Chronic administration of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) every other day to rats results in a variety of abnormal behaviors. These build over the 90 day course of treatment and can persist at full strength for at least several months after cessation of treatment. The behaviors are consistent with those observed in animal models of schizophrenia and include hyperactivity, reduced...
Based on the structure of the superpotent 5-HT(2A) agonist 2-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine, which consists of a ring-substituted phenethylamine skeleton modified with an N-benzyl group, we designed and synthesized a small library of constrained analogues to identify the optimal arrangement of the pharmacophoric elements of the ligand. Structures consisted...
Many people who take LSD experience a second temporal phase of LSD intoxication that is qualitatively different, and was described by Daniel Freedman as "clearly a paranoid state." We have previously shown that the discriminative stimulus effects of LSD in rats also occur in two temporal phases, with initial effects mediated by activation of 5-HT(2A) receptors (LSD30), and the later temporal...
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) differs from other types of hallucinogens in that it possesses direct dopaminergic effects. The exact nature of this component has not been elucidated. The present study sought to characterize the effects of several dopamine D(4) agonists and antagonists on the discriminative stimulus effect of LSD at two pretreatment times and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine...
Activation of 5-HT(2A) receptors is thought to mediate the hallucinogenic effects of LSD. Nevertheless, in a previous report we provided evidence that a delayed temporal phase of the behavioral pharmacology of LSD is mediated by D(2)-like dopamine receptor stimulation. In this study rats were trained to discriminate LSD with either a 30 min preinjection time (LSD-30, N=12) or a 90 min...
A series of conformationally restricted analogues of the hallucinogenic phenethylamine 1 (2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromophenethylamine, 2C-B) was synthesized to test several hypotheses concerning the bioactive conformation of phenethylamine ligands upon binding to the 5-HT(2A) receptor. These benzocycloalkane analogues were assayed for their receptor binding affinity and ability to activate downstream...
A conformationally restricted analogue of mescaline, C-(4,5,6-trimethoxyindan-1-yl)-methanamine, was designed using a 5-HT(2A) receptor homology model. The compound possessed 3-fold higher affinity and potency than and efficacy equal to that of mescaline at the 5-HT(2A) receptor. The new analogue substituted fully for LSD in drug discrimination studies and was 5-fold more potent than mescaline....
The effect of LSD in humans has been described as occurring in two temporal phases. The behavioral effects in rats also occur in two temporal phases: an initial suppression of exploration followed by increased locomotor activity. We decided to investigate this phenomenon from the perspective that the pharmacology might have relevance to the neurochemical mechanisms underlying psychosis....
In studies of the SAR of phenethylamine-type serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor agonists, substituted conformationally constrained tetrahydronaphthofurans were designed to investigate the optimal conformation of the 2-aminoethyl moiety. These compounds were tested using in vitro assays for affinity at 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(2A), and 5-HT(2C) receptors. The benzofuran-containing analogues, 6a and 6b, had...
There is substantial evidence that lisuride can produce effects linked to 5-HT(1A) receptor occupancy. Nevertheless, this action has generally been ignored in the mechanism of action of lisuride, in favor of an exclusive role for dopamine receptors in considering its antiparkinsonian effects, or an exclusive role of 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor activation in hallucinogenesis. These conclusions are...
Lysergic acid amides were prepared from (R,R)-(-)-, (S,S)-(+)-, and cis-2,4-dimethyl azetidine. The dimethylazetidine moiety is considered here to be a rigid analogue of diethylamine, and thus, the target compounds are all conformationally constrained analogues of the potent hallucinogenic agent, N,N-diethyllysergamide, LSD-25. Pharmacological evaluation showed that...
A series of fluorinated analogues of the hallucinogenic tryptamines N,N-diethyltryptamine (DET), 4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (4-OH-DMT, psilocin), and 5-methoxy-DMT was synthesized to investigate possible explanations for the inactivity of 6-fluoro-DET as a hallucinogen and to determine the effects of fluorination on the molecular recognition and activation of these compounds at serotonin...
The enantiomers of 3-(N-methylpyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)-5-methoxyindole, 1, and 3-(N-methylpyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)-4-hydoxyindole, 3, were prepared using an asymmetric synthesis that employed (+)- or (-)-proline. A new approach was developed that had certain advantages over the synthesis originally reported for the isomers of 1. (+/-)-3-(N-Methylpyrrolidin-3-yl)-4-hydroxyindole, 5, was also...
The synthesis and biological activity of 6-[2-(N, N-dimethylamino)ethyl]-4H-thieno[3,2-b]pyrrole (3a) and 4-[2-(N, N-dimethylamino)ethyl]-6H-thieno[2,3-b]pyrrole (3b), thienopyrroles as potential bioisosteres of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (1a), are reported. Hallucinogen-like activity was evaluated in the two-lever drug discrimination paradigm using LSD- and DOI-trained rats. Neither 3a nor 3b...
ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVLetterNEXTA Novel (Benzodifuranyl)aminoalkane with Extremely Potent Activity at the 5-HT2A Receptor 1Matthew A. Parker, Danuta Marona-Lewicka, Virginia L. Lucaites, David L. Nelson, and David E. NicholsView Author Information Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Purdue University, West...
A series of substituted racemic naphthofurans were synthesized as "hybrid" molecules of the two major prototypical hallucinogenic drug classes, the phenethylamines and the tryptamines/ergolines. Although it was hypothesized that these new agents might possess high affinity for the serotonin 5-HT2A/2C receptor subtypes, unexpected affinity for muscarinic receptors was observed. The compounds...
The three isomeric ring-methylated derivatives of the well-known hallucinogen and entactogen MDA (1a) were synthesized and evaluated for pharmacological activity as monoamine-releasing agents and as serotonin agonists. The 2-methyl derivative 2a and the 5-methyl derivative 2b were found to be more potent and more selective than the parent compound in inhibiting [3H]-serotonin accumulation in...
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Dihydrobenzofuran and tetrahydrobenzodifuran functionalities were employed as conformationally restricted bioisosteres of the aromatic methoxy groups in the prototypical hallucinogen, mescaline (1). Thus, 4-(2-aminoethyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran hydrochloride (8) and 1-(8-methoxy-2,3,5,6-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-b:5,4-b']difuran-4-yl)-2- aminoethane hydrochloride (9) were prepared and...
Tetrahydrobenzodifuran functionalities were employed as conformationally restricted bioisosteres of the aromatic methoxy groups in prototypical hallucinogenic phenylalkylamines 1 and 2. Thus, a series of 8-substituted 1-(2,3,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']difuran-4-yl)-2-aminoal kanes (7a-e) were prepared and evaluated for activity in the two-lever drug discrimination paradigm in rats trained...
The 3-pentyl-, (R)- and (S)-2-pentyl-, 2-hexyl-, and 2-heptylamides of d-lysergic acid were synthesized and evaluated in biochemical and behavioral assays for LSD-like activity. In radioligand competition studies, the (R)-lysergamides were consistently more potent than the (S)-amides in displacing [3H]ketanserin from 5-HT2A receptors in rat cortical homogenate and in displacing [3H]-8-OH-DPAT...