ABSTRACT
Imine 7 of 1,4-cyclohexanedione mono-ethylene ketal 6 was reacted with maleic anhydride, affording the cyclized adduct 8. Methyl esterification of 8, accompanied by transacetalization, led to the dihydrooxindole derivative 10. Aromatization of 10 was then accomplished with POCl(3), leading directly to the key-intermediate title compound 11 in 74% yield from ketone 6. Serotonin, melatonin, and bufotenin were then obtained by standard reactions.
Subject(s)
Bufotenin/chemical synthesis , Indoleacetic Acids/chemical synthesis , Indoles/chemical synthesis , Melatonin/chemical synthesis , Serotonin/chemical synthesis , Catalysis , Chemistry, Organic/methods , Chromatography, Thin Layer , Cyclization , Imines/chemistry , Indoleacetic Acids/chemistry , Indoles/chemistry , Molecular Structure , Picrates/chemistryABSTRACT
Five indolealkylamines (N,N-dimethyltryptamine, N-methyltryptamine, bufotenine, O-methylbufotenine, N,N,N-trimethyltryptamine iodide) were labeled with 11C by use of 11CH3I. The labeled compounds were synthesized with a radiochemical yield of 2-50% (based on trapped 11CH3I) in 20-35 min with radiochemical purities of more than 92%. The tissue distributions of these labeled compounds were investigated in rats. In all cases, the accumulations in the liver, lung and small intestine were high. [11C]DMT and [11C]OMB also accumulated to a large extent in the brain, where their accumulation was retained. Brain uptake of three other radiopharmaceuticals was low. [11C]DMT is the radiopharmaceutical of choice for the study of the serotonin action mechanism in the brain, because it has the highest radiochemical yield and the highest brain uptake of these 11C-labeled compounds.
Subject(s)
Tryptamines/chemical synthesis , Animals , Bufotenin/chemical synthesis , Carbon Radioisotopes , Isotope Labeling/methods , Kinetics , Methoxydimethyltryptamines/chemical synthesis , N,N-Dimethyltryptamine/chemical synthesis , Rats , Rats, Inbred Strains , Structure-Activity Relationship , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
Bufotenine (5-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) has been reported to be behaviorally inactive or only very weakly active in man and animals; this may be a consequence of its low partition coefficient and resultant inability to penetrate the blood--brain barrier. The acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, isobutyryl, and pivalyl esters of bufotenine were prepared for future pharmacological evaluation. Unexpectedly, it was found that these esters all possess a relatively high affinity for the serotonin receptors of the isolated rat stomach fundus preparation. A semiquantitative chromatographic measurement of ester hydrolysis suggests that extensive hydrolysis of the esters to bufotenine does not occur under the conditions of the affinity assay.
