Synthesis and pharmacological investigation of aralkyl diamine derivatives as potential triple reuptake inhibitors

•A series of aralkyl diamine derivatives were designed and synthesized.•Target compounds were tested for triple reuptake inhibition.•Three lead compounds showed in vivo activities in the rat forced swim test.•36a displayed desirable pharmacokinetic properties, and acceptable safety profile.

A series of aralkyl diamine derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their triple reuptake inhibitory abilities. Compounds 18c (5-HT, NE, DA, IC50 = 389, 69, 238 nM), 36a (5-HT, NE, DA, IC50 = 378, 477, 247 nM), and 36d (5-HT, NE, DA, IC50 = 501, 206, 357 nM) showed in vivo activities in the rat forced swim test at 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg PO. 36a was identified as the most promising candidate in this study. Specifically, 36a exhibited high selectivity for monoamine transporters over a number of CNS-related targets. Furthermore, 36a showed a good pharmacokinetic properties and acceptable safety profile in preclinical studies.

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