Synthesis, Pharmacological Evaluation, and Molecular Modeling of Lappaconitine-1,5-Benzodiazepine Hybrids.

Diterpenoid alkaloids, originating from the amination of natural tetracyclic diterpenes, have long interested scientists due to their medicinal uses and infamous toxicity which has limited the clinical application of the native compound. Alkaloid lappaconitine extracted from various Aconitum and Delphinium species has displayed extensive bioactivities and active ongoing research to reduce its adverse effects. A convenient route to construct hybrid molecules containing diterpenoid alkaloid lappaconitine and 3H-1,5-benzodiazepine fragments was proposed. The key stage involved the formation of 5'-alkynone-lappaconitines in situ by acyl Sonogashira coupling of 5'-ethynyllappaconitine, followed by cyclocondensation with o-phenylenediamine. New hybrid compounds showed low toxicity and outstanding analgesic activity in experimental pain models, which depended on the nature of the substituent in the benzodiazepine nucleus. An analogous dependence was also shown for the antiarrhythmic activity in the epinephrine arrhythmia test in vivo. Studies on the isolated atrium have shown that the mechanism of action of the new compounds is included the blockade of beta-adrenergic receptors and potassium channels. Molecular docking analysis was conducted to determine the binding potential of target molecules with the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.5. All obtained results provide a basis for future rational modifications of lappaconitine, reducing side effects, while retaining its therapeutic effects.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Blocking Pyrroline Derivatives Endowed with Both Antiarrhythmic and Antioxidant Activities.

Under the hypothesis that cardioprotective agents might benefit from synergism between antiarrhythmic activity and antioxidant properties, a small series of mexiletine analogues were coupled with the 2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline moiety, known for its antioxidant effect, in order to obtain dual-acting drugs potentially useful in the protection of the heart against post-ischemic reperfusion injury. The pyrroline derivatives reported herein were found to be more potent as antiarrhythmic agents than mexiletine and displayed antioxidant activity. The most interesting tetramethylpyrroline congener, a tert-butyl-substituted analogue, was at least 100 times more active as an antiarrhythmic than mexiletine.

Access to Multifunctionalized Benzofurans by Aryl Nickelation of Alkynes: Efficient Synthesis of the Anti-Arrhythmic Drug Amiodarone.

An unconventional nickel-catalyzed reaction was developed for the synthesis of multifunctionalized benzofurans from alkyne-tethered phenolic esters. The transformation involves the generation of a nucleophilic vinyl NiII species by the regioselective syn-aryl nickelation of an alkyne, which then undergoes an intramolecular cyclization with phenol ester to yield highly functionalized 1,1-disubstituted alkenes with 3-benzofuranyl and (hetero)aryl substituents. The methodology can be used for the late-stage benzofuran incorporation of various drug molecules and natural products, such as 2-propylvaleric acid, gemfibrozil, biotin, and lithocholic acid. Furthermore, this arylative cyclization method was successfully applied for the efficient synthesis of the anti-arrhythmic drug amiodarone.

Preparation, characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity study of dronedarone hydrochloride inclusion complexes.

Dronedarone is a new antiarrhythmic drug for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. This study investigated the complexation of dronedarone hydrochloride with ß­cyclodextrin (ß-CD) and 2­hydroxypropil­ß­CD (HP-ß-CD) using three different techniques. The complexes in the solid state were characterized by DSC, TGA, PXRD, FT-IR, SEM and 1H NMR, demonstrating the formation of the inclusion complexes and exhibiting different properties from the pure drug. Its aqueous solubility increased about 4.0-fold upon complexation with ß-CD and HP-ß-CD. The dissolution rate of the drug was notably improved in all tested physiological pH values from 1.2 to 6.8 in the presence of both cyclodextrins. Furthermore, an in vitro cytotoxic assay revealed that the inclusion complexes could reduce the cytotoxic effects of the drug on 3T3 cells. The overall results suggest that the inclusion complexes with ß-CD and HP-ß-CD may be potentially useful in the preparation of novel pharmaceutical formulations containing dronedarone hydrochloride.

Cardioprotective Activity of 2,6-Diisobornyl-4-Methylphenol in Acute Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion in Rats.

We studied the cardioprotective effect of 2,6-diisobornyl-4-methylphenol under conditions of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion in rats. Daily administration of 2,6-diisobornyl-4-methylphenol (100 mg/kg intragastrically) over 3 days before and 5 days after modeling of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion prevented the increase in the infarction area by almost 2 times in comparison with the control by day 5 after recirculation. The type and severity of pathological changes in ECG parameters reflecting necrotic changes in the myocardium under the action of the compound significantly decreased by day 35 of the experiment. Animal survival rate during the first 24 h after ischemia/reperfusion modeling in the experimental group was by 29% higher than in the control group.

First Development, Optimization, and Stability Control of a Pediatric Oral Atenolol Formulation.

Liquid formulations can be used in children of different ages by varying the volume of the administered dose in order to ensure an exact dosage. The aim of this work was to develop and to optimize a safe liquid atenolol formulation and to carry out the corresponding chemical and microbiological stability studies. A Plackett-Burman design was used to determine the factors that could be critical in the development of the formulations, and a central composite design was used to determine the optimal working conditions. As a result of these analyses, three formulations were selected and their stability studied in three storage conditions, 4, 25, and 40°C. After 6 months of stability testing, the optimal systems showed no pH change or atenolol loss; however, only glycerin-based formulations showed no microbial development. These systems, employing excipients in a range that the EMA has recommended, showed chemical and microbiological stability for at least 6 months even at the worst storage conditions.

A Focus on the Synthesis and Pharmacokinetics of Tocainide and its Analogues.

Tocainide is an antiarrhythmic agent belonging to class IB that was primarily used for suppression of symptomatic ventricular arrhythmias. Tocainide was also reported to relieve pain such as tic douloureux, trigemina neuralgia in humans and tinnitus. Significant antinociception, as assayed on the hot-plate test, was observed after intraperitoneal injection of tocainide, too. By the mid-1980s tocainide was emerging as a more consistently effective treatment for myotonic disorders. Numerous reports of serious adverse reactions led to the use of tocainide being discontinued, even though research on tocainide and its analogues, endowed with a better pharmacological profile, is still in progress for their potential usefulness in the treatment of myotonias. This review is focused on the description of the different synthetic routes to racemic and optically active tocainide developed in the last decades, as well as analytical studies regarding enantioseparation methods. Finally, some analogues of tocainide reported in the literature, most of which with pharmacological studies, have been mentioned.

Melt extrusion process for adjusting drug release of poorly water soluble drug felodipine using different polymer matrices.

The purpose of the present study was to use commercial available polymers like PVP/PEG, soluplus® and kollidon® SR to prepare immediate and sustained release formulations of felodipine by hot melt mixing method. Solid dispersions containing 5, 10, 20 and 30wt% drug have been prepared in a Haake-Buchler Reomixer at melt temperature 130°C and mixing time 10min. As was found from DSC and XDR studies completely amorphous and miscible solid dispersions can be prepared. In all cases a single glass transition was recorded, which is depended from the used drug amount. Hydrogen bonds and the molecular interaction between felodipine and polymer matrices are responsible for the miscibility of prepared formulations. This has as result the substantial enhancement of felodipine release rate in PVP/PEG mixture and due to the high solubility of used polymers immediate release formulations have been prepared. On the contrary, sustained release formulations can be prepared in the case of kollidon SR solid dispersions. The release mechanism of all preparations was studied using different kinetic models. Finally, binding affinity values calculated by molecular docking simulations were used as estimators for predicting long-term drug's physical stability in solid dispersions.

Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationships of a Series of Aporphine Derivatives with Antiarrhythmic Activities and Acute Toxicity.

Some aporphine alkaloids, such as crebanine, were found to present arrhythmic activity and also higher toxicity. A series of derivatives were synthesized by using three kinds of aporphine alkaloids (crebanine, isocorydine, and stephanine) as lead compounds. Chemical methods, including ring-opening reaction, bromination, methylation, acetylation, quaternization, and dehydrogenation, were adopted. Nineteen target derivatives were evaluated for their antiarrhythmic potential in the mouse model of ventricular fibrillation (VF), induced by CHCl3, and five of the derivatives were investigated further in the rat model of arrhythmia, induced by BaCl2. Meanwhile, preliminary structure-activity/toxicity relationship analyses were carried out. Significantly, N-acetamidesecocrebanine (1d), three bromo-substituted products of crebanine (2a, 2b, 2c), N-methylcrebanine (2d), and dehydrostephanine (4a) displayed antiarrhythmic effects in the CHCl3-induced model. Among them, 7.5 mg/kg of 2b was able to significantly reduce the incidence of VF induced by CHCl3 (p < 0.05), increase the number of rats that resumed sinus rhythm from arrhythmia, induced by BaCl2 (p < 0.01), and the number of rats that maintained sinus rhythm for more than 20 min (p < 0.01). Therefore, 2b showed remarkably higher antiarrhythmic activity and a lower toxicity (LD50 = 59.62 mg/kg, mice), simultaneously, indicating that 2b could be considered as a promising candidate in the treatment of arrhythmia. Structural-activity analysis suggested that variationsin antiarrhythmic efficacy and toxicity of aporphines were related to the C-1,C-2-methylenedioxy group on ring A, restricted ring B structural conformation, N-quaternization of ring B, levoduction of 6a in ring C, and the 8-, 9-, 10-methoxy groups on ring D on the skeleton.

Convergent Synthesis of Dronedarone, an Antiarrhythmic Agent.

We have developed a convergent synthesis of dronedarone, an antiarrhythmic agent. The key steps of the process are the construction of a benzofuran skeleton by iodocyclization and the carbonylative Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling for biaryl ketone formation. This synthetic route required only eight steps from 2-amino-4-nitrophenol in 23% overall yield.

Synthesis, antiarrhythmic activity, and toxicological evaluation of mexiletine analogues.

Four mexiletine analogues have been tested for their antiarrhythmic, inotropic, and chronotropic effects on isolated guinea pig heart tissues and to assess calcium antagonist activity, in comparison with the parent compound mexiletine. All analogues showed from moderate to high antiarrhythmic activity. In particular, three of them (1b,c,e) were more active and potent than the reference drug, while exhibiting only modest or no negative inotropic and chronotropic effects and vasorelaxant activity, thus showing high selectivity of action. All compounds showed no cytotoxicity and 1b,c,d did not impair motor coordination. All in, these new analogues exhibit an interesting cardiovascular profile and deserve further investigation.

Antiarrhythmic Mexiletine: A Review on Synthetic Routes to Racemic and Homochiral Mexiletine and its Enantioseparation.

Mexiletine is an oral class IB antiarrhythmic agent. Although it was primarily studied for the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias, it has been demonstrated to be useful also for the treatment of chronic painful diabetic neuropathy, neuropathic pain, skeletal muscle channelopathies, and recently amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This review presents a detailed report on the different synthetic routes to racemic and homochiral mexiletine developed in the last decades, as well as analytical studies regarding enantioseparation methods and enantiomeric excess determination. Finally, some analogues of mexiletine reported in the literature, most of which along with pharmacological studies, have been mentioned.

Synthesis and Pharmacological Activity of a New Series of 1-(1H-Indol-4-yloxy)-3-(2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)ethylamino)propan-2-ol Analogs.

ß-Adrenergic receptor antagonists are important therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. In the group of ß-blockers, much attention is being paid to the third-generation drugs that possess important ancillary properties besides inhibiting ß-adrenoceptors. Vasodilating activity of these drugs is produced through different mechanisms, such as nitric oxide (NO) release, ß2 -agonistic action, α1 -blockade, antioxidant action, and Ca(2+) entry blockade. Here, a study on evaluation of the cardiovascular activity of five new compounds is presented. Compound 3a is a methyl and four of the tested compounds (3b-e) are dimethoxy derivatives of 1-(1H-indol-4-yloxy)-3-(2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)ethylamino)propan-2-ol. The obtained results confirmed that the methyl and dimethoxy derivatives of 1-(1H-indol-4-yloxy)-3-(2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)ethylamino)propan-2-ol and their enantiomers possess α1 - and ß1 -adrenolytic activities and that the antiarrhythmic and hypotensive effects of the tested compounds are related to their adrenolytic properties.

Antiarrhythmic and α-Adrenoceptor Antagonistic Properties of Novel Arylpiperazine Derivatives of Pyrrolidin-2-one.

In an effort to develop α-adrenoceptor antagonists with antiarrhythmic activity, we designed a series of pyrrolidin-2-one derivatives. The α1- and α2-adrenorecepor affinities of the new pyrrolidin-2-one derivatives were determined using a radioligand binding assay. The most active compound was then tested in vitro for intrinsic activity toward α(1A)- and α(1B)-adrenoceptors and in vitro for antiarrhythmic activity in epinephrine-induced arrhythmia in rats. The highest affinity for the α1-adrenoceptor (pK(i) = 7.01) was displayed by 1-{4-[4-(2-methoxy-5-chlorophenyl)-piperazin-1-yl]-methyl}-pyrrolidin-2-one (9). 1-[4-(2-Fluorophenyl)-piperazin-1-yl]-methyl-pyrrolidin-2-one (7) showed the highest affinity toward the α2-adrenoceptor (pK(i) = 6.52). Intrinsic activity studies of compound 9 showed that this compound is an antagonist of both α(1A)- (EC50 = 0.5 nM) and α(1B)- (EC50 = 51.0 nM) adrenoceptors. Compound 9 displayed antiarrhythmic activity in rats (ED50 = 5.0 mg/kg (3.13-7.99)). New derivatives of pyrrolidin-2-one with α1 -adrenoceptor affinity were identified. We propose that the antiarrhythmic activity of compound 9 is related to its antagonism of α(1A)- and α(1B)-adrenoceptors.

Continuous and convergent access to vicinyl amino alcohols.

Five active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) containing the vicinyl amino alcohol moiety were synthesized using a convergent chemical assembly system. The continuous system is composed of four flow reaction modules: biphasic oxidation, Corey-Chaykovsky epoxidation, phenol alkylation, and epoxide aminolysis. Judicious choice of reagents and module order allowed for two classes of ß-amino alcohols, aryl and aryloxy, to be synthesized in good (27-69%) overall yields.

Synthesis and characterization of new related substances of the antiarrhythmic drug dronedarone hydrochloride.

Two new potential impurities of antiarrhythmic drug substance Dronedarone Hydrochloride together with debutyldronedarone were detected by LC-MS analysis during process development. A successful synthetic strategy for the synthesis of these potential impurities was developed facilitating the access to new impurity reference standards. Their synthesis and characterization are discussed in detail. The availability of these impurity standards allowed cost reduction through the increase of process control.

Comparative (Q)SAR analysis of benzodiazepine derivatives with different biological activity.

211 compounds containing a benzodiazepine moiety (BZD) and belonging to 4 groups of different biological activity (H - inhibitors of reverse transcriptase of HIV-I virus, A - antiarrhythmic agents, G - ligands of benzodiazepine receptor in GABAergic system and C - cholecystokinin receptor antagonists) were subjected to structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis. SAR investigations of all 211 BZD were based on Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) of physicochemical data connected with BBB (blood-brain barrier) permeability of studied compounds. DFA was performed with STATISTICA 10.0 software by the stepwise method and resulted in 3 discriminant functions whose quality was assessed by Wilk's lambda parameter. Calculated discriminant functions (roots) were applied to draw the scatter diagram of canonical values that showed all 211 cases divided into 4 groups of different biological activity. The method was successfully validated with a set of 38 BZD derivatives expected to belong to groups H, A, G and C. The reliability of the obtained model was confirmed with a cross-validation test. Classification functions presented in this study may be used as a practical tool for predicting new BZD drugs activity.

Synthesis and biological activity of substituted-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothieno pyridines: a review.

4,5,6,7-Tetrahydrothieno pyridine is an important class of heterocyclic nucleus. Various 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothieno pyridine derivatives have been synthesized and evaluated for various biological activities in different models with desired findings. Some analogs have shown potent biological activities and may be considered as lead molecule for the development of future drugs. Number of drug molecules are available in the market and many molecules are in clinical development containing 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothieno pyridine nucleus as an important core. This review is an attempt to organize the chemical and biological aspects of 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothieno pyridine analogs reported in last 20 year to till date. Review mainly focuses on the important role of the core in synthesis of drug or drug intermediates giving emphasis on synthetic schemes and biological activities of the different 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrothieno pyridine analogs.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 4-chromanone derivatives as IKr inhibitors.

Cardiac arrhythmia is a major cause of death in the world. Among many delayed rectifier potassium currents, the rapid delayed rectifier K current (IKr) plays an important role in the repolarization of cardiac tissue. The inhibition of IKr can delay repolarization and lead to an increase in the QT interval of the electrocardiogram, which is the treatment mechanism of Class III antiarrhythmic agents. Therefore, IKr can be considered as the drug target for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia. In the current study, a series of 4-chromanone compounds (WR1-WR12) were well designed and synthesized as IKr inhibitors. The results disclosed that two compounds displayed potent inhibitory activities against IKr. Moreover, our structure-activity relationship results might provide necessary information for the rational design of inhibitors for IKr.

N-aryl-2,6-dimethylbenzamides, a new generation of tocainide analogues as blockers of skeletal muscle voltage-gated sodium channels.

On the basis of a 3D-QSAR study, a new generation of tocainide analogues were designed and synthesized as voltage-gated skeletal muscle sodium channel blockers. Data obtained by screening new compounds by means of Hille-Campbell Vaseline gap voltage-clamp recordings showed that the elongation of the alkyl chain and the introduction of lipophilic and sterically hindered groups on the amino function enhance both potency and use-dependent block. The results provide additional indications about the structural requirement of pharmacophores for further increasing potency and state-dependent block and allowed us to identify a new tocainide analogue (6f) with a favorable pharmacodynamic profile to be proposed as a valid candidate for studies aimed at evaluating its usefulness in the treatment of myotonias.