The therapy of complex neurodegenerative diseases requires the development of multitarget-directed drugs (MTDs). Novel indole derivatives with inhibitory activity towards acetyl/butyrylcholinesterases and monoamine oxidases A/B as well as the histamine H receptor (H3R) were obtained by optimization of the neuroprotectant ASS234 by incorporating generally accepted H3R pharmacophore motifs. These small-molecule hits demonstrated balanced activities at the targets, mostly in the nanomolar concentration range. Additional in vitro studies showed antioxidative neuroprotective effects as well as the ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. With this promising in vitro profile, contilisant (at 1 mg kg i.p.) also significantly improved lipopolysaccharide-induced cognitive deficits.

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A new experimental model to assess analgesic activity of both analgesic and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs is described. It uses the unilateral intra-articular knee injection of an uric acid suspension in mineral oil to produce acute inflammation, pain, and functional motor impairment. The model, named "pain-induced functional impairment in the rat" (PIFIR) assesses analgesic activity by measuring the capacity to walk with the injured extremity. The procedure determines both the potencies of analgesic drugs and the time course of the effect. Analgesia of selected reference agents was followed for 4 h and the effect versus time curves were constructed. The area under the curve (effect versus time), an expression of the overall activity during the observation period, increased in a dose-dependent manner. The area under the curve, E, , , , Ttmax, and E D , , of reference agents tested are reported. The PIFIR procedure was sensitive to opiate and nonopiate analgetics (nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs) and possibly steroidal antiinflammatory drugs. These characteristics make it suitable for screening purposes. D 1993 WiIey-Liss, Inc.

Active metabolites of some antipsychotic drugs exhibit pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties that may be similar to or differ from the original compound and that can be translated by a different profile of responses and interactions to clinical level. Some of these antipsychotics’ active metabolites might participate in mechanisms of antidepressant activity, as m-chlorophenylpiperazine (aripiprazole), 9-OH-risperidone and norquetiapine. Norquetiapine exhibits distinct pharmacological activity from quetiapine and plays a fundamental role in its antidepressant efficacy. In this review, we analyze the differential pharmacological aspects between quetiapine and norquetiapine, both from the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic perspectives (affinity for dopaminergic, noradrenegic, and/or serotonergic receptors, etc.), as well as differential neuroprotective role. The pharmacological differences between the two drugs could explain the differential clinical effect, as well as some differences in tolerability profile and drug interactions. The available data are sufficient to arrive at the conclusion that antidepressant activity of quetiapine is mediated, at least in part, by the active metabolite norquetiapine, which selectively inhibits noradrenaline reuptake, is a partial 5-HT1A receptor agonist, and acts as an antagonist at presynaptic α2, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT7 receptors.