Azoles display promising anticonvulsant effects through possible PPAR-α activation

Azoles such as nafimidone, denzimol and loreclezole are known for their clinical efficacy against epilepsy, and loreclezole acts by potentiating gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic currents. In the current study, we report a series of azole derivatives in alcohol ester and oxime ester structure showing promising anticonvulsant effects in 6 Hz and maximal electro shock (MES) models with minimal toxicity. The most promising of the series, 5f, was active in both 6 Hz and MES tests with a median effective dose (ED50) of 118.92 mg/kg in 6 Hz test and a median toxic dose (TD50) twice as high in mice. The compounds were predicted druglike and blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetrant in silico. Contrary to what was expected, the compounds showed no in vitro affinity to GABAA receptors (GABAARs) in radioligand binding assays; however, they were found structurally similar to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha (PPAR-alpha) agonists and predicted to show high affinity and agonist-like binding to PPAR-alpha in molecular docking studies. As a result, 5f emerged as a safe azole anticonvulsant with a wide therapeutic window and possible action through PPAR-alpha activation.