In order to find a novel antidiabetic lead compound, fourteen new β-amino ketone derivatives containing a sulfanilamide moiety were designed and synthesized directly through Mannich reaction of sulfanilamide, 4-bromoacetophenone and some aromatic aldehydes catalyzed by concentrated hydogen chloride in a solution of ethanol in 27～30 ℃ with convenient operation, mild reaction condition and middle to high yields (44%～92%). The chemical structures of these title compounds were confirmed by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS and HRMS techniques. Biological activity tests showed that these compounds possessed very weak α-glucosidase inhibitory activity but could activate PPAR response element moderately, thus it was found that some β-amino ketone derivatives containing a sulfanilamide moiety had antidiabetic activity.

Key words: diabetes mellitus, α-glucosidase, PPAR, sulfanilamide, β-amino ketone, Mannich reaction