title: Novel class of potent 4-arylalkyl substituted 3-isoxazolol GABA(A) antagonists: synthesis, pharmacology, and molecular modeling.
abstract: A number of analogues of the low-efficacy partial GABA(A) agonist 5-(4-piperidyl)-3-isoxazolol (4-PIOL, 5), in which the 4-position of the 3-isoxazolol ring was substituted by different groups, were synthesized and tested as GABA(A) receptor ligands. Substituents of different size and structural flexibility such as alkyl, phenylalkyl, diphenylalkyl, and naphthylalkyl were explored. Pharmacological characterization of the synthesized compounds was carried out using receptor binding assays and by electrophysiological experiments using whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. Whereas none of these compounds significantly affected GABA(B) receptor sites or GABA uptake, they did show affinity for the GABA(A) receptor site. While alkyl or benzyl substitution, compounds 7a-h, provided receptor affinities comparable with that of 5 (K(i) = 9.1 microM), diphenylalkyl and naphthylalkyl substitution, as in compounds 7m-t, resulted in a dramatic increase in affinity relative to 5. The 3,3-diphenylpropyl and the 2-naphthylmethyl analogues, compounds 7s and 7m, respectively, showed the highest affinities of the series (K(i) = 0.074 microM and K(i) = 0.049 microM). In whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from cultured cerebral cortical neurons, all of the tested compounds were able to inhibit the effect of the specific GABA(A) agonist isoguvacine (1), compounds 7m and 7s showing antagonist potency (IC(50) = 0.37 microM and IC(50) = 0.02 microM) comparable with or markedly higher than that of the standard GABA(A) antagonist 4 (IC(50) = 0.24 microM). Highly potent convulsant activity was demonstrated in mice with compounds 7m (ED(50) = 0.024 micromol/kg) and 7s (ED(50) = 0.21 micromol/kg) after intracerebroventricular administration, whereas no effects were found after subcutaneous administration. According to a previously proposed pharmacophore model for GABA(A) receptor agonists, a receptor cavity in the vicinity of the 4-position of the 3-isoxazolol ring in 4-PIOL exists. A molecular modeling study, based on compounds 7o,m,l,q,s, was performed to explore the dimensions and other properties of the receptor cavity. This study demonstrates the importance of the arylalkyl substituents in 7m and 7s and the considerable dimensions of this proposed receptor cavity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, 2 Universitetsparken, DK 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. bfr@dfh.dk
authors.forename: Bente
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frølund
authors.forename: Anne T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tagmose
authors.forename: Tine B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Stensbøl
authors.forename: Henrik T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Vestergaard
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Engblom
authors.forename: Uffe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kristiansen
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Povl
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Krogsgaard-Larsen
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liljefors
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003292:Convulsants / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007555:Isoxazoles / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D008024:Ligands; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013570:Synaptic Membranes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003292:Convulsants; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D007555:Isoxazoles; D008024:Ligands; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A