Further studies on oxygenated tryptamines with LSD-like activity incorporating a chiral pyrrolidine moiety into the side chain

Serotonin 2A Receptor (5-HT2AR) Agonists: Psychedelics and Non-Hallucinogenic Analogues as Emerging Antidepressants

Psychedelics make up a group of psychoactive compounds that induce hallucinogenic effects by activating the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR). Clinical trials have demonstrated the traditional psychedelic substances like psilocybin as a class of rapid-acting and long-lasting antidepressants. However, there is a pressing need for rationally designed 5-HT2AR agonists that possess optimal pharmacological profiles in order to fully reveal the therapeutic potential of these agonists and identify safer drug candidates devoid of hallucinogenic effects. This Perspective provides an overview of the structure-activity relationships of existing 5-HT2AR agonists based on their chemical classifications and discusses recent advancements in understanding their molecular pharmacology at a structural level. The encouraging clinical outcomes of psychedelics in depression treatment have sparked drug discovery endeavors aimed at developing novel 5-HT2AR agonists with improved subtype selectivity and signaling bias properties, which could serve as safer and potentially nonhallucinogenic antidepressants. These efforts can be significantly expedited through the utilization of structure-based methods and functional selectivity-directed screening.

Some new psychoactive substances: precursor chemicals and synthesis-driven end-products

This paper describes some of the new classes of 'designer drugs' being encountered today by forensic scientists and law enforcement agencies in Europe, the United States, and Australia. In particular, it concentrates on new cathinone derivatives, the tryptamines, new-generation phenethylamines, and some of the synthetic cannabinoids. The synthetic approaches towards many of these designer drugs including a discussion of the chemical precursors used in the syntheses are presented. Many of today's so-called designer drugs exist as a result of legitimate research into medical conditions and the natural product chemistry. A link between synthetic approaches published in the open scientific and medical literature and the exploitation of this research by clandestine manufacture of drugs for illicit purposes is drawn.

Alkaloids and aromatics of Cyathobasis fruticulosa (Bunge) Aellen

A beta-carboline-, a tryptamine-, and two phenylethylamine-derived alkaloids and three known aromatic compounds were isolated from the aerial parts and roots of Cyathobasis fruticulosa (Bunge) Aellen, and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques. The one new alkaloid, N-methyl-N-formyl-4-hydroxy-beta-phenylethylamine (1), showed marginal antifungal activity.

Lysergamides of isomeric 2,4-dimethylazetidines map the binding orientation of the diethylamide moiety in the potent hallucinogenic agent N,N-diethyllysergamide (LSD)

Lysergic acid amides were prepared from (R,R)-(-)-, (S,S)-(+)-, and cis-2,4-dimethyl azetidine. The dimethylazetidine moiety is considered here to be a rigid analogue of diethylamine, and thus, the target compounds are all conformationally constrained analogues of the potent hallucinogenic agent, N,N-diethyllysergamide, LSD-25. Pharmacological evaluation showed that (S,S)-(+)-2,4-dimethylazetidine gave a lysergamide with the highest LSD-like behavioral activity in the rat two lever drug discrimination model that was slightly more potent than LSD itself. This same diastereomer also had the highest affinity and functional potency at the rat serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptor, the presumed target for hallucinogenic agents, and a receptor affinity profile in a panel of screens that was most similar to that of LSD itself. Both cis- and the (R,R)-trans-dimethylazetidines gave lysergamides that were less potent in all relevant assays. The finding that the S,S-dimethylazetidine gave a lysergamide with pharmacology most similar to LSD indicates that the N,N-diethyl groups of LSD optimally bind when they are oriented in a conformation distinct from that observed in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. The incorporation of isomeric dialkylazetidines into other biologically active molecules may be a useful strategy to model the active conformations of dialkylamines and dialkylamides.

A homology-based model of the human 5-HT2A receptor derived from an in silico activated G-protein coupled receptor

A homology-based model of the 5-HT2A receptor was produced utilizing an activated form of the bovine rhodopsin (Rh) crystal structure. In silico activation of the Rh structure was accomplished by isomerization of the 11-cis-retinal (1) chromophore, followed by constrained molecular dynamics to relax the resultant high energy structure. The activated form of Rh was then used as a structural template for development of a human 5-HT2A receptor model. Both the 5-HT2A receptor and Rh are members of the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) super-family. The resulting homology model of the receptor was then used for docking studies of compounds representing a cross-section of structural classes that activate the 5-HT2A receptor, including ergolines, tryptamines, and amphetamines. The ligand/receptor complexes that ensued were refined and the final binding orientations were observed to be compatible with much of the data acquired through both diversified ligand design and site directed mutagenesis.