Abstract
Phaclofen, which is the phosphonic acid analogue of the GABAB agonist (RS)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-aminobutyric acid (baclofen), is a GABAB antagonist. As part of our studies on the structural requirements for activation and blockade of GABAB receptors, we have resolved phaclofen using chiral chromatographic techniques. The absolute stereochemistry of (-)-(R)-phaclofen was established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. (-)-(R)-Phaclofen was shown to inhibit the binding of [3H]-(R)-baclofen to GABAB receptor sites on rat cerebellar membranes (IC50 = 76 +/- 13 microM), whereas (+)-(S)-phaclofen was inactive in this binding assay (IC50 > 1000 microM). (-)-(R)-Phaclofen (200 microM) was equipotent with (RS)-phaclofen (400 microM) in antagonizing the action of baclofen in rat cerebral cortical slices, while (+)-(S)-phaclofen (200 microM) was inactive. The structural similarity of the agonist (R)-baclofen and the antagonist (-)-(R)-phaclofen suggests that these ligands interact with the GABAB receptor sites in a similar manner. Thus, it may be concluded that the different pharmacological effects of these compounds essentially result from the different spatial and proteolytic properties of their acid groups.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Chirality |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 7 |
Pages (from-to) | 583-9 |
Number of pages | 7 |
ISSN | 0899-0042 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1994 |
Keywords
- Animals
- Baclofen
- Cerebral Cortex
- Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
- Crystallography, X-Ray
- GABA Antagonists
- GABA-B Receptor Antagonists
- Models, Molecular
- Molecular Conformation
- Molecular Structure
- Rats
- Stereoisomerism
- Structure-Activity Relationship