Development of indole sulfonamides as cannabinoid receptor negative allosteric modulators

Abstract Existing CB1 negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) fall into a limited range of structural classes. In spite of the theoretical potential of CB1 NAMs, published in vivo studies have generally not been able to demonstrate the expected therapeutically-relevant CB1-mediated effects. Thus, a greater range of molecular tools are required to allow definitive elucidation of the effects of CB1 allosteric modulation. In this study, we show a novel series of indole sulfonamides. Compounds 5e and 6c ( ABD1075 ) had potencies of 4 and 3 nM respectively, and showed good oral exposure and CNS penetration, making them highly versatile tools for investigating the therapeutic potential of allosteric modulation of the cannabinoid system.