Binding of α-dihydrotetrabenazine to the vesicular monoamine transporter is stereospecific
摘要:
The two enantiomers of alpha-dihydrotetrabenazine were separated using chiral high performance liquid chromatography. The (+)-isomer showed high affinity in vitro (K-i=0.97+/-0.48 nM) for the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) in rat brain striatum, whereas the (-)-isomer was inactive (K-i=2.2+/-0.3 mu M). Each isomer was then synthesized in carbon-ii labeled form, and regional brain biodistributions in mice determined after intravenous injection. Only (+)-alpha-dihydrotetrabenazine showed selective and specific accumulations in regions of dense monoaminergic innervation (e.g., striatum, hypothalamus), which could be blocked by coinjection of unlabeled tetrabenazine. Binding of alpha-dihydrotetrabenazine to the vesicular monoamine transporter is thus stereospecific.
This application describes substituted 1,3,4,6,7,11b-hexahydro-benzo(a)quinolizine compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing them, processes for making them and their therapeutic methods.