A series of 39 arylsulfonamide/amide derivatives of (aryloxy)ethyl alkyl amines, was designed with the support of the Virtual Combinatorial Library-Virtual Screening protocol, and synthesized using solid-phase methodologies. Representative compounds were biologically evaluated for their affinity for 5-HT7Rs and for their selectivity over related 5-HTRs (5-HT1ARs, 5-HT2ARs, 5-HT6Rs), dopamine D2Rs and adrenergic α1Rs. The study identified the derivatives 27 (3-fluoro-N-{1-[2-(2-cyclopentylphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin-4-yl}-benzenesulfonamide; PZ-1417) and 35 (4-fluoro-N-(1-{2-[(propan-2-yl)phenoxy]ethyl}-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-3-yl)-benzenesulfonamide; PZ-1150) as being potent 5-HT7R antagonists with antidepressant and anxiolytic properties in the forced swim test (0.625-5 mg/kg and 0.625 mg/kg, respectively), the tail suspension test (0.625 mg/kg and 0.625 mg/kg, respectively), and in four plate test (0.625 mg/kg and 1.25-2.5 mg/kg, respectively) in mice. It has to be stressed that new compounds displayed higher activity than that of SB-269970, a reference 5-HT7R antagonist. Finally, the study provided valuable insight into the development of potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of CNS disorders.
Keywords: 5-HT(7) antagonist; Anxiety; Depression; Forced swim test; Four plate test; Molecular docking; SB-269970; Screening of combinatorial library; Tail suspension test.
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