Synthesis of novel 3-substituted β-carbolines as benzodiazepine receptor ligands: Probing the benzodiazepine receptor pharmacophore

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jm00117a029

The 3-substituted β-carbolines 2-4 and 5-7 were prepared from 3-amino-β-carboline (8) in one step via diazotization, followed by reaction with the appropriate nucleophile in order to determine their binding affinity for benzodiazepine receptors (BzR). All three of the 3-alkoxy-β-carbolines 2 (IC₅₀=124 nM), 3 (IC₅₀=24 nM), and 4 (IC₅₀=11 nM) have high affinities for BzR. The β-carbolines substituted with electron-withdrawing groups including 5 (Cl; IC₅₀=45 nM), 6 (NO₂; IC₅₀=125 nM), and 7 (N=C=S; IC₅₀=8 nM) also had high affinities for BzR. The affinities of 5-8 clearly indicate that a carbonyl moiety at position 3 of a β-carboline is not required for high-affinity binding to BzR. These findings have led to the development of a model for the binding of ligands to an inverse agonist domain at BzR. This model is supported by the recent synthesis of 3-ethoxy-β-carboline (3), a potent, long-lived partial inverse agonist, and 7, an irreversible BzR ligand.