3-Nitro-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolones. Excitatory amino acid antagonists acting at glycine-site NMDA and (RS)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors.

3,4-Dihydro-2(1H)-quinolones, evolved from 2-carboxy-1,2,3,4,- tetrahydroquinolines and 3-carboxy-4-hydroxy-2(1H)-quinolones, have been synthesized and evaluated in vitro for antagonist activity at the glycine site on the NMDA receptor and for AMPA [(RS)-alpha-amino-3- hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid] antagonist activity. Generally poor potency at the glycine site is observed when a variety of electron-withdrawing substituents are attached to the 3-position of 3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolones. The analogues 5-9 (IC50 values > 100 microM, Table I) exist largely in the 3,4-dipseudoaxial conformation (as evidenced by 1H NMR spectra), whereas the 3-cyano derivative (10, IC50 = 12.0 microM) has a relatively high population of the 3-pseudoequatorial conformer. The 3-nitro analogue (4, IC50 = 1.32 microM) has a pKa approximately 5 and thus exists at physiological pH as an anion with the nitro group planar to the quinolone ring. The general requirement of acidity for high affinity binding at the glycine/NMDA site is supported with the good activity of the other 3-nitro derivatives (13-21), all of which are deprotonated at physiological pH. The 3-nitro-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolones and 2-carboxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines show quite different structure-activity relationships at the 4-position. The unselective excitatory amino acid activity of 21 is comparable with 6,7-dichloro-quinoxaline-2,3-dione and 6,7-dichloroquinoxalic acid and this suggests similarities in their modes of binding to excitatory amino acid receptors. The broad spectrum excitatory amino acid antagonist activity of the 4-unsubstituted analogue 21 (KbNMDA = 6.7 microM, KbAMPA = 9.2 microM) and the glycine/NMDA selectivity of the other 3-nitro derivatives allows the proposal of a model for AMPA receptor binding which differs from the glycine binding pharmacophore in that there is bulk intolerance adjacent to the 4-position. Compound 21 (L-698,544) is active (ED50 = 13.2 mg/kg) in the DBA/2 mouse anticonvulsant model and is the most potent combined glycine/NMDA-AMPA antagonist yet reported, in vivo, and may prove to be a useful pharmacological tool.

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.