PHARMACOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF 3 NOVEL CANNABINOID RECEPTOR AGONISTS IN THE MOUSE ISOLATED VAS-DEFERENS

The novel compounds, 1-pentyl-2-methyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole, 1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)pyrrole and 1-heptyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole, produced a dose-related inhibition of electrically evoked contractions of the mouse vas deferens, with IC50 values of 2.56 nM, 3.38 nM and 639 nM respectively. K-d values of the selective CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist, SR141716A [N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide hydrochloride], determined in the vas deferens from experiments with these compounds are 1.34 nM, 3.86 nM and 8.06 nM respectively, indicating their susceptibility to antagonism by SR141716A is similar to that of their parent compound, the CB, cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 {(R)-(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(4-morpholinomethyl][pyrrolo-[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl](1-naphthyl)methanone}. SR141716A (100 nM) had no effect on the actions of two non-cannabinoid receptor agonists, morphine and clonidine. These results provide strong support for the hypothesis that 1-pentyl-2-methyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole, 1-pentyl-3(1-naphthoyl)pyrrole and 1-heptyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole are cannabinoid receptor agonists and confirm that the WIN 55,212-2 molecule can be modified considerably without detectable loss of cannabinoid activity.