Non-basic ligands for aminergic GPCRs: the discovery and development diaryl sulfones as selective, orally bioavailable 5-HT2A receptor antagonists for the treatment of sleep disorders

Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2010 Jun 15;20(12):3708-12. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2010.04.090. Epub 2010 Apr 24.

Abstract

Scaffold hopping from a non-basic series of 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonists developed in-house that possessed reduced activity in vivo enabled the discovery of a novel series of diaryl sulfones that gave excellent occupancy on oral dosing. Not only does this work further demonstrate that oral bioavailability of a given series can be enhanced by improving physicochemical parameters such as log P, but it corroborates the growing evidence that a protonated amine is not essential for affinity at aminergic GPCRs.

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Amines
  • Animals
  • Biological Availability
  • Drug Discovery
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / chemistry
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / metabolism
  • Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists*
  • Serotonin Receptor Agonists
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / drug therapy
  • Sulfones / chemical synthesis*
  • Sulfones / pharmacology
  • Sulfones / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Amines
  • Ligands
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Serotonin 5-HT2 Receptor Antagonists
  • Serotonin Receptor Agonists
  • Sulfones