Conformational properties of melatonin and two conformationally restricted agonists: a molecular mechanics and NMR...

The hormone melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) has been implicated in the regulation of several neural and endocrine processes that are cued by the daily change in photoperiod. The conformational properties of melatonin and two conformationally restricted agonists, 8-methoxy-2-acetamidotetralin and cis-1-methyl-8-methoxy-2-acetamidotetralin, were examined as a starting point for SAR studies. The conformational analysis was carried out by means of molecular mechanics calculations (MM2-85 force field) using a step-wise build-up procedure and the molecular modelling program MacroModel (which has a modified version of the MM2 force field) for Monte Carlo and systematic tree searches. NMR spectroscopy was used to evaluate the conformational behaviour in solution. The three search methods were complementary and produced a good description of the conformational characteristics. The two force fields produced different geometries of some low energy conformations and also different relative steric energies. When using the MM2-85 force field, an intra-molecular interaction between the amide-H and the aromatic system lowers the relative energies of several conformations of both melatonin and the 2-amidotetralins. However, NMR experiments indicated that these interactions, which may be quite important in vacuo, are not important in solution.