α,γ-Diketocarboxylic acids and their esters act as carbonic anhydrase IX and XII selective inhibitors
Among human carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibitors, the α,γ-diketocarboxylic acids and esters are still poorly investigated. Here, we report the first compounds of this class (1-6) acting as potent inhibitors at low nanomolar level against the cancer-related human CA IX and XII, and 2-3 magnitude orders selective toward the cytosolic isoforms hCA I and II. At enzymatic level, the α,γ-diketoacids 1-3 were more effective inhibitors compared to the corresponding ethyl esters 4-6.