Role of the (Acyloxy)methyl Moiety in Eliciting the Adrenergic β-Blocking Activity of 3-(Acyloxy)propanolamines

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jm00387a006

Some totally aliphatic 3-(acyloxy)propanolamines were synthesized with the aim of testing whether β-blocking activity could be obtained from this class of drugs, even in the absence of an aromatic group.The significant and, in most cases, competitive β-blocking activity shown by the compounds under examination, together with the results of a theoretical study in which their reactivity was compared with that of other adrenergic β-blocking drugs, seems to confirm a hypothesis previously advanced on the basis of knowledge about the action mechanism of adrenergic β-blocking drugs and of the results of structural studies.It was also possible to suggest some considerations about the role played by the (acyloxy)methyl portion of 3-(acyloxy)propanolamines in eliciting their adrenergic β-blocking activity.