Multifunctional Arylsulfone and Arylsulfonamide-Based Ligands with Prominent Mood-Modulating Activity and Benign Safety Profile, Targeting Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Dementia

J Med Chem. 2021 Sep 9;64(17):12603-12629. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00497. Epub 2021 Aug 26.

Abstract

The current pharmaceutical market lacks therapeutic agents designed to modulate behavioral disturbances associated with dementia. To address this unmet medical need, we designed multifunctional ligands characterized by a nanomolar affinity for clinically relevant targets that are associated with the disease pathology, namely, the 5-HT2A/6/7 and D2 receptors. Compounds that exhibited favorable functional efficacy, water solubility, and metabolic stability were selected for more detailed study. Pharmacological profiling revealed that compound 11 exerted pronounced antidepressant activity (MED 0.1 mg/kg), outperforming commonly available antidepressant drugs, while compound 16 elicited a robust anxiolytic activity (MED 1 mg/kg), exceeding comparator anxiolytics. In contrast to the existing psychotropic agents tested, the novel chemotypes did not negatively impact cognition. At a chronic dose regimen (25 days), 11 did not induce significant metabolic or adverse blood pressure disturbances. These promising therapeutic-like activities and benign safety profiles make the novel chemotypes potential treatment options for dementia patients.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Anxiety / drug therapy
  • Anxiety / etiology
  • Central Nervous System Agents / chemical synthesis*
  • Central Nervous System Agents / chemistry
  • Central Nervous System Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Central Nervous System Agents / pharmacology*
  • Dementia / complications*
  • Depression / drug therapy
  • Depression / etiology
  • Drug Design*
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Sulfonamides / chemical synthesis
  • Sulfonamides / chemistry
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology*
  • Sulfones / chemical synthesis
  • Sulfones / chemistry
  • Sulfones / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antidepressive Agents
  • Central Nervous System Agents
  • Sulfonamides
  • Sulfones