Synthesis, modelling and biological characterization of 3-substituted-1H-indoles as ligands of GluN2B-containing N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors

A three-step synthetic pathway has been employed to synthesize a small library of 2-(4-arylpiperidin-1-yl)-1-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethanone and 2-(4-arylpiperidin-1-yl)-1-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethane-1,2-dione derivatives that have been screened in [3H]ifenprodil competition binding assay. Some compounds exhibited significant binding affinity at nanomolar concentration, the most active being ligand 35 (IC50 = 5.5 nM). Docking experiments suggested the main interactions between 35 and GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors. Notably, the compound 35 reduced NMDA-mediated excitatory post-synaptic currents recorded in mouse hippocampal slices indicating antagonistic effects (50 nM). Moreover, the compound 35 has shown antioxidant effects in a preliminary screening, thus suggesting that it might be considered prototype for future drug development of novel 'dual target' neuroprotective agents.