We have evaluated the receptor pharmacology, antiplatelet activity, and vascular pharmacology of APD791 [3-methoxy-N-(3-(1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)-4-(2-morpholinoethoxy)phenyl-)benzamide] a novel 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A (5-HT 2A ) receptor antagonist. APD791 displayed high-affinity binding to membranes (K i ϭ 4.9 nM) and functional inverse agonism of inositol phosphate accumulation (IC 50 ϭ 5.2 nM) in human embryonic kidney cells stably expressing the human 5-HT 2A receptor. In competition binding assays, APD791 was greater than 2000-fold selective for the 5-HT 2A receptor versus 5-HT 2C and 5-HT 2B receptors, and was inactive when tested against a wide panel of other G-protein-coupled receptors. APD791 inhibited 5-HT-mediated amplification of ADP-stimulated human and dog platelet aggregation (IC 50 ϭ 8.7 and 23.1 nM, respectively).Similar potency was observed for inhibition of 5-HT-stimulated DNA synthesis in rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells (IC 50 ϭ 13 nM) and 5-HT-mediated vasoconstriction in rabbit aortic rings. Oral administration of APD791 to dogs resulted in acute (1-h) and subchronic (10-day) inhibition of 5-HT-mediated amplification of collagen-stimulated platelet aggregation in whole blood. Two active metabolites, APD791-M1 and APD791-M2, were generated upon incubation of APD791 with human liver microsomes and were also indentified in dogs after oral administration of APD791. The affinity and selectivity profiles of both metabolites were similar to APD791. These results demonstrate that APD791 is an orally available, high-affinity 5-HT 2A receptor antagonist with potent activity on platelets and vascular smooth muscle.Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is a naturally occurring indoleamine found primarily in brain, enterochromaffin tissue, and platelets. 5-HT exerts a multitude of biological effects mediated through interaction with specific cell surface G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). To date, at least 14 different human 5-HT GPCRs are known (Kaumann and Levy, 2006). Among them, 5-HT 2A receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells and platelets play an important role in the regulation of cardiovascular function.The uptake process and storage capacity for 5-HT by platelets are such that minimal amounts of the amine exist in normal plasma. However, upon platelet activation at sites of vessel injury, 5-HT is released from the dense granules in platelets (Ashton et al., 1986). Although 5-HT by itself is only a weak activator of platelet aggregation, it effectively amplifies aggregation induced by other agonists including collagen, ADP, epinephrine, and thrombin (De Clerck and Herman, 1983;De Clerck and Janssen, 1990). Thus, 5-HT This work was supported by Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at