Iodine/Oxone® oxidative system for the synthesis of selenylindoles bearing benzenesulfonamide moiety as carbonic anhydrase I, II, IX, and XII inhibitors

A wide range of 3-selenylindoles were synthesized via an eco-friendly approach that uses Oxone® as oxidant in the presence of catalytic amount of iodine. This mild and economic protocol showed broad functional group tolerance and operational simplicity. A series of novel selenylindoles bearing benzenesulfonamide moiety was also synthesized and evaluated as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors against the human (h) isoforms hCa I, II, IX, XII, involved in pathologies such as glaucoma and cancer. Several derivatives showed excellent inhibitory activity for these isoforms in nanomolar range, lower than acetozolamide.