RESUMO
Combination studies of neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor antagonists and serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have shown promise in preclinical models of depression. Such a combination may offer important advantages over the current standard of care. Herein we describe the discovery and optimization of an indazole-based chemotype to provide a series of potent dual NK1 receptor antagonists/serotonin transporter (SERT) inhibitors to overcome issues of ion channel blockade. This effort culminated in the identification of compound 9, an analogue that demonstrated favorable oral bioavailability, excellent brain uptake, and robust in vivo efficacy in a validated depression model. Over the course of this work, a novel heterocycle-directed asymmetric hydrogenation was developed to facilitate installation of the key stereogenic center.
Assuntos
Antidepressivos/farmacologia , Indazóis/farmacologia , Antagonistas dos Receptores de Neurocinina-1/farmacologia , Inibidores Seletivos de Recaptação de Serotonina/farmacologia , Administração Oral , Animais , Antidepressivos/síntese química , Antidepressivos/química , Antidepressivos/toxicidade , Transtorno Depressivo/tratamento farmacológico , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Descoberta de Drogas , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos , Gerbillinae , Humanos , Indazóis/síntese química , Indazóis/química , Indazóis/toxicidade , Camundongos , Estrutura Molecular , Antagonistas dos Receptores de Neurocinina-1/síntese química , Antagonistas dos Receptores de Neurocinina-1/química , Antagonistas dos Receptores de Neurocinina-1/toxicidade , Ratos , Receptores da Neurocinina-1/metabolismo , Proteínas da Membrana Plasmática de Transporte de Serotonina/metabolismo , Inibidores Seletivos de Recaptação de Serotonina/síntese química , Inibidores Seletivos de Recaptação de Serotonina/química , Inibidores Seletivos de Recaptação de Serotonina/toxicidade , Relação Estrutura-Atividade , Regulador Transcricional ERG/metabolismoRESUMO
Recent findings suggest that Alzheimer's dementia may be mediated by soluble beta amyloid (Abeta) more than the deposits of aggregated, insoluble Abeta, and vulnerability to cognitive deficits after scopolamine challenge may help identify AD even in patients that are still pre-symptomatic. The objectives of the present experiments were to determine if vulnerability to cognitive deficits after scopolamine challenge is related to levels of soluble Abeta, and if levels of soluble Abeta are more closely related to cognitive deficits than levels of insoluble Abeta, even in aged, transgenic mice, after they have developed very high levels of insoluble Abeta. Aged F-344 rats and young mice over-expressing the Swedish mutation in the human amyloid precursor protein (APPsw; Tg2576+) had elevated levels of soluble Abeta, and were more vulnerable to scopolamine challenge in the Morris water maze (MWM), relative to young rats and Tg2576- mice; but, among individual animals, higher levels of soluble Abeta were not correlated with vulnerability to scopolamine. On the other hand, in aged Tg2576+ mice, cognitive deficits were related to levels of soluble Abeta, not insoluble Abeta, despite the fact that the levels of insoluble Abeta were thousands of times higher than the levels of soluble Abeta. The results of the present experiments suggest that vulnerability to cognitive deficits after scopolamine challenge is not related to elevated levels of soluble Abeta, but that high levels of soluble Abeta are more closely correlated with cognitive deficits than the amount insoluble Abeta, even after large amounts of aggregated, insoluble Abeta have been deposited.