10.1016/S0968-0896(01)00088-8
The research aimed to evaluate the stereoselectivity of chiral analogues of the endogenous cannabinoid receptor ligand, arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide), in binding to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors and their metabolic stability. The study synthesized several chiral anandamide analogues with methyl groups introduced at the 2,1 and 20 positions using asymmetric synthesis. The researchers found that the introduction of a single 2-methyl group increased affinity for CB1, but only modestly improved metabolic stability. However, the 2,1-dimethyl analogues exhibited high enantio- and diastereoselectivity, with (R)-N-(1-methyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-2-(R)-methyl-arachidonamide (4) showing the highest CB1 receptor affinity. The study concluded that a partial CB1 receptor site model could be proposed, featuring two hydrophobic pockets capable of accommodating 1- and 2-methyl groups. Key chemicals used in the process included arachidonic acid, various amino alcohols, and chiral auxiliaries like 4-benzyl-2-oxazolidinone, along with reagents such as oxalyl chloride, lithium hydroxide, and phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) for enzyme inhibition during binding assays.