Nonpeptide urotensin-II receptor antagonists: a new ligand class based on piperazino-phthalimide and piperazino-isoindolinone subunits.

We have discovered two related chemical series of nonpeptide urotensin-II (U-II) receptor antagonists based on piperazino-phthalimide (5 and 6) and piperazino-isoindolinone (7) scaffolds. These structure types are distinctive from those of U-II receptor antagonist series reported in the literature. Antagonist 7a exhibited single-digit nanomolar potency in rat and human cell-based functional assays, as well as strong binding to the human U-II receptor. In advanced pharmacological testing, 7a blocked the effects of U-II in vitro in a rat aortic ring assay and in vivo in a rat ear-flush model. A discussion of U-II receptor antagonist pharmacophores is presented, and a specifically defined model is suggested from tricycle 13, which has a high degree of conformational constraint.