Cocaine addiction remains a serious challenge for clinical and medical research because there is no effective pharmacological treatment. L-THP, a natural product isolated from Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang, is one of the most frequently used traditional herbs to treat drug addiction in China. Our laboratory first reported that its demethylated metabolites L-ICP, L-CD, and L-CP had high affinity at dopamine D1, D2, and D5 receptors. Here we report the chemical synthesis of these metabolites and other derivatives and their binding affinities at dopamine receptors. The synthesis of these bioactive metabolites will allow further in vivo study of their potential in treating cocaine addiction. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Asymmetric total synthesis and identification of tetrahydroprotoberberine derivatives as new antipsychotic agents possessing a dopamine D1, D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A multi-action profile
An effective and rapid method for the microwave-assisted preparation of the key intermediate for the totalsynthesis of tetrahydroprotoberberines (THPBs) including l-stepholidine (l-SPD) was developed. Thirty-one THPB derivatives with diverse substituents on A and D ring were synthesized, and their binding affinity to dopamine D1, D2 and serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors were determined. Compounds