 new Schiff bases using sulfanilamide, homosulfanilamide, and p-aminoethyl-benzenesulfonamide as starting materials, reacting them with various substituted benzene- and heterocyclic aldehydes. These compounds were characterized and tested for their inhibitory effects on three CA isozymes: CA I, CA II, and CA IV. The results showed that several of these new Schiff bases exhibited a modest two-fold selectivity for the membrane-bound CA IV compared to the cytosolic human isozymes CA I and II. This selectivity is attributed to a decreased potency against hCA II relative to classical inhibitors. The study suggests that these compounds could potentially lead to the development of low molecular weight, isozyme-specific CA IV inhibitors, which may have improved therapeutic profiles and fewer side effects.