Assessment of silver(I) complexes of salicylaldehyde derivatives—histidine Schiff base as novel α-glucosidase inhibitors

In this study, a novel class of histidine Schiff base silver (I) complexes derived from salicylaldehyde, 1a-9a, was found to be an effective inhibitor of α-glucosidase. The results of this study showed that the newly synthesized complexes inhibited α-glucosidase through noncompetitive mechanisms; the IC₅₀ values were ranging from 0.00431 μmol L^-1 to 0.492 μmol L^-1. The structure-activity relationship was established as well. These results demonstrated that compound 7a, 5-nitro salicylaldehyde Schiff base silver complex, is the most promising α-glucosidase inhibitor with the lowest IC₅₀ value, which could be exploited as a drug candidate to alleviate postprandial hyperglycemia in the treatment of type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus. This research provided a catalyst-free, simple, and environmentally benign reaction to synthesize compounds using mechanochemistry.