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Stereoselective LSD-like activity in d-lysergic acid amides of R- and S-2-aminobutane

Robert Oberlender, Robert C. Pfaff, Michael P. Johnson, Xuemei Huang, David E. Nichols

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 1992 DOI: 10.1021/jm00080a001 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Population Rats
Measures drug discrimination, receptor binding assays
Topics LSD
Keywords Stereochemistry Agonist Substituent Receptor Carboxamide Stereoselectivity Biological activity
Citations 17
Key findings The (R)-2-butylamide of d-lysergic acid is more potent than the (S)-isomer in behavioral and binding assays, and its conformation resembles LSD, indicating stereochemistry of the amide substituent critically influences activity.

Abstract

The (R)- and (S)-2-butylamides of d-lysergic acid were prepared and evaluated in behavioral and biochemical assays of 5-HT2 agonist activity. In rats trained to discriminate 0.08 mg/kg LSD tartrate from saline, both isomers completely substituted for the training stimulus. Similarly, both isomers were found to possess very high affinity in displacing [125I]-(R)-DOI ([125I]-(R)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2- aminopropane) from rat cortical homogenate 5-HT2 receptors and in displacing [3H]-8-OH-DPAT ([3H]-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin) from rat hippocampal 5-HT1A receptors. The difference in activity between the two isomeric amides was significant in both the behavioral and binding assays, with the R isomer possessing greater potency. Molecular mechanics were used to predict the active geometries of the subject compounds. It was found that the (R)-2-butylamide has a conformation quite similar to LSD, while the (S)-2-butylamide does not. These results suggest that stereochemical properties of the amide substituent of hallucinogenic lysergamides may exert a critical influence on activity. It is concluded that the conformation of the amide function may directly affect binding through stereoselective interactions with a hydrophobic region on the receptor, indirectly by inducing conformational changes elsewhere in the molecule, or by a combination of these two mechanisms.

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Other preclinical and animal studies on LSD, most cited first.

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Transcriptome Fingerprints Distinguish Hallucinogenic and Nonhallucinogenic 5-Hydroxytryptamine 2A Receptor Agonist Effects in Mouse Somatosensory Cortex Human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably expressing 5-HT2ARs; wild-type and 5-HT2AR... 2003 Experimental study
Evidence for a central 5‐hydroxytryptamine receptor stimulation by lysergic acid diethylamide Rats 1968 Experimental study
Psychedelics, but Not Ketamine, Produce Persistent Antidepressant-like Effects in a Rodent Experimental System for the Study of Depression Rats 2020 Preclinical study
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) promotes social behavior through mTORC1 in the excitatory neurotransmission Male mice 2021 Multidisciplinary experimental study with in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, behavioral paradigms, molecular biology, and conditional knockout mice
A non-hallucinogenic LSD analog with therapeutic potential for mood disorders. Mice and cultured rat cortical neurons 2023 Preclinical study

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