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| Formula | C16H21BrN2 |
| Molar mass | 321.262 g·mol−1 |
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Desformylflustrabromine (dFBr) is a monomethyltryptamine derivative which was first isolated as a secondary metabolite of the marine bryozoan Flustra foliacea . [1]
dFBr has been identified as a novel positive allosteric modulator of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor with sub-type specificity for heteromeric receptor with no effect on homomeric sub-type. [2] A recent study has been published which describes the synthesis of water-soluble salts of dFBr and its action has been confirmed as selective potentiator of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor responses by using two-electrode voltage clamp whole cell recordings. [3] In the year 2002 it was reported that dFBr was cytotoxic on human colon cancer cell line HCT 116. [4]
Desformylflustrabromine has also been found to be a positive allosteric modulator for the α2β2 subtype of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Additionally it relieves the inhibition of both α2β2 and α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by β-Amyloid (1–42) Peptide. [5] Thus desformylflustrabromine can potentially be used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Many of the analogues and derivatives of dFBr are reported to have a potentiating effect on the α4β2 receptors. [6] [7]
Modulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function by desformylflustrabromine has also been found to produce analgesic and anti-allodynic effects in animal models, which could potentially make it of interest for the treatment of neuropathic pain. [8] [9] Anti-addictive and pro-cognitive actions have also been demonstrated. [10] [11] Furthermore, limited experimental data suggests a potential use in treating the compulsive behaviors seen in OCD. [12]
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, or nAChRs, are receptor polypeptides that respond to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nicotinic receptors also respond to drugs such as the agonist nicotine. They are found in the central and peripheral nervous system, muscle, and many other tissues of many organisms. At the neuromuscular junction they are the primary receptor in muscle for motor nerve-muscle communication that controls muscle contraction. In the peripheral nervous system: (1) they transmit outgoing signals from the presynaptic to the postsynaptic cells within the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, and (2) they are the receptors found on skeletal muscle that receive acetylcholine released to signal for muscular contraction. In the immune system, nAChRs regulate inflammatory processes and signal through distinct intracellular pathways. In insects, the cholinergic system is limited to the central nervous system.
Galantamine is an alkaloid extracted from the bulbs and flowers of Galanthus nivalis, Galanthus caucasicus, Galanthus woronowii, and other members of the family Amaryllidaceae, such as Narcissus (daffodil), Leucojum aestivum (snowflake), and Lycoris including Lycoris radiata. It can also be produced synthetically.
A nicotinic agonist is a drug that mimics the action of acetylcholine (ACh) at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The nAChR is named for its affinity for nicotine.
The muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M4, also known as the cholinergic receptor, muscarinic 4 (CHRM4), is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the CHRM4 gene.
The alpha-4 beta-2 nicotinic receptor, also known as the α4β2 receptor, is a type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor implicated in learning, consisting of α4 and β2 subunits. It is located in the brain, where activation yields post- and presynaptic excitation, mainly by increased Na+ and K+ permeability.
The alpha-7 nicotinic receptor, also known as the α7 receptor, is a type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor implicated in long-term memory, consisting entirely of α7 subunits. As with other nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, functional α7 receptors are pentameric [i.e., (α7)5 stoichiometry].
Ispronicline is an experimental drug which acts as a partial agonist at neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. It progressed to phase II clinical trials for the treatment of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, but is no longer under development.
Epiboxidine is a chemical compound which acts as a partial agonist at neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, binding to both the α3β4 and the α4β2 subtypes. It was developed as a less toxic analogue of the potent frog-derived alkaloid epibatidine, which is around 200 times stronger than morphine as an analgesic but produces extremely dangerous toxic nicotinic side effects.
2-Methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP) is a research drug which was one of the first compounds found to act as a selective antagonist for the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype mGluR5. After being originally patented as a liquid crystal for LCDs, it was developed by the pharmaceutical company Novartis in the late 1990s. It was found to produce neuroprotective effects following acute brain injury in animal studies, although it was unclear whether these results were purely from mGluR5 blockade as it also acts as a weak NMDA antagonist, and as a positive allosteric modulator of another subtype mGlu4, and there is also evidence for a functional interaction between mGluR5 and NMDA receptors in the same populations of neurons. It was also shown to produce antidepressant and anxiolytic effects in animals, and to reduce the effects of morphine withdrawal, most likely due to direct interaction between mGluR5 and the μ-opioid receptor.
In pharmacology and biochemistry, allosteric modulators are a group of substances that bind to a receptor to change that receptor's response to stimuli. Some of them, like benzodiazepines or alcoholic beverages, function as psychoactive drugs. The site that an allosteric modulator binds to is not the same one to which an endogenous agonist of the receptor would bind. Modulators and agonists can both be called receptor ligands.
CDPPB is a drug used in scientific research which acts as a positive allosteric modulator selective for the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype mGluR5. It has antipsychotic effects in animal models, and mGluR5 modulators are under investigation as potential drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia, as well as other applications.
A serenic, or antiaggressive agent, is a type of drug which reduces the capacity for irritability and aggression.
UB-165 is a drug which acts as an agonist at neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors being a full agonist of the α3β2 isoform and a partial agonist of the α4β2* isoform. It is used to study the role of this receptor subtype in the release of dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain, and has also been used as a lead compound to derive a number of other selective nicotinic receptor ligands.
PNU-120596 is a drug that acts as a potent and selective positive allosteric modulator for the α7 subtype of neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. It is used in scientific research into cholinergic regulation of dopamine and glutamate release in the brain.
PNU-282,987 is a drug that acts as a potent and selective agonist for the α7 subtype of neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In animal studies, it shows nootropic effects, and derivatives may be useful in the treatment of schizophrenia, although PNU-282,987 is not suitable for use in humans because of excessive inhibition of the hERG antitarget. PNU-282987 has been shown to initiate signaling that leads to adult neurogeneis in mammals.
A-366,833 is a drug developed by Abbott, which acts as an agonist at neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptors selective for the α4β2 subtype, and has been researched for use as an analgesic, although it has not passed clinical trials. Its structure has a nicotinonitrile (3-cyanopyridine) core bound through C5 to the N6 of (1R,5S)-3,6-diazabicyclo[3.2.0]heptane.
The alpha-3 beta-4 nicotinic receptor, also known as the α3β4 receptor and the ganglion-type nicotinic receptor, is a type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, consisting of α3 and β4 subunits. It is located in the autonomic ganglia and adrenal medulla, where activation yields post- and/or presynaptic excitation, mainly by increased Na+ and K+ permeability.
SB-206553 is a drug which acts as a mixed antagonist for the 5-HT2B and 5-HT2C serotonin receptors. It has anxiolytic properties in animal studies and interacts with a range of other drugs. It has also been shown to act as a positive allosteric modulator of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Modified derivatives of SB-206553 have been used to probe the structure of the 5-HT2B receptor.
The alpha-3 beta-2 nicotinic receptor, also known as the α3β2 receptor, is a type of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, consisting of α3 and β2 subunits.
JNJ-39393406 is an experimental medication which is under development by Janssen Pharmaceutica, a division of Johnson & Johnson, for the treatment of depressive disorders and smoking withdrawal. It acts as a selective positive allosteric modulator of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). It does not act on the α4β2 or α3β4 nAChRs or the serotonin 5-HT3 receptor, and does not interact with a panel of 62 other receptors and enzymes. The drug has been found to lower the agonist and nicotine threshold for activation of the α7 nAChR by 10- to 20-fold and to increase the maximum agonist response of the α7 nAChR by 17- to 20-fold.