Research in Alzheimer's disease is going through a big turnaround. New palliative therapies are being reconsidered for the effective management of disease because of setbacks in the development of disease-modifying therapies. Serotonin 6 (5-HT6) receptor has long been pursued as a potential target for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. SUVN-502 is a novel 5-HT6 receptor antagonist (Ki=2.04 nmol/l) with high receptor affinity and high degree of selectivity. SUVN-502 at doses ranging from 1 to 10 mg/kg, per os (p.o.) demonstrated procognitive effects in various behavioral animal models (object recognition task, water maze, and radial arm maze), and it acts on three phases of cognition, viz., acquisition, consolidation, and retention (object recognition task). SUVN-502 (3 and 10 mg/kg, p.o.) modulated glutamate levels when administered alone (microdialysis). At doses ranging from 1 to 10 mg/kg p.o., SUVN-502 potentiated the effects of donepezil (microdialysis). SUVN-502 [1 mg/kg, intravenous (i.v.)] also potentiated pharmacological effects of memantine (1 mg/kg, i.v.) and/or donepezil (0.3 mg/kg, i.v.) (θ modulation). The beneficial effects of SUVN-502 on learning and memory might be mediated through the modulation of cholinergic and/or glutamatergic neurotransmission in relevant brain regions. In summary, behavioral, neurochemical, and electrophysiological outcomes indicate that SUVN-502 may augment the beneficial effects of donepezil and memantine combination.
Optimization of a novel series of 3-(piperazinylmethyl) indole derivatives as 5-hydroxytryptamine-6 receptor (5-HTR) antagonists resulted in identification of 1-[(2-bromophenyl)sulfonyl]-5-methoxy-3-[(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)methyl]-1H-indole dimesylate monohydrate (5al, SUVN-502) as a clinical candidate for potential treatment of cognitive disorders. It has high affinity at human 5-HTR (K = 2.04 nM) and selectivity over 100 target sites which include receptors, enzymes, peptides, growth factors, ion channels, steroids, immunological factors, second messengers, and prostaglandins. It has high selectivity over 5-HT receptor. It is orally bioavailable and brain penetrant with robust preclinical efficacy. The combination of 5al, donepezil, and memantine (triple combination) produces synergistic effects in extracellular levels of acetylcholine in the ventral hippocampus. Preclinical efficacy in triple combination and high selectivity over 5-HT receptors are the differentiating features which culminated in selection of 5al for further development. The Phase-1 evaluation of safety and pharmacokinetics has been completed, allowing for the initiation of a Phase-2 proof of concept study.
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