Four compounds that contained the
N-benzyl 2-amino-3-methoxypropionamide unit were evaluated for their ability to modulate Na
+ currents in catecholamine A differentiated CAD neuronal cells. The compounds differed by the absence or presence of either a terminal
N-acetyl group or a (3-fluoro)benzyloxy moiety positioned at the 4鈥?benzylamide site. Analysis of whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology data showed that the incorporation of the (3-fluoro)benzyloxy unit, to give the (3-fluoro)benzyloxyphenyl pharmacophore, dramatically enhanced the magnitude of Na
+ channel slow inactivation. In addition,
N-acetylation markedly increased the stereoselectivity for Na
+ channel slow inactivation. Furthermore, we observed that Na
+ channel frequency (use)-dependent block was maintained upon inclusion of this pharmacophore. Confirmation of the importance of the (3-fluoro)benzyloxyphenyl pharmacophore was shown by examining compounds where the
N-benzyl 2-amino-3-methoxypropionamide unit was replaced by a
N-benzyl 2-amino-3-methylpropionamide moiety, as well as examining a series of compounds that did not contain an amino acid group but retained the pharmacophore unit. Collectively, the data indicated that the (3-fluoro)benzyloxyphenyl unit is a novel pharmacophore for the modulation of Na
+ currents.
Keywords:
Benzyloxyphenyl pharmacophore; voltage-gated sodium channels; slow inactivation; anticonvulsant activity; hyperexcitable neurons; epilepsy