Disubstituted piperidines as potent orexin (hypocretin) receptor antagonists.

ABSTRACT

A series of orexin receptor antagonists was synthesized based on a substituted piperidine scaffold. Through traditional medicinal chemistry structure-activity relationships (SAR), installation of various groups at the 3-6-positions of the piperidine led to modest enhancement in receptor selectivity. Compounds were profiled in vivo for plasma and brain levels in order to identify candidates suitable for efficacy in a model of drug addiction.