Dopamine Receptor Ligands. Part VII [1]: Novel 3‐Substituted 5‐Phenyl‐1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6‐hexahydro‐azepino‐[4, 5‐b]indoles as Ligands for the Dopamine Receptors

A number of 5-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-hexahydro-azepino-[4, 5-b]indoles 3 were synthesized with different substituents at the azepine-N position (methyl-, allyl-, 2-phenyl-ethyl-, cyclopropylmethyl- and unsubstituted). Furthermore, the indole-N-methylated compound was generated and by using norephedrines and norpseudoephedrines as a chiral pool, 4-methyl-5-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-hexahydro-azepino-[4, 5-b]indoles were prepared which contained racemisation at the reacting C-atom. These compounds, as well as the ring-open amino-alcohols, were screened for their affinity to the hD(1)-, hD(5)-, hD(2L)-, and hD(4)-receptors (ç please check sentence). They had micromolar affinities for the receptors and showed the highest affinity to the D(1)-subtype family. The cyclic compounds possessed the highest affinity, with the cyclopropylmethyl-(3c) and methyl-substituents (3 e) being the most active of the tested compounds. Based on an intracellular cAMP-assay, the unsubstituted compound (at the azepine-N position) turned out to be an agonist for the D(1)-and D(5)-subtype family, whereas the substituted compounds showed (partial) agonistic, or even inverse agonistic activity.