Issue 8, 2020

G-Protein biased opioid agonists: 3-hydroxy-N-phenethyl-5-phenylmorphans with three-carbon chain substituents at C9

Abstract

A series of compounds have been synthesized with a variety of substituents based on a three-carbon chain at the C9-position of 3-hydroxy-N-phenethyl-5-phenylmorphan (3-(2-phenethyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-5-yl)phenol). Three of these were found to be μ-opioid receptor agonists in the inhibition of forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation assay and they did not recruit β-arrestin at all in the PathHunter assay and in the Tango assay. Compound 12 (3-((1S,5R,9R)-2-phenethyl-9-propyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-5-yl)phenol), 13 (3-((1S,5R,9R)-9-((E)-3-hydroxyprop-1-en-1-yl)-2-phenethyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-5-yl)phenol), and 15a (3-((1S,5R,9R)-9-(2-hydroxypropyl)-2-phenethyl-2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-5-yl)phenol) were partial μ-agonists. Two of them had moderate efficacies (EMAXca. 65%) and one had lower efficacy, and they were ca. 5, 3, and 4 times more potent, respectively, than morphine in vitro. Computer simulations were carried out to provide a molecular basis for the high bias ratios of the C9-substituted 5-phenylmorphans toward G-protein activation.

Graphical abstract: G-Protein biased opioid agonists: 3-hydroxy-N-phenethyl-5-phenylmorphans with three-carbon chain substituents at C9

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
01 Apr 2020
Accepted
11 Jun 2020
First published
12 Jun 2020

RSC Med. Chem., 2020,11, 896-904

G-Protein biased opioid agonists: 3-hydroxy-N-phenethyl-5-phenylmorphans with three-carbon chain substituents at C9

E. S. Gutman, E. Bow, F. Li, A. Sulima, S. Kaska, R. Crowley, T. E. Prisinzano, Y. Lee, S. A. Hassan, G. H. Imler, J. R. Deschamps, A. E. Jacobson and K. C. Rice, RSC Med. Chem., 2020, 11, 896 DOI: 10.1039/D0MD00104J

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