(2,2-Diphenyl-[1,3]oxathiolan-5-ylmethyl)-(3-phenyl-propyl)-amine: a potent and selective 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist.

Starting from compound 1, a previously reported alpha(1D)-adrenoceptors antagonist, a new series of ligands acting at 5-HT(1A) serotonin receptor were identified through simple structure modifications. Among them (2,2-diphenyl-[1,3]oxathiolan-5-yl-methyl)-(3-phenyl-propyl)amine (19) exhibits outstanding activity (pK(i)=8.72, pD(2)=7.67, E(max)=85) and selectivity (5-HT(1A)/alpha(1D)>150), and represents an as yet unidentified 5-HT(1A) agonist scaffold.