Desformylflustrabromine

Desformylflustrabromine (dFBr) is a tryptamine derivative which was first isolated as an active metabolite of the marine bryozoan Flustra foliacea. Desformylflustrabromine (dFBr) is a tryptamine derivative which was first isolated as an active metabolite of the marine bryozoan Flustra foliacea. dFBr has been identified as a novel positive allosteric modulator of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor with sub-type specificity for heteromeric receptor with no effect on homomeric sub-type. A recent study has been published which describes the synthesis of water-soluble salts of dFBr and its action has been confirmed as selective potentiator of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor responses by using two-electrode voltage clamp whole cell recordings. In the year 2002 it was reported that dFBr was cytotoxic on human colon cancer cell line HCT 116.Desformylflustrabromine has also been found to be a positive allosteric modulator for the α2β2 subtype of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Additionally it relieves the inhibition of both α2β2 and α4β2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors by β-Amyloid (1–42) Peptide. Thus Desformylflustrabromine can potentially be used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Many of the deconstructed analogs of dFBr are reported to have a potentiating effect on the α4β2 receptors.