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Biomedical subjects

P D Leeson

Publications and source records attributed to P D Leeson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

1-(3-Cyanobenzylpiperidin-4-yl)-5-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 3-dihydroimidazol-2-one: a selective high-affinity antagonist for the human dopamine D(4) receptor with excellent selectivity over ion channels.

After the requirement of pseudocycle formation in the ureas 3 and 7 for hD(4) binding and selectivity was confirmed, structural hybridization with the known hD(4) ligand 2 led to the design and identification of the lead 4-(2-oxo-1, 3-dihydroimidazol-2-yl)piperidine 8. Optimization studies were carried out on 8 with the aim of achieving 1000-fold selectivity for hD(4) over all other receptors while retaining the good pharmacokinetic properties of the lead. After initial preparation of 8 as a minor component in a low-yielding reaction, a novel and regioselective "four-step/one-pot" procedure was developed which proved to be applicable to rapid investigation of the SAR of the 1, 3-dihydroimidazol-2-one ring. Various changes to substituents attached to the 3-, 4-, or 5-position of the 1, 3-dihydroimidazol-2-one core of 8 did not significantly improve selectivity for hD(4) over hD(2) and hD(3). Greater selectivity (>1000-fold) was ultimately achieved by meta substitution of the benzyl group of 8 with various substituents. Compounds 28, 31, and 32 all possess the required selectivity for hD(4) over the other dopamine subtypes, but only 32 has >1000-fold selectivity over all the key counterscreens we tested against. Compound 32 is an antagonist at hD(4) and has a good pharmacokinetic profile in the rat, with excellent estimated in vivo receptor occupancy, thus making it a potentially useful pharmacological tool to investigate the role of the D(4) receptor.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Binding of 2,4-disubstituted morpholines at human D4 dopamine receptors.

The synthesis of a series of 2,4-disubstituted morpholines is described and their affinities at human dopamine receptors reported. The orally bioavailable 7-azaindole compound 11 has nanomolar affinity at the hD4 receptor with > 1000-fold selectivity over the hD2 receptor.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

3-(1-piperazinyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-benzo[g]indazoles: high affinity ligands for the human dopamine D4 receptor with improved selectivity over ion channels.

3-(4-Piperidinyl)-5-arylpyrazoles, such as 1, were selective for the cloned human dopamine D4 receptor (hD4), but also showed affinity at voltage sensitive calcium, sodium and potassium ion channels. A combination of substituent changes to reduce the basicity of the piperidine nitrogen and conformational restriction to give 4,5-dihydro-1H-benzo[g]indazoles reduced this ion channel affinity at the expense of selectivity for hD4 over other dopamine receptors. Incorporation of piperazine into the 4,5-dihydro-1H-benzo[g]indazoles in place of piperidine gave a novel series of high affinity, selective, orally bioavailable hD4 ligands, such as 16, with improved selectivity over ion channels.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1998

Substituted pyrazoles as novel selective ligands for the human dopamine D4 receptor.

Two novel series of 3-(heterocyclylmethyl)pyrazoles have been synthesised and evaluated as ligands for the human dopamine D4 receptor. Compounds in series I (exemplified by 8k) have a phenyl ring joined to the 4-position of the pyrazole while those in series II (exemplified by 15j) have a 5-phenyl ring linked by a saturated chain to the 4-position of the pyrazole. Both series supplied compounds with excellent affinity for the human D4 and good selectivity over other dopamine receptors. Excellent selectivity over calcium, sodium, and potassium ion channels was also achieved.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1997

Effect of plasma protein binding on in vivo activity and brain penetration of glycine/NMDA receptor antagonists.

A major issue in designing drugs as antagonists at the glycine site of the NMDA receptor has been to achieve good in vivo activity. A series of 4-hydroxyquinolone glycine antagonists was found to be active in the DBA/2 mouse anticonvulsant assay, but improvements in in vitro affinity were not mirrored by corresponding increases in anticonvulsant activity. Here we show that binding of the compounds to plasma protein limits their brain penetration. Relative binding to the major plasma protein, albumin, was measured in two different ways: by a radioligand binding experiment or using an HPLC assay, for a wide structural range of glycine/NMDA site ligands. These measures of plasma protein binding correlate well (r = 0.84), and the HPLC assay has been used extensively to quantify plasma protein binding. For the 4-hydroxyquinolone series, binding to plasma protein correlates (r = 0.92) with log P (octanol/pH 7.4 buffer) over a range of log P values from 0 to 5. The anticonvulsant activity increases with in vitro affinity, but the slope of a plot of pED50 versus pIC50 is low (0.40); taking plasma protein binding into account in this plot increases the slope to 0.60. This shows that binding to albumin in plasma reduces the amount of compound free to diffuse across the blood-brain barrier. Further evidence comes from three other experiments: (a) Direct measurements of brain/blood ratios for three compounds (2, 16, 26) show the ratio decreases with increasing log R. (b) Warfarin, which competes for albumin binding sites dose-dependently, decreased the ED50 of 26 for protection against seizures induced by NMDLA. (c) Direct measurements of brain penetration using an in situ brain perfusion model in rat to measure the amount of drug crossing the blood-brain barrier showed that compounds 2, 26, and 32 penetrate the brain well in the absence of plasma protein, but this is greatly reduced when the drug is delivered in plasma. In the 4-hydroxyquinolones glycine site binding affinity increases with lipophilicity of the 3-substituent up to a maximum at a log P around 3, then does not improve further. When combined with increasing protein binding, this gives a parabolic relationship between predicted in vivo activity and log P, with a maximum log P value of 2.39. Finally, the plasma protein binding studies have been extended to other series of glycine site antagonists, and its is shown that for a given log P these have similar protein binding to the 4-hydroxyquinolones, except for compounds that are not acidic. The results have implications for the design of novel glycine site antagonists, and it is suggested that it is necessary to either keep log P low or pKa high to obtain good central nervous system activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

4-Heterocyclylpiperidines as selective high-affinity ligands at the human dopamine D4 receptor.

5-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3-(1-(4-chlorobenzyl)piperidin-4-yl)pyrazole (3) was identified from screening of the Merck sample collection as a human dopamine D4 (hD4) receptor ligand with moderate affinity (61 nM) and 4-fold selectivity over human D2 (hD2) receptors. Four separate parts of the molecule have been examined systematically to explore structure-activity relationships with respect to hD4 affinity and selectivity over other dopamine receptors. It was found that the 4-chlorophenyl group attached to the pyrazole is optimal, as is the 4-substituted piperidine. The lipophilic group on the basic nitrogen is more amenable to change, with the optimal group found to be a phenethyl. The aromatic heterocyle can be altered to a number of different groups, with isoxazoles and pyrimidines showing improved affinities. This heterocycle can also be advantageously alkylated, improving the selectivity of the compounds over D2 receptors. It is hypothesized that the conformation around the bond joining the aromatic heterocycle to the piperidine is important for D4 affinity, based on crystal structures of isoxazoles (29 and 30) and on a conformationally constrained compound (28). Putting all the favorable changes together led to the discovery that 5-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-methyl-3-(1-(2-phenylethyl)piperidin-4-yl)iso xazole (36) is a nanomolar antagonist at human dopamine D4 receptors with > 500-fold selectivity over hD2 and > 200-fold selectivity over hD3. Compound 36 is an antagonist of hD4 receptors with good oral bioavailability of 38%, a half life of 2 h, and brain levels 10-fold higher than plasma levels.

Cell Line↗
PubMed1997

4-substituted-3-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-ones: acidic and nonacidic glycine site N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists with in vivo activity.

4-Substituted-3-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-ones have been synthesized and evaluated in vitro for antagonist activity at the glycine site on the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor and in vivo for anticonvulsant activity in the DBA/2 strain of mouse in an audiogenic seizure model. 4-Amino-3-phenylquinolin-2(1H)-one (3) is 40-fold lower in binding affinity but only 4-fold weaker as an anticonvulsant than the acidic 4-hydroxy compound 1. Methylsulfonylation at the 4-position of 3 gives an acidic compound (6, pKa = 6.0) where affinity is fully restored but in vivo potency is significantly reduced (Table 1). Methylation at the 4-position of 1 to give 18 results in the abolition of measurable affinity, but the attachment of neutral hydrogen bond-accepting groups to the methyl group of 18 produces compounds with comparable in vitro and in vivo activity to 1 (e.g., 23 and 28, Table 2). Replacement of the 4-hydroxy group of 1 with an ethyl group abolishes activity (42), but again, incorporation of neutral hydrogen bond acceptors to the terminal carbon atom restores affinity (e.g., 36, 39, and 40, Table 3). Replacement of the 4-hydroxy group of the high-affinity compound 2 with an amino group produces a compound with 200-fold reduced affinity (43; IC50 = 0.42 microM, Table 4) which is nevertheless still 10-fold higher in affinity than 3. The results in this paper indicate that anionic functionality is not an absolute requirement for good affinity at the glycine/NMDA site and provide compelling evidence for the existence of a ligand/receptor hydrogen bond interaction between an acceptor attached to the 4-position of the ligand and a hydrogen bond donor attached to the receptor.

Aminoquinolines↗
PubMed1997

Biological profile of L-745,870, a selective antagonist with high affinity for the dopamine D4 receptor.

L-745,870,(3-([4-(4-chlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl)-1H- pyrollo[2,3-b] pyridine, was identified as a selective dopamine D4 receptor antagonist with excellent oral bioavailability and brain penetration. L-745,870 displaced specific binding of 0.2 nM [3H] spiperone to cloned human dopamine D4 receptors with a binding affinity (Ki) of 0. 43 nM which was 5- and 20-fold higher than that of the standard antipsychotics haloperidol and clozapine, respectively. L-745,870 exhibited high selectivity for the dopamine D4 receptor (>2000 fold) compared to other dopamine receptor subtypes and had moderate affinity for 5HT2, sigma and alpha adrenergic receptors(IC50 < 300 nM). In vitro, L-745,870 (0.1-1 microM) exhibited D4 receptor antagonist activity, reversing dopamine (1 microM) mediated 1) inhibition of adenylate cyclase in hD4HEK and hD4CHO cells; 2) stimulation of [35S] GTPgammaS binding and 3) stimulation of extracellular acidification rate, but did not exhibit any significant intrinsic activity in these assays. Although standard antipsychotics increase dopamine metabolism or plasma prolactin levels in rodents, L-745,870 (</=30 mg/kg p.o.) had no effect in these assays. The lack of a suitable in vivo assay for D4 receptor activation prompted the use of in vivo surrogate marker assays which confirmed that doses of 5-60 microg/kg L-745,870 would be sufficient to occupy 50% D4 receptors in the brain. These results show that dopamine D4 receptor antagonism in the brain does not result in the same neurochemical consequences (increased dopamine metabolism or hyperprolactinemia) observed with typical neuroleptics.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

L-745,870, a subtype selective dopamine D4 receptor antagonist, does not exhibit a neuroleptic-like profile in rodent behavioral tests.

This study examined the high-affinity, selective dopamine D4 receptor antagonist, L-745,870 (3-([4-(4-chlorophenyl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl)-1H-pyrrolo[2, 3-b]pyridine) in rodent behavioral models used to predict antipsychotic potential and side-effect liabilities in humans. In contrast to the classical neuroleptic, haloperidol, and the atypical neuroleptic, clozapine, L-745,870 failed to antagonize amphetamine-induced hyperactivity in mice or impair conditioned avoidance responding in the rat at doses selectively blocking D4 receptors. Furthermore, L-745,870 failed to reverse the deficit in prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle responding induced by the nonselective dopamine D2/3/4 receptor agonist apomorphine, an effect which was abolished in rats pretreated with the D2/3 receptor antagonist, raclopride (0.2 mg/kg s.c.). L-745,870 had no effect on apomorphine-induced stereotypy in the rat but did induce catalepsy in the mouse, albeit at a high dose of 100 mg/kg, which is likely to occupy dopamine D2 receptors in vivo. High doses also impaired motor performance; in rats L-745,870 significantly reduced spontaneous locomotor activity (minimum effective dose = 30 mg/kg) and in mice, L-745,870 reduced the time spent on a rotarod revolving at 15 rpm (minimum effective dose = 100 mg/kg). Altogether these results suggest that dopamine D4 receptor antagonism is not responsible for the ability of clozapine to attenuate amphetamine-induced hyperactivity and conditioned avoidance responding in rodents. Furthermore, the lack of effect of L-745,870 in these behavioral tests is consistent with the inability of the compound to alleviate psychotic symptoms in humans.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed1996

The atypical neuroleptic profile of the glycine/N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist, L-701,324, in rodents.

The present study has examined the glycine/N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist, L-701-324 [7-chloro-4-hydroxy-3-(3-phenoxy)-phenyl-2 (H)quinolone] in rodent behavioral tests commonly used to predict antipsychotic potential and side effect liability in humans. Pretreatment with L-701,324 dose-dependently antagonized amphetamine-induced hyperactivity in the mouse (ED50 = 1.12 +/- 0.45 mg/kg p.o.), an effect which was similar to that of the classical neuroleptic, haloperidol, and the atypical neuroleptic, clozapine. In addition, p.o. administration of L-701,324 (2.5 or 5 mg/kg) attenuated the hyperactivity response induced by amphetamine infusion into the rat nucleus accumbens. In contrast to haloperidol, however, stereotyped sniffing and licking/biting, induced by either the systemic administration of apomorphine or infusion of amphetamine into the striatum, was not altered in rats pretreated with L-701,324 (30 or 100 mg/kg p.o.). Furthermore, L-701,324 failed to impair spontaneous locomotor activity or induce catalepsy in the mouse at doses > or = 100 mg/kg. Although a significant reduction in spontaneous activity was observed in rats pretreated with L-701,324, the minimum effective dose (10 mg/kg p.o.) was 2-fold greater than that which abolished amphetamine-induced hyperactivity in this species. Thus, L-701,324 selectively blocks behaviors associated with the activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system suggesting that glycine/N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists may offer a novel approach to the treatment of schizophrenia in humans.

Amphetamine↗
PubMed1996

Anticonvulsant and behavioral profile of L-701,324, a potent, orally active antagonist at the glycine modulatory site on the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor complex.

The anticonvulsant and behavioral profile of the glycine/N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist L-701,324 [7-chloro-4-hydroxy-3-(3-phenoxy)phenyl-2(H)quinolone] has been examined in rodents. In mice, L-701,324 protected against seizures induced by N-methyl-DL-aspartate (ED50 = 3,4 mg/kg i.v.), pentylenetetrazol (ED50 = 2.8 mg/kg i.v.) and electroshock (ED50 = 1.4 mg/kg i.v.) but was most potent against audiogenic seizures in DBA/2 mice (ED50 = 0.96 mg/kg i.p.). L-701,324 was also active p.o. in mice (ED50 = 1.9,6.7, 20.7 and 34 mg/kg against audiogenic, electroshock-induced, N-methyl-DL-aspartate-induced and pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures, respectively) but showed weaker anticonvulsant activity in rats (ED50 = 90.5 mg/kg p.o., compared with 2.3 mg/kg i.v., against pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures), most probably because of the lower brain concentrations achieved in this species. Although anticonvulsant activity was also associated with impaired rotarod performance, L-701,324 failed to significantly increase locomotor activity or dopamine turnover in the nucleus accumbens at doses of up to 10 mg/kg i.v. in mice. Thus, in contrast to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor ion channel blockers such as MK-801 (dizocilpine), L-701,324 is a potent, p.o. active anticonvulsant with a reduced propensity to activate mesolimbic dopaminergic systems in rodents.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1996

Identification and pharmacological characterization of [125I]L-750,667, a novel radioligand for the dopamine D4 receptor.

We identified a novel azaindole derivative, L-750,667, that has high affinity (Ki = 0.51 nM) and >2000-fold selectivity for D4 dopamine receptors compared with its activity at D2 and D3 dopamine receptors. L-750,667 had little affinity for rat D1/D5 dopamine receptors, sigma binding sites, or 5-hydroxytryptamine1A or 5-hydroxytryptamine2 receptors. In functional studies, L-750,667 exhibited high affinity antagonist activity at D4 receptors, reversing dopamine (1 microM)-induced inhibition of cAMP accumulation in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells expressing the human D4 receptor (hD4 HEK) with an EC50 value of 80 nM. The radioiodinated form of L-750,667 bound specifically to the human dopamine D4 receptor expressed in HEK cells and saturation analysis revealed a single high affinity binding site for [125I]L-750,667 (Kd = 0.16 +/- 0.06 nM). The maximum number of binding sites (Bmax) estimated using [125I]L-750,667 in hD4 HEK cells was 251 +/- 71 fmol/mg, which correlated well with the Bmax value determined using [3H]spiperone (227 +/- 83 fmol/mg) in the same membrane preparations. The pharmacological profile of [125I]L-750,667 binding to hD4 HEK cells was evaluated using known dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists. The rank order of potencies for dopamine receptor agonists was dopamine > quinpirole > 6,7-aminodihydroxytetralin > 5,6-aminodihydroxytetralin. Dopamine receptor antagonists also showed high affinity, with a rank order of haloperidol > chlorpromazine > domperidone > (+)-butaclamol > (-)-sulpiride = (+)-sulpiride > (+)-SCH23390 > (-)-butaclamol. [125I]L-750,667, bound to D4 receptors in a stereoselective manner with (+)-butaclamol showing higher activity than its respective enantiomer (-)-butaclamol. These results show that [125I]L-750,667 is a novel, highly selective radioligand for dopamine D4 receptors and may be used to investigate the dopamine D4 receptor population in the central nervous system.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Allosteric modulation of the glutamate site on the NMDA receptor by four novel glycine site antagonists.

Using radioligand binding studies, we have investigated the binding properties of four 4-hydroxy-2-quinolones, a novel series of selective antagonists for the glycine site on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. L-701,324, L-703,717, L-698,532 and L-695,902 inhibited [3H]L-689,560 (glycine site antagonist) binding to rat cortex/hippocampus P2 membranes with IC50 values of 1.97, 4.47, 209 and 6448 nM, respectively, whilst also inhibiting non-equilibrium [3H]dizocilpine binding to the NMDA receptor ion-channel. All four compounds partially inhibited L-[3H]glutamate (approximately 50% inhibition; agonist) binding and enhanced [3H]cis-4-phosphonomethyl-2-piperidine carboxylate ([3H]CGS-19755; 41-81% enhancement; 'C-5' antagonist) and [3H]3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonate ([3H]CPP; 28-66% enhancement; 'C-7' antagonist) binding to the glutamate recognition site of the NMDA receptor with EC50 values similar to those observed for [3H]L-689,560 binding. These results provide further evidence for allosteric interactions between the glutamate and glycine recognition sites of the NMDA receptor complex, and as the 4-hydroxy-2-quinolones are 'full' antagonists at the glycine site, indicate that these interactions are not caused by the intrinsic activity of a compound.

Allosteric Site↗