Analogues of doxanthrine reveal differences between the dopamine D1 receptor binding properties of chromanoisoquinolines and hexahydrobenzo[a]phenanthridines

Efforts to develop selective agonists for dopamine D1-like receptors led to the discovery of dihydrexidine and doxanthrine, two bioisosteric β-phenyldopamine-type full agonist ligands that display selectivity and potency at D1-like receptors. We report herein an improved methodology for the synthesis of substituted chromanoisoquinolines (doxanthrine derivatives) and the evaluation of several new compounds for their ability to bind to D1- and D2-like receptors. Identical pendant phenyl ring substitutions on the dihydrexidine and doxanthrine templates surprisingly led to different effects on D1-like receptor binding, suggesting important differences between the interactions of these ligands with the D1 receptor. We propose, based on the biological results and molecular modeling studies, that slight conformational differences between the tetralin and chroman-based compounds lead to a shift in the location of the pendant ring substituents within the receptor.

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► A versatile new synthesis for substituted chromanoisoquinolines.
► Parallel substitutions of two bioisosteric ligands give differing affinities.
► Very closely-related structures must bind differently to the D1 dopamine receptor.