A novel class of isochroman dopamine analogues, 1, originally reported by Abbott Laboratories, had greater than 100-fold selectivity for D1-like vs. D2-like receptors. We synthesized a parallel series of chroman compounds, 2, and showed that repositioning the oxygen in the heterocyclic ring reduced potency and conferred D2-like receptor selectivity to these compounds. In silico modeling supported the hypothesis that the altered pharmacology for 2 was due to potential intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the oxygen in the chroman ring and the meta-hydroxyl of the catechol moiety. This interaction realigns the catechol hydroxyl groups and disrupts key interactions between these ligands and critical serine residues in TM5 of the D1-like receptors. This hypothesis was tested by the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of a parallel series of carbocyclic compounds, 3. Our results suggest that when the potential for intramolecular hydrogen bonding is removed, D1-like receptor potency and selectivity is restored.

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