Identification of Novel Ligands for the Gabapentin Binding Site on the α2δ Subunit of a Calcium Channel and Their Evaluation as Anticonvulsant Agents

As part of a program to investigate the structure−activity relationships of Gabapentin (Neurontin), a number of alkylated analogues were synthesized and evaluated in vitro for binding to the Gabapentin binding site located on the α2δ subunit of a calcium channel. A number of other bridged and heterocyclic analogues are also reported along with their in vitro data. Two compounds showing higher affinity than Gabapentin were selected for evaluation in an animal model of epilepsy. One of these compounds, cis-(1S,3R)-(1-(aminomethyl)-3-methylcyclohexyl)acetic acid hydrochloride (19), was shown to be effective in this model with a profile similar to that of Gabapentin itself.