Discovery and pharmacological characterization of aryl piperazine and piperidine ethers as dual acting norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors and 5-HT1A partial agonists

Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2009 Dec 1;19(23):6604-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2009.10.014. Epub 2009 Oct 12.

Abstract

Compounds that are both norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRI) and 5-HT1(A) partial agonists may have the potential to treat neuropsychiatric disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. Targeted screening of NRI-active compounds for binding to the 5-HT(1A) receptor provided a series of thiomorpholinone hits with this dual activity profile. Several iterations of design, synthesis, and testing led to substituted piperidine diphenyl ethers which are potent NRIs with 5-HT1(A) partial agonist properties. In addition, optimization of these molecules provided compounds which exhibit selectivity for NRI over the dopamine (DAT) and serotonin (SERT) reuptake transporters. Monoamine and 5-HT(1A) in vitro functional activities for select compounds from the developed piperidine diphenyl ether series are also presented.

MeSH terms

  • Dopamine / metabolism
  • Drug Discovery*
  • Ethers / chemical synthesis
  • Ethers / chemistry
  • Ethers / pharmacology*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors / chemical synthesis
  • Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Piperazines / chemical synthesis
  • Piperazines / chemistry
  • Piperazines / pharmacology*
  • Piperidines / chemical synthesis
  • Piperidines / chemistry
  • Piperidines / pharmacology*
  • Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists*
  • Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / metabolism
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Ethers
  • Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors
  • Piperazines
  • Piperidines
  • Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists
  • Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
  • Dopamine