[The almitrine dimesylate molecule. Various structure-activity relationship aspects].

Abstract

The improvement in PaO2 induced by almitrine bismesylate is due to better adjustment between alveolar ventilation and lung perfusion (VA/Q ratio). Experimental studies and clinical pharmacology suggest that this improvement involves changes in both alveolar ventilation and pulmonary circulation. By synthesizing and testing compounds with different structures in a series of trisubstituted triazines, it has been possible to determine qualitative structure-activity relationships and to select almitrine bismesylate is due to better adjustment between the greatest, most rapid and longest lasting increase in PaO2. Almitrine bismesylate is a molecule with three components: a di-allylamino-triazine group, a piperazine ring and a bis-parafluoro-benzhydryl fraction. The di-allylamino-triazine group may be regarded as responsible for the effects on blood gases and ventilation. The presence of two allyl-amino substituents is an absolute prerequisite, and the triazine ring can possibly be replaced by a very similar pyrimidine ring. The piperazine ring is mainly responsible for dissociation between the effects on blood gases and on ventilation as well as for the general kinetics of the biological action of the drug. Molecules of this series which have a pyrrolidine ring or an azetidine ring instead of a piperazine ring do increase PaO2 but much more slowly than almitrine bismesilate. Finally, the bis-parafluoro-benzhydryl group modulates the intensity and duration of the effects on blood gases. Other constituents, such as the cinnamylamino, alpha-cyclohexyl-parafluorobenzyl, beta-naphthyl methyl or 5-fluoro-benzofluranyl-methyl groups also exert favourable biological activities comparable to those of the bis-parafluorobenzhydryl group characteristic of almitrine bismesylate.