Anticonvulsant properties of N-substituted alpha,alpha-diamino acid derivatives

Recent studies have demonstrated that functionalized alpha,alpha-diamino acids (1) display excellent activity when evaluated in the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) test in mice. The synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of 14 select analogues within this series of compounds are detailed. Included in this survey were 10 N-acyl derivatives in which the basic C(alpha) N-group in 1 was replaced by a neutral N-substituent and four dipeptides where the amino acid fusion point was the alpha-carbon site. N-Acylation of 1 led to decreased anticonvulsant activity. The importance of these findings in relation to the requirements of the C(alpha) substituent for anticonvulsant activity in 1 are briefly discussed.