Synthesis and mechanism of hypoglycemic activity of benzothiazole derivatives.

Adenosine 5'-monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) has emerged as a major potential target for novel antidiabetic drugs. We studied the structure of 2-chloro-5-((Z)-((E)-5-((5-(4,5-dimethyl-2-nitrophenyl)furan-2-yl)methylene)-4-oxothiazolidin-2-ylidene)amino)benzoic acid (PT-1), which attenuates the autoinhibition of the enzyme AMPK, for the design and synthesis of different benzothiazoles with potential antidiabetic activity. We synthesized several structurally related benzothiazole derivatives that increased the rate of glucose uptake in L6 myotubes in an AMPK-dependent manner.