The discovery of PD 89211 and related compounds: selective dopamine D4 receptor antagonists

The dopamine (DA) D2 family of receptors consists of the D2, D3, and D4 receptors. The DA D4 receptor is of interest as a target for drugs to treat schizophrenia based upon its high affinity for the atypical antipsychotic clozapine and its localization to the limbic and cortical regions of the brain. As part of a program to identify novel DA D4 receptor antagonists, a high-volume screen using the Parke-Davis compound library was initiated. This led to the discovery of PD 89211 (benzenemethanol, 2-chloro-4-[4-[(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)methyl]-1-piperzinyl]) that displaced [3H]spiperone binding to hD4.2 with an affinity (Ki) of 3.7 nM. PD 89211 exhibited high selectivity for the DA D4.2 receptor (> 800-fold) as compared to other hDA receptor subtypes, rat brain serotonin, and adrenergic receptors. In vitro, PD 89211 had D4 receptor antagonist activity reversing quinpirole-induced [3H]thymidine uptake in CHOpro5 cells (IC50 = 2.1 nM). Limited structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies indicated that compounds with a 4-chloro-, 4-methyl-, and 3-chloro- substituents on the phenyl ring retained high affinity for D4 receptors, while those with a 4-methoxy- and no substituent had less affinity. While all clinically effective antipsychotics increase DA synthesis (DOPA accumulation) in rodents, PD 89211 did not increase DA synthesis in the DA-enriched striatum, indicating no effect on DA turnover and low propensity for exhibiting motor side effects. However, it did increase catecholamine synthesis in rat hippocampus, as did clozapine. Moreover, PD 89211 selectivity increased catecholamine synthesis in the hippocampus of wild type but not in mice lacking D4 receptors, suggesting that one function of D4 receptors may be to modulate DA/norepinephrine (NE) turnover in this brain area known to possess D4 receptors. The discovery of compounds like PD 89211 provides a tool to help in understanding the function of DA D4 receptors in the CNS.