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Other names | PPAP; (–)-PPAP; MK-306; N,α-Dipropylphenethylamine; 1-Phenyl-2-propylaminopentane; 1-Phenyl-2-propylamino-pentane; 1-Phenyl-2-propyl-aminopentane |
Drug class | Catecholaminergic activity enhancer |
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Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C14H23N |
Molar mass | 205.345 g·mol−1 |
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1-Phenyl-2-propylaminopentane (PPAP; developmental code name MK-306) is an experimental drug related to selegiline which acts as a catecholaminergic activity enhancer (CAE).[1][2][3][4]
PPAP is a CAE and enhances the nerve impulse propagation-mediated release of norepinephrine and dopamine.[1][3][4][5] It produces psychostimulant-like effects in animals.[4] The drug is a phenethylamine and amphetamine derivative and was derived from selegiline.[3][4]
PPAP was first described in the literature in 1988[6] and in the first major paper in 1992.[4][7] It led to the development of the improved monoaminergic activity enhancer (MAE) benzofuranylpropylaminopentane (BPAP) in 1999.[1][3] PPAP was a reference compound for studying the MAE system for many years.[1][2][3] However, it was superseded by BPAP, which is more potent, selective, and also enhances serotonin.[8][1][2][3][9][10] There has been interest in PPAP for potential clinical use in humans, including in the treatment of depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and Alzheimer's disease.[4]
PPAP is classified as a catecholaminergic activity enhancer (CAE), a drug that stimulates the impulse propagation-mediated release of the catecholamine neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain.[1][2][3][4][5][11]
Unlike stimulants such as amphetamine, which release a flood of monoamine neurotransmitters in an uncontrolled manner, (–)-PPAP instead only increases the amount of neurotransmitters that get released when a neuron is stimulated by receiving an impulse from a neighboring neuron.[11][5] Both amphetamine and (–)-PPAP promote the release of monoamines; however, while amphetamine causes neurons to release neurotransmitter stores into the synapse regardless of external input, (–)-PPAP does not influence the pattern of neurotransmitter release and instead releases a larger amount of neurotransmitters than normal.[11][5]
Recent findings have suggested that known synthetic monoaminergic activity enhancers (MAEs) like PPAP, BPAP, and selegiline may exert their effects via trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) agonism.[12][13] This was evidenced by the TAAR1 antagonist EPPTB reversing the MAE effects of BPAP and selegiline, among other findings.[12][13] Another compound, rasagiline, has likewise been found to reverse the effects of MAEs, and has been proposed as a possible TAAR1 antagonist.[13]
The therapeutic index for PPAP in animal models is greater than that of amphetamine while producing comparable improvements in learning, retention, and antidepressant effects.[4] It has been found to reduce deficits induced by the dopamine depleting agent tetrabenazine in the shuttle box learning test in rats.[4][14]
PPAP and selegiline are much less potent than BPAP as MAEs.[3][10] Whereas PPAP and selegiline are active at doses of 1 to 5 mg/kg in vivo in rats, BPAP is active at doses of 0.05 to 10 mg/kg.[3] BPAP is 130 times as potent as selegiline in the shuttle box test.[1] In contrast to BPAP however, the MAE effects of PPAP and selegiline are not reversed by the BPAP antagonist 3-F-BPAP.[2] In addition, whereas PPAP and selegiline are selective as MAEs of norepinephrine and dopamine, BPAP is a MAE of not only norepinephrine and dopamine but also of serotonin.[1][10][2][4]
Unlike the related CAE selegiline, (–)-PPAP has no activity as a monoamine oxidase inhibitor.[8][15]
PPAP, also known as N,α-dipropylphenethylamine, is a substituted phenethylamine and amphetamine derivative.[4] It was derived from structural modification of selegiline (deprenyl; (R)-(–)-N,α-dimethyl-N-2-propynylphenethylamine).[4]
Both racemic PPAP and subsequently its more active (–)-enantiomer (–)-PPAP have been employed in the literature.[4][14][1][2][5][16]
A related MAE, BPAP, is a substituted benzofuran derivative and tryptamine relative that was derived from structural modification of PPAP.[1] It was developed by replacement of the benzene ring in PPAP with a benzofuran ring.[10][17] Another related MAE, indolylpropylaminopentane (IPAP), is a tryptamine derivative that is the analogue of PPAP in which the benzene ring has been replaced with an indole ring.[17][12][13]
PPAP (MK-306) and its (–)-enantiomer (–)-PPAP must not be confused with the sigma receptor ligand R(−)-N-(3-phenyl-n-propyl)-1-phenyl-2-aminopropane ((–)-PPAP—same abbreviation)[18] or with the cephamycin antibiotic cefoxitin (MK-306—same developmental code name).[19][20][21]
Racemic PPAP (MK-306) was first described in the scientific literature in 1988[6] and a series of papers characterizing it were published in the early 1990s.[22][23][24][25][26][27][7][4][28] The first major paper on the drug was published in 1992.[4] It was synthesized by József Knoll and colleagues.[7][4] The potencies of the different enantiomers of PPAP were assessed in 1994.[14] Subsequent papers have employed (–)-PPAP.[1][2][5][16]
Several patents of PPAP have been published.[29][30][31]
The development of PPAP was critical in elucidating that the CAE effects of selegiline are unrelated to its monoamine oxidase inhibition.[8][1][2][3] For many years, PPAP served as a reference compound in studying MAEs.[1][2][3] However, it was eventually superseded by BPAP, which was discovered in 1999.[8][1][2][3][9][10] This MAE is potent and selective than PPAP and, in contrast to PPAP and selegiline, also enhances serotonin.[8][1][2][3][9]
PPAP has been proposed as a potential therapeutic agent for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer's disease, and depression based on preclinical findings.[4] The developers of PPAP attempted to have it clinically studied, but were unsuccessful and it was never assessed in humans.[1]
Recognizing that (–)deprenyl-induced activation of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is unrelated to the inhibition of MAO-B (32), we performed a structure-activity relationship study with the aim of developing deprenyl analogues that, on the one hand, are free of the MAO inhibitory property and, on the other hand, are, in contrast to deprenyl, not metabolized to amphetamines (44). (–)PPAP was selected as a reference substance for further studies. Although (–)PPAP was the first PEA-derived enhancer substance free of the unwanted effects of (–)deprenyl, its clinical efficiency was, in spite of all our efforts, never tested. Figure 8 shows the chemical structure and pharmacologic spectrum of the most important PEA-derived substances that have an enhancer effect.
Because (–)-deprenyl is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of MAO-B, we performed a structure–activity relationship study to develop a deprenyl-derived enhancer substance free of the MAO-B inhibitory property (11). (–)-1-Phenyl-2-propylaminopentane [(–)-PPAP] is our reference substance with this pharmacological profile. [...] Remarkably, 1 mg/kg (–)-PPAP, a (–)-deprenyl–derived enhancer substance devoid of the MAO-B inhibitory potency of its parent compound, fully antagonized tetrabenazine-induced learning depression in HP rats and was ineffective in LP rats. [...] Furthermore, 3-F-BPAP did not influence the enhancer effect of (–)-PPAP, a (–)-deprenyl analogue free of MAO-B inhibitory potency (34, Fig. 4). The data clearly show that the molecular mechanism through which the PEA-derived substances, (–)-deprenyl and (–)-PPAP, exert their enhancer effect in vivo, is not identical with the one through the stimulation of which the tryptamine-derived substance, (–)-BPAP, acts.
This was shown with the development of (–)-1-phenyl-2-propylaminopentane, (–)-PPAP, a derivative of (–)-deprenyl which shared the enhancer activity with its parent compound but was free of its MAO-B inhibitory property (Knoll et al., 1992). (–)-PPAP enhanced dopaminergic activity in the brain like (–)-deprenyl. Knoll's progress in clarifying the mechanism of action of (–)-deprenyl responsible for enhanced dopaminergic activity can be followed in his sequent reviews (Knoll, 1978, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1995), until he came to the final conclusion that (–)-deprenyl acts primarily as a PEA-derived synthetic enhancer substance (Knoll, 1998). [...] Since (–)-deprenyl is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of MAO-B, a structure –activity relationship study was performed to develop a deprenyl-derived enhancer substance being free of the MAO-B inhibitory property (Knoll et al., 1992), and (–)-PPAP is at present the reference substance with this pharmacological profile. [...] The subcutaneous administration of 1 mg/kg tetrabenazine, once daily for 5 days, which depletes the catecholamine stores in the brain, significantly inhibits in rats the acquisition of a two-way conditioned avoidance reflex in the shuttle box. Enhancer substances antagonize, in a dose-dependent manner, the inhibition of learning caused by tetrabenazine. The tryptamine-derived selective and highly potent enhancer, BPAP acted in dose range from 0.05 to 10 mg/kg. The PEA-derived enhancer substances, (–)-deprenyl and (–)-PPAP were much less active (1–5 mg/kg).
This led us in 1992 to 1-Phenyl-2-propylamino-pentane (PPAP) a completely new and very important compound (Fig. 3.1). We started this work in early 1989. I realized finally that we owe the loss of the catecholamine-releasing property, so characteristic of deprenyl, to the bulky substitution attached to the nitrogen, so we put in bulky substitutions to amphetamine. [...]
The demonstration that the DEP analog ( − )-1-phenyl-2- propylaminopentane devoid of MAO inhibitory property, enhanced like DEP the activity of the catecholaminergic brain engine revealed that this effect is unrelated to the selective inhibition of MAO-B. [...] DEVELOPMENT OF (− )-1-PHENYL-2-PROPYLAMINOPENTANE Knoll developed ( − )-1-phenyl-2-propylaminopentane, a DEP analog, which is as equally active with DEP in enhancing the activity of the catecholaminergic brain engine, but it is devoid of MAOI property. This study furnished primary evidence that the main effect of DEP, the specific stimulation of the catecholaminergic brain engine, is unrelated to MAO inhibition.31
Our selected reference compound, (7)BPAP, the benzofuran analogue of (7)PPAP, a much more potent enhancer of the impulse propagation mediated release of catecholamines and serotonin in the brain than either (7)deprenyl or (7)PPAP and a compound structurally unrelated to PEA and the amphetamines, seems to be an especially promising experimental tool for studying the nature and the physiological role of the CAE/SAE mechanism in the brain.
DA-releasing agents are a type of drug that induces, through various mechanisms, the release of DA from the presynaptic neuron into the synaptic cleft, leading to an increase in extracellular concentrations of the neurotransmitter. Examples are amphetamine, lisdexamfetamine (L-lysine-d-amphetamine; vyvanse), methamphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and 4-methylaminorex [27,84–87]. Moreover, (-)1-(benzofuran-2- yl)-2-propylaminopentane, (-)BPAP, (-)-1-phenyl-2-propylaminopentane, and (-)PPAP are enhancers of dopamine activity. BPAP and PPAP act as potent stimulants of neurotransmitter release in dopaminergic neurons, leaving MAO activity largely unchanged. BPAP and PPAP controllably increase the quantity of neurotransmitters that are released when a neuron is stimulated by a neighboring neuron, and they are currently in the research phase [39,88,89].
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† References for all endogenous human TAAR1 ligands are provided at List of trace amines
‡ References for synthetic TAAR1 agonists can be found at TAAR1 or in the associated compound articles. For TAAR2 and TAAR5 agonists and inverse agonists, see TAAR for references.
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