1 We studied the effect of temperature on the binding to rat heart \(M_2\) muscarinic receptors of antagonists related to the carbon/silicon pairs pridinol/sila-pridinol and diphenidol/sila-diphenidol (including three germanium compounds) and six structurally related pairs of enantiomers [(R)- and (S)-procyclidine, (R)- and (S)-trihexyphenidyl, (R)- and (S)-tricyclamol, (R)- and (S)-trihexyphenidyl methiodide, (R)- and (S)-hexahydro-diphenidol and (R)- and (S)-hexbutinol]. Binding affinities were determined in competition experiments using \([^3H]\)-N-methyl-scopolamine chloride as radioligand. The reference drugs were scopolamine and N-methyl-scopolamine bromide. 2 The affinity of the antagonists either increased or decreased with temperature, van 't Hoff plots were linear in the 278–310°K temperature range. Binding of all antagonists was entropy driven. Enthalpy changes varied from large negative values (down to \(−29 kJ mol^{−1}\)) to large positive values (up to \(+ 30 kJ mol^{−1}\)). 3 (R)-configurated drugs had a 10 to 100 fold greater affinity for \(M_2\) receptors than the corresponding (S)-enantiomers. Enthalpy and entropy changes of the respective enantiomers were different but no consistent pattern was observed. 4 When silanols \((R_3SiOH)\) were compared to carbinols \((R_3COH)\), the affinity increase caused by C/Si exchange varied between 3 and 10 fold for achiral drugs but was negligible in the case of chiral drugs. Silanols induced more favourable enthalpy and less favourable entropy changes than the corresponding carbinols when binding. Organogermanium compounds \((R_4Ge)\) when compared to their silicon counterparts (R4Si) showed no significant difference in affinity as well as in enthalpy and entropy changes. 5 Exchange of a cyclohexyl by a phenyl moiety was associated with an increase or a decrease in drug affinity (depending on the absolute configuration in the case of chiral drugs) and generally also with a more favourable enthalpy change and a less favourable entropy change of drug binding. 6 Replacement of a pyrrolidino by a piperidino group and increasing the length of the alkylene chain bridging the amino group and the central carbon or silicon atom were associated with either an increase or a decrease of entropy and enthalpy changes of drug binding. However, there was no clear correlation between these structural variations and the thermodynamic effects. 7 Taken together, these results suggest that hydrogen bond-forming OH groups and, to a lesser extent, polarizable phenyl groups contribute significantly to the thermodynamics of interactions between these classes of muscarinic antagonists and \(M_2\) muscarinic receptors.

Wc invcstigatcd thc binding properlies of thc (R)- and (Sl-cnantiomcrs of thc muscarinic antagonists trihcxyphcnidyl, procyclidinc, hcxahydro-difcnidol. p-fluoro-hcxahydro-difcnidol. hcxbutinol, p-fluoro-hcxbutinnl. and thcir corrcsponding methiodidcs at muscarinic M\(_1\), M\(_2\)• M\(_3\) and M\(_4\) receptor subtypes. In addition. binding properlies of thc (R)- and (S)-cnantiomcrs of oxyphcncycliminc wcrc studicd. The {R)- cnantiomcrs (cutomcrs} of all the compounds had a grcatcr affinity than the (S)-isomcrs for thc four muscarinic rcccptor subtypcs. Thc binding pattcrns of thc (R)- and (S)-enantiomers wcrc gcncrally different. We did not obscrvc any gcncral corrclation hctwccn thc potcncy of thc high-affinity enantiomer and Lhc affinity ratio (cudismic ratio) of the two cnantiomcrs. Thc rcsuhs arc discusscd in tcrms of a 'four suhsitcs' binding modcl.

The goals of the present study were: (1) to investigate thc binding properlies oi (R)- and (S)-procyclidine and two aehiral derivatives of muscarinic M\(_1\)• M\(_2\) and M\(_4\) receptor subtypes and (2) to identify the interaetions which allow these receptors to diseriminate between the two stereoisomers. (R)-Procyclidine showed a higher affinity for human neuroblastoma NB-OK 1 muscarinie M\(_1\) and rat striatum musearinie M\(_4\) receptors. a~ compared to rat cardiac M\(_2\) receptors. (S)-Procyclidine had a 130-iold lower affinity than (R)-procyclidine for M\(_1\) and M\(_4\) receptors. and a 40-fold lower affinity for M\(_2\) receptors. Pyrrinol. the aehiral diphenyl derivative with the eyclohexyl g.roup of (S}-procyclidine replaeed by a phenyl group, has an eight-fold lower affinity for M\(_1\) and M\(_4\) receptors. as eompared to (R)-procyclidine, and a three-fold lower affinity for M\(_2\) receptors. Hexahydro-procyclidine. the eorresponding achiral dicyclohexyl compound, had a 10- to 20-fold lower affinity than (R)-procyclidine for the three reeeptors. The inerease in binding free energy, which is observed when the phenyl and eyclohexyl groups of procyelidine are separately replaeed by cyclohexyJ and phenyl groups, respectively. was additive in the ease of M\(_1\)• M\(_2\) and M\(_4\) receptcrs. This indicates that the musearinic reeeptor s!ereoseleetivity was based on the eoexistence of two binding sites, one preferring a phenylrather than eyclohexyl group and the seeond preferring a cyclohexyl rather than a phenyl group. In addition. there were aiso binding sites for the hydroxy moiety and the protonated amino group of the ligands. The greater affinity and stereoselectivity of M\(_1\) and M\(_4\) muscarinic receptors for (R)-procyelidine reflected the better fit of the eyclohexyl group of (R)-procyclidine to the subsite of M\(_1\) and M\(_4\) as compared to M\(_2\) receptors.

(R)-Hexahydro-difenidol has a higher affinity for M\(_1\) receptors in NB-OK 1 cells, pancreas M\(_3\) and striatum M\(_4\) receptors (pKi 7.9 to 8.3) than for cardiac M2 receptors (pKi 7 .0). (8)-Hexahydro-difenidol, by contrast, is nonselective (pKi 5.8 to 6.1). Our goal in the present study was to evaluate the importance ofthe hydrophobic phenyl, and cyclohexyl rings of hexahydro-difenidol for the stereoselectivity and reeeptor selectivity of hexahydro-difenidol binding to the four muscarinic receptors. Our results indieated that replacement of the phenyl ring of hexahydro-difenidol by a cyclohexyl group <~ dicyclidol) and ofthe cyclohexyl ring by a phenyl moiety <~ difenidol) indueed a !arge (4- to 80-fold) decrease in binding affinity for all musearlnie receptors. Difenidol had a signifieant preference for M\(_1\) , M\(_3\) , and M\(_4\) over M\(_2\) receptors; dicyclidol, by eontrast, had a greater affinity for M\(_1\) and M\(_4\) than for M\(_2\) and M\(_3\) receptors. The binding free energy deerease due to replacement ofthe phenyl and the cyelohexyl groups of(R)-hexahydro-difenidol by, respectively, a eyclohexyl and a phenyl moiety was almostadditive in the ease of M\(_4\) (striatum) binding sites. In the ease ofthe cardiac M\(_2\), pancreatic M\(_3\) , or NB-OK 1 M\(_1\) receptors the respective binding free energies were not eompletely additive. These results suggest that the four (R)-hexahydro-difenidol ''binding moieties" (phenyl, cyclohexyl, hydroxy, and protonated amino group) cannot simultaneously form optimal interaetions with the M\(_1\), M\(_2\), and M\(_3\) muscarinic receptors. When eaeh of the hydrophobic groups is modified, the position of the whole molecule, relative to the four subsites, was changed to allow an optimal overall interaction with the musearlnie receptor.

In an attempt to assess the structural requirements of hexahydro-sila-difenidol for potency and selectivity, a series of analogues modified in the amino group and the phenyl ring were investigated for their affinity to muscarinic M1- (rabbit vas deferens), Mr (guinea-pig atria) and Mr (guinea-pig ileum) receptors. All compounds were competitive antagonists in the three tissues. Their affinities to the three muscarinic receptor subtypes differed by more than two orders of magnitude and the observed receptor selectivities were not associated with high affinity. The pyrrolidino and hexamethyleneimino analogues, compounds substituted in the phenylring with a methoxy group or a chlorine atom as weil as p-fluoro-hexahydro-difenidol displayed the same affinity profile as the parent compound, hexahydro-sila-difenidol: M1 = M3 > M2 • A different selectivity patternwas observed for p-fluoro-hexahydro-sila-difenidol: M3 > M1 > M2 • This compound exhibited its highest affinity for M3-receptors in guinea-pig ileum (pA 2 = 7.84), intermediate affinity for M1-receptors in rabbit vas deferens (pA 2 = 6.68) and lowest affinity for the Mrreceptors in guinea-pig atria (pA 2 = 6.01). This receptor selectivity profile of p-fluoro-hexahydro-sila-difenidol was confirmed in ganglia (M1), atria (M2 ) and ileum (M 3 ) of the rat. Furthermore, dose ratios obtained with either pirenzepine (Mt) or hexahydrosila- difenidol (M2 and M3) and the p-fluoro analogue used in combination suggested that the antagonism was additive, implying mutual competition with a single population of muscarinic receptor subtypes. These results indicate that p-fluoro-hexahydro-sila-difenidol represents a valuable tool for characterization of muscarinic receptor subtypes.