Minimal structural requirements of alkyl γ-lactones capable of antagonizing the cocaine-induced motility decrease in...

We recently reported that the natural cyclic lactone, parthenolide, and related analogs prevent the expression of behavioral effects induced by cocaine in planarians and that parthenolide's γ-lactone ring is required for this effect. In the present work, we tested a series of alkyl γ-lactones with varying chain length (1-8 carbons) to determine their ability to antagonize the planarian motility decrease induced by 200 microM cocaine. Alkyl lactones with up to a 4-carbon alkyl chain did not affect planarian motility or antagonized the cocaine-induced motility decrease; only the compound γ-nonalactone (a γ-lactone with a 5-carbon chain) was able to prevent the cocaine-induced behavioral patterns, while alkyl lactones with longer carbon chains failed to prevent the cocaine-induced effects. Thus, we conclude that the optimal structural features of this family of compounds to antagonize cocaine's effect in this experimental system is a γ-lactone ring with at a 5-carbon long functional group.