Ljiljana Došen-Mićović

The synthesis and preliminary pharmacological evaluation of 4-methyl fentanyl

The synthesis of 4-methyl fentanyl, a prototype of a novel class of fentanyl analogues has been effected in 5 steps, starting from N-ethoxycarbonyl-4-piperidone (approximately 20% overall yield). In the key step, N-phenylation of secondary aliphatic amide intermediare was achieved by a novel reaction, using diphenyliodonium chloride for the phenyl group transfer. Preliminary pharmacological results indicate that 4-methyl fentanyl is a super potent narcotic analgesic, about four times more potent than fentanyl.

Oxidation of steroidal 5-en-3β-ols with Jones reagent in ether

The two-phase oxidation of steroidal 5-en-3 beta-ol (via 5-en-3-ones) into corresponding 4-en-3,6-diones in diethyl ether with Jones reagent was investigated. It was found that the system Jones reagent/diethyl ether enables short reaction times and easy isolation of the obtained products. The exclusive abstraction of 4 alpha-hydrogen during oxidation, together with molecular mechanics (MM2), and semiempirical (PM3) calculations, suggest that boat conformation of ring A precedes the formation of corresponding radicals (or cations).

The synthesis of lactam analogues of fentanyl

Fentanyl, sufentanil and alfentanil are clinically widely used anaesthetics and are structurally related to drugs with entirely different pharmacological activity such as droperidol, loperamide and lorcainide, etc. Therefore, in order to test their pharmacological activity, lactam analogues of fentanyl, a novel class of compounds, have been synthesized. In the first step, various primary amines have been selectively added to 1 equiv. of α,β-unsaturated esters, to afford the β-amino esters. N-Acylation of these intermediates with dimethyl malonate yields the amido esters, which have been further subjected to Dieckmann-type cyclization, to produce the corresponding 3-methoxycarbonylpiperidine-2,4-diones. The cyclization has been effected under phase-transfer conditions, utilizing potassium carbonate as base and 18-crown-6 as catalyst. This eliminates the need for strong and hazardous bases such as molten sodium or NaH. In the next step, acid hydrolysis and decarboxylation furnish the substituted piperidine-2,4-diones in good yields, as pure products. Alkylation of the N-phenethylpiperidine-2,4-dione with methyl iodide and potassium carbonate in DMSO gives the 3,3-dimethyl derivative. The alkylation procedure is also applicable to other alkylating agents. Reductive amination of the prepared piperidine-2,4-diones with aniline and NaBH3CN in buffered methanol gives the corresponding pure 4-anilino-2-piperidones. The lactam function can be readily reduced (NaBH4–BF3·Et2O), as exemplified with the 3,3-dimethyl derivative, thus providing access to additional fentanyl analogues, not readily accessible by other routes. The synthesis is completed by N-acylation of the anilines with propionyl chloride using triethylamine as base. The prepared 4-propionanilido-2-piperidones and 4-propionanilidopiperidines are expected to provide useful structure-activity relationship data in the pharmacological studies.

Theoretical insight into sulfur–aromatic interactions with extension to D2 receptor activation mechanism

Contacts between aromatic rings and sulfur-containing amino acids are frequent in proteins. However, little is known about the nature of their interactions particularly if substituents are present on aromatic ring. In this paper, DFT quantum chemical calculations were used to study substituted benzenes in complex with hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methanethiol (CH3SH), and (Methylsulfanyl)methane (CH3SCH3). It was found that SH···π interaction is more stabilizing than the S···π interaction in the case of benzene, but this is changed with increasing electronegativity of the substituent on benzene ring. Although the change of energy of SH···π and S···π interaction follows the conventional model of substituent effect, where S···π interactions are maximized and SH···π interactions are diminished with electron-withdrawing substituent on benzene as a result of changes in the aryl π-system, it was found that it is mainly a consequence of direct electrostatic interaction between substituent and the sulfur-containing molecule. We also investigated the model system of Cys···Trp interaction, adjacent to a cluster of aromatic amino acids, in proteins, using explicit membrane molecular dynamics simulations results of D3 dopamine receptor crystal structure as starting point. It was found that fluorination in aromatic cluster enhances the Cys···Trp interaction. The effect is maximized when transferred through the rest of aromatic system suggesting possible explanation for frequent contacts between sulfur-containing and aromatic amino acids in proteins and their effects on protein folding and stabilization.

Molecular Modeling of 5HT2A Receptor – Arylpiperazine Ligands Interactions

In this paper, we report the molecular modeling of the 5HT2A receptor and the molecular docking of arylpiperazine‐like ligands. The focus of the research was on explaining the effects the ligand structure has on the binding properties of the 5HT2A receptor and on the key interactions between the ligands and the receptor‐binding site. To see what the receptor–ligand interactions were, various substituents were introduced in one part of the ligand, keeping the rest unchanged. In this way, using a docking analysis on the proposed 5HT2A receptor model, we identified key receptor–ligand interactions and determined their properties. Those properties were correlated with experimentally determined binding affinities in order to determine the structure to activity relationship of the examined compounds.

A comparison of the antinociceptive and temperature responses to morphine and fentanyl derivatives in rats

In addition to producing antinociception, opioids exert profound effects on body temperature. This study aimed at comparing antinociceptive and hyperthermic responses between two groups of μ-opioid receptor agonists: fentanyl (4-anilinopiperidine-type) and morphine (phenanthrene-type) derivatives in rats. Analgesic activity was assessed by tail immersion test and the body temperature by insertion of a thermometer probe into the colon. Fentanyl (F), (±)-cis-3-methyl fentanyl (CM), (±)-cis-3-carbomethoxy fentanyl (C), (±)trans-3-carbomethoxy fentanyl (T) and (±)-cis-3 butyl fentanyl (B) produced dose-dependent increase in antinociception and hyperthermia. The relative order of analgesic potency was: CM(11.27)>F(1)>C(0.35)≥T(0.11)≥B(0.056). Similar to this, the relative order of hyperthermic potency was: CM(8.43)>F(1)>C(0.46)≥T(0.11)≥B(0.076). Morphine (M), oxycodone (O), thebacon (T) and 6,14-ethenomorphinan-7-methanol, 4,5-epoxy-6-fluoro-3-hydroxy-α,α,17-trimethyl-, (5α,7α) (E) also produced dose-dependent increase in antinociception and hyperthermia. Among morphine derivatives the relative order of analgesic potency was: E(56)>O(5)≥T(2.6)>M(1), and similar to this, the relative order of hyperthermic potency was: E(37)>O(3)≥T(2.3)>M(1). Morphine (phenanthrene-type) and fentanyl (4-anilinopiperidine-type) derivatives produced hyperthermia in rats at doses about 2 times lower, and 6–11 times higher, than their median antinociceptive doses, respectively. This study is first to identify difference between these two classes of opioid drugs in their potencies in producing hyperthermia. Further studies are needed to clarify the significance of these findings.

Pharmacological Evaluation of 3-Carbomethoxy Fentanyl in Mice

In many animal species, as well as in humans, high doses of fentanyl (F) produce marked neurotoxic effects, such as muscular rigidity and respiratory depression. The antinociception (hot-plate test), impairment of motor coordination (rotarod test) and acute toxicity of intraperitoneal newly synthesized analogs, (±)cis-3-carbomethoxy- fentanyl (C) and (±)trans-3-carbomethoxyfentanyl (T) were evaluated in mice. The compounds tested induced antinociception, impairment of performance on the rotarod, and lethality in a dose-dependent manner. The relative order of antinociceptive potency was similar to motor impairment potency, as well as lethality: F > C > T. Naloxone hydrochloride (1 mg/kg; sc) abolished all the effects observed, suggesting that they are mediated via opioid receptors, most probably of μ type. There were no significant differences between the therapeutic indices of F, C and T. It is concluded, the introduction of 3-carbomethoxy group in the piperidine ring of the fentanyl skeleton reduced the potency, but did not affect tolerability and safety of the compound.

The conformational equilibrium of 1,3-dichloro-5-methylcyclohexane

Abstract Two of the stereoisomers of the title compound were prepared and their dipole moments were measured. For the r -1, c -3-dichloro- t -5-methylcyclohexane, the free energy difference between conformers with axial-axial (aa) and equatorial-equatorial (ee) chlorines was measured by a variable temperature NMR method, and the value found was 1.3 ± 0.2 Kcal/mol -1 (in acetone) favoring the latter. Molecular mechanics studies show that the solvation energy and the electrostatics are of major importance in understanding this equilibrium. Calculations show the effect of the methyl group is essentially additive, and give for cis -1,3-dichlorocyclohexane itself ee∡aa DH+ 3.0 kcal mol -1 (acetone).

In Silico Study of the Structurally Similar ORL1 Receptor Agonist and Antagonist Pairs Reveal Possible Mechanism of Receptor Activation

Abstract An opioid receptor like (ORL1) receptor is a member of a family of G-protein coupled receptors. It is a new pharmaceutical target with broad therapeutic potential in the regulation of important biological functions such as nociception, mood disorders, drug abuse, learning or cardiovascular control. The crystal structure of this receptor in complex with an antagonist was determined recently (PDB ID: 4EA3). By removing the ligand and subjecting the empty receptor to molecular dynamics simulation in a solvated lipid membrane we obtained an optimized ORL1 receptor structure which could be used in a subsequent docking study of two structurally similar agonist–antagonist ligand pairs. Ligands were docked to the empty ORL1 receptor (with and without the third intracellular loop, IC3) in different orientations, and the resulting complexes were monitored during molecular dynamics simulation in order to see how the subtle differences in structure of agonists and antagonists might affect ligand–receptor interactions and trigger receptor activation. It was established that agonists and antagonists bound to the same, relatively large, binding site in the receptor, created by residues from transmembrane helices TM2, TM3, TM5, TM6 and TM7 and close to the extra cellular end of the receptor bundle. The key difference between these two types of ligands is interaction with residue Val2836.55 and a flexibility of ligand molecules. Ligands that cannot easily avoid this interaction will initiate movement of the intracellular end of TM6 (by a mechanism which involves Met1343.36 and several aminoacids of TM5) and possibly activate the receptor when assisted by G-protein.

High-yielding method for preparation of carbocyclic or N-containing heterocyclic β-keto esters using in situ activated sodium hydride in dimethyl sulphoxide

ABSTRACT It was found that NaH suspension in DMSO was highly activated when reacted with an alcohol. The in situ generated NaH/alkoxide mixture permitted very rapid and complete deprotonation and acylation of various cyclic ketones with alkyl carbonates at ambient temperature. Activated NaH/alkoxide in DMSO is particularly effective in Dieckmann condensations, where it affords 5- and 6-membered carbocyclic or N-containing heterocyclic β-keto esters in high yields. A heterocyclic Dieckmann condensation was performed on a molar scale, demonstrating the scalability of the procedure. Besides, DMSO is non-toxic, relatively inexpensive and environmentally benign solvent. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT