As part of a program to develop medications which can block the binding of cocaine to the dopamine transporter, yet spare dopamine uptake, a series of aromatic ring-substituted methylphenidate derivatives was synthesized and tested for inhibitory potency in [3H]WIN 35,428 binding and [3H]dopamine uptake assays using rat striatal tissue. Synthesis was accomplished by alkylation of 2-bromopyridine with anions derived from various substituted phenylacetonitriles. In most cases, erythro compounds were markedly less potent than the corresponding (+/-)-threo-methylphenidate (TMP; Ritalin) derivatives. The ortho-substituted compounds were much less potent than the corresponding meta- and/or para-substituted derivatives. The most potent compound against [3H]WIN 35,428 binding, m-bromo-TMP, was 20-fold more potent than the parent compound, whereas the most potent compound against [3H]dopamine uptake, m,p-dichloro-TMP, was 32-fold more potent. Threo derivatives with m- or p-halo substituents were more potent than TMP, while electron-donating substituents caused little change or small loss of potency. All of the derivatives had Hill coefficients approaching unity, except m,p-dichloro-TMP, which had an nH of 2.0. Although the potency of the (+/-)-methylphenidate derivatives in the two assays was highly correlated (R2 = 0.986), the compounds m-chloro-,m-methyl-, and p-iodo-TMP were 4-5-fold more potent at inhibiting [3H]-WIN 35,428 binding than [3H]dopamine uptake (cocaine has a ratio of 2.3). These and other compounds may be promising candidates for further testing as potential partial agonists or antagonists of cocaine.
Enantiomeric propanolamines have been identified as a new class of NR2B-selective NMDA receptor antagonists. The most effective agents are biaryl structures, synthesized in six steps with overall yields ranging from 11–64%. The compounds are potent and selective inhibitors of NR2B-containing recombinant NMDA receptors with IC50 values between 30–100 nM. Potency is strongly controlled by substitution on both rings and the centrally located amine nitrogen. SAR analysis suggests that well-balanced polarity and chain-length factors provide the greatest inhibitory potency. Structural comparisons based on 3D shape analysis and electrostatic complementarity support this conclusion. The antagonists are neuroprotective in both in vitro and in vivo models of ischemic cell death. In addition, some compounds exhibit anticonvulsant properties. Unlike earlier generation NMDA receptor antagonists and some NR2B-selective antagonists, the present series of propanolamines does not cause increased locomotion in rodents. Thus, the NR2B-selective antagonists exhibit a range of therapeutically interesting properties.
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