3-(Aminomethyl)piperazine-2,5-dione as a novel NMDA glycine site inhibitor from the chemical universe database GDB

Docking of randomly selected compounds from the chemical universe database GDB-11, which contains all organic molecules up to 11 atoms of C, N, O, F possible under consideration of simple chemical stability and synthetic feasibility rules, into the NMDA receptor glycine site (1pb7.pdb) lead to the identification of 3-(aminomethyl)piperazine-2,5-dione 3 and its close analog 5-(aminomethyl)piperazine-2,3-dione 4 as possible new ligands for this drug target, which is implicated in synaptic plasticity, neuronal development, learning and memory. Synthesis of these compounds in 4 and 6 steps, respectively, and testing by radioligand displacement assays and electrophysiological measurements in Xenopus oocytes show that while 4 is inactive, 3 is indeed an inhibitor of glycine, with an estimated KD of 50 μM.

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