A comparative molecular field analysis model for 6-arylpyrrolo[2,1-d] [1,5]benzothiazepines binding selectively to the mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor.

A series of 42 6-arylpyrrolo[2,1-d][1,5]benzothiazepines, which we have recently described as selective ligands of the mitochondrial benzodiazepine receptor (MBR) (Fiorini I.; et al. J. Med. Chem. 1994, 37, 1427-1438), have been investigated using the comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) approach. The resulting 3D-QSAR model rationalizes the steric and electronic factors which modulate affinity to the MBR with a cross-validation standard error of 0.648 pIC50 unit. A set of seven novel pyrrolobenzothiazepine congeners has successively been synthesized and tested. The CoMFA model forecasts the binding affinity values of these new compounds with a prediction standard error of 0.536.