Design, synthesis, and pharmacological evaluation of 4-azolyl-benzamide derivatives as novel GPR52 agonists

Publication date: 15 June 2017
Source:Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, Volume 25, Issue 12
Author(s): Kazuyuki Tokumaru, Yoshiteru Ito, Izumi Nomura, Takashi Nakahata, Yuji Shimizu, Emi Kurimoto, Kazunobu Aoyama, Kazuyoshi Aso
G protein-coupled receptor 52 (GPR52) agonists are expected to improve the symptoms of psychiatric disorders. During exploration for a novel class of GPR52 agonists with good pharmacokinetic profiles, we synthesized 4-(3-(3-fluoro-5-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-2-methylbenzamide (4u; half maximal effective concentration (EC50)=75nM, maximal response (Emax)=122%) starting from a high-throughput screening hit 3 (EC50=470nM, Emax=56%). The structural features of a reported GPR52 agonist were applied to 3, led to design 4-azolylbenzamides as novel GPR52 agonists. A structure–activity relationship study of 4-azolylbenzamide resulted in the design of the 1,2,4-triazole derivative 4u, which demonstrated excellent bioavailability in rats (F=53.8%). Oral administration of 4u (10mg/kg) significantly suppressed methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion in mice. Thus, 4u is a promising lead compound for drug discovery research of GPR52 agonists.

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