A series of 18 aporphinoids have been tested in vitro against human poliovirus. The aporphines (+)-glaucine fumarate (1), (+)-N-methyllaurotetanine (4), (+)-isoboldine (7), and (-)-nuciferine, HCl (10) were found to be active with selectivity indices > 14. The nature of the 1, 2-substituents of the isoquinoline moiety appeared to be critical for antipoliovirus activity. An SAR study demonstrated the importance of a methoxyl group at C-2 on the tetrahydroisoquinoline ring for the induction of antipoliovirus activity. Molecular modeling of some compounds in this series revealed the close similarities between the three-dimensional conformational features of the inactive 1,2-substituted derivatives (+)-boldine (6) and (+)-laurolitsine (5) with derivatives containing the 1,2-(methylenedioxy) moiety, which were generally found to be inactive as exemplified by (+)-cassythicine (9).

1 The hypotensive e ect of imidazoline-like drugs, such as clonidine, was ®rst attributed to the exclusive stimulation of central a 2 -adrenoceptors (a 2 ARs). 2 However, a body of evidence suggests that non-adrenergic mechanisms may also account for this hypotension. 3 This work aims (i) to check whether imidazoline-like drugs with no a 2 -adrenergic agonist activity may alter blood pressure (BP) and (ii) to seek a possible interaction between such a drug and an a 2 ARs agonist a-methylnoradrenaline (a-MNA). 4 We selected S23515 and S23757, two imidazoline-like drugs with negligible a nities and activities at a 2 ARs but with high a nities for non-adrenergic imidazoline binding sites (IBS). 5 S23515 decreased BP dose-dependently (727+5% maximal e ect) when administered intracisternally (i.c.) to anaesthetized rabbits. The hypotension induced by S23515 (100 mg kg 71 i.c.) was prevented by S23757 (1 mg kg 71 i.c.) and efaroxan (10 mg kg 71 i.c.), while these compounds, devoid of haemodynamic action by themselves, did not alter the hypotensive e ect of a-MNA (3 and 30 mg kg 71 i.c.). Moreover, the a 2 ARs antagonist rauwolscine (3 mg kg 71 i.c.) did not prevent the e ect of S23515. 6 Finally, whilst 3 mg kg 71 of S23515 or 0.5 mg kg 71 of a-MNA had weak hypotensive e ects, the sequential i.c. administration of these two drugs induced a marked hypotension (723+2%). 7 These results indicate that an imidazoline-like drug with no a 2 -adrenergic properties lowers BP and interacts synergistically with an a 2 ARs agonist.

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