Brian R. de Costa

Drug specificity of pharmacological dystonia.

Three (+)-benzomorphans that bind to sigma receptors produced dystonia in a dose-related manner when microinjected into the red nucleus of rats. Two lines of evidence suggest that these effects were related to the sigma-binding properties of the compounds. First, the behavioral potency of the (+)-benzomorphans and other active sigma compounds correlated highly with their affinities for [3H]1,3-di-o-tolylguanidine-labelled sigma receptors in the rat brain (r = .94). Second, similar intrarubral injections of non-sigma ligands were without effect: various vehicles, a structurally related (+)-opiate with no affinity for sigma receptors, and selective dopaminergic and serotonergic compounds failed to significantly alter the normal posture of rats. The only ligand in this study that binds with high affinity to sigma receptors, but failed to elicit torsional head movements was (+)-[3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(1-propyl)piperidine] [(+)-3PPP], a ligand with mixed activity at sigma and dopamine receptors. Since (+)-3PPP failed to produce an effect on its own and also failed to attenuate the dystonia produced by another sigma ligand (DTG), it may interact with a non-sigma mechanism or with a different sigma receptor type from the other compounds.

Studies of the biogenic amine transporters. II. A brief study on the use of [3H]DA-uptake-inhibition to transporter-binding-inhibition ratios for the in vitro evaluation of putative cocaine antagonists.

The cocaine receptor on the dopamine transporter is a logical target binding site for the design and synthesis of novel agents for evaluation as possible cocaine antagonists. Although there is no widely accepted and validated assay for detecting a cocaine antagonist, one commonly accepted strategy is to compare the IC50 value of a test agent for inhibition of [3H]dopamine uptake and its IC50 value for inhibition of the binding of a transporter ligand such as [125I]RTI-55. The goal of such a comparison is to guide the synthesis of agents which have high uptake-to-binding ratios, i.e. agents which are much more potent in the binding assay than they are in the uptake assay. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that ratios different from unity can result from the fact that the two assays are conducted under markedly different conditions. The results showed that conducting the uptake and binding assays under identical conditions reduced the GBR12935 uptake-to-binding ratio of 6.20 (under standard assay conditions) to 0.36. These data indicate that uptake-to-binding ratios must be interpreted with caution, and emphasizes the need for simpler and less expensive methods than cocaine self-administration paradigms to screen compounds as modulators of cocaine reinforcement.

Synthesis of isothiocyanato-1-[1-(2-benzo[b]thienyl)cyclohexyl]piperidines, potential irreversible ligands at the dopamine re-uptake site

Isomeric isothiocyanate derivatives 2–7 of the potent dopamine re-uptake (DA) inhibitor 1-[1-(2-benzo-[b]thienyl)cyclohexyl]piperidine (BTCP 1) have been synthesized as potential irreversible ligands for this site. NaNO2–CF3CO2H provided a mild procedure for mononitration of the benzo[b]thienyl ring of 1 as a route to aryl isothiocyanates 5–7. Novel methodology, utilizing 3,3-ethylenedioxypentane-1,5-diol dimethanesulfonate ester is described for the synthesis of piperidone 13, a precursor for 4-isothiocyanatopiperidine 2. NaBH4 or LiAlH4 reduction of 4-(2-benzo[b]thienyl)-4-hydroxycyclohexanone 18 and 4-(2-benzo[b]thienyl)-4-(piperidino)cyclohexanone oxime 35 gives the corresponding cis-diol 21 and cis-cyclohexane-1,4-diamine 36 as the major isomers which have been investigated as precursors to the cyclohexane ring isothiocyanates 3 and 4. Alternative routes to 3 and 4 are compared and their stereochemical outcome investigated.