Antidepressant Medchem Flashcards
What do these acronyms represent?
DAT
NAT
SERT
DAT – dopamine transporter
NAT – norepinephrine transporter
SERT – serotonin transporter
What is your understanding of these prefixes?
Des
Nor
Des- or Nor-: removal or loss of methyl group
What are the antidepressant Mechanisms of Action?
↑ NT activity by blocking their reuptake
↑ NT activity by blocking their metabolism
5HT & α2-Adrenergic Receptor Antagonists
Antidepressants - Drug selection is based on:
- Antidepressants - Drug selection is based on ADMET properties and side effect profile à altering patient’s brain chemistry
- 1st Generation – useful in certain instances
- Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs)
- Monoamine oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
- 2nd Generation – less side affects
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Serotonin/Norepi. Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
- Atypical Antidepressants
- Dopamine & Norepi. Reuptake Inhibitors (DNRIs)
- 5HT-2 Antagonists/5HT Reuptake Inhibitors (SRMs)
- 1st Generation – useful in certain instances

Antidepressant MOA
- Mechanism of Action - Monoamine deficiency à we need to increase the level of MoA in the synapse - Block deactivation
- ↑ NT activity by blocking their reuptake
- ↑ NT activity by blocking their metabolism
- 5HT & α2-Adrenergic Receptor Antagonists
Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) SAR
- Structure: Three cyclic structures that are fused and attached to an amine at some point.
- Structure of rings must be 6, 7, 6 or 6, 6, 6 for conformational restriction.
- Secondary amine TCAs are bound to two other carbons.
- If Alkene present on side chain, then possibility of cis-trans isomerism to occur which will impact SERT selectivity.

Tertiary amine TCAs
Imipramine (Tofranil)
Amitriptyline (Elavil)
Doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan)
Clomipramine (Anafranil)
Tertiary amine TCAs Characteristics
- Characteristics
- Lipophilic (can cross into the CNS) & low bioavailability (due to 1st pass metabolism)
- Inhibit NET (to a lower extent) and SERT (mostly)
- –OH & nor- or des-methyl active metabolites
- Many side effects – promiscuous receptor affinities
- Broad activity – can bind to histamine receptors (sedation), cholinergic receptors (antagonist – Anti-SLUDE), dopamine receptors (anti-dopaminergic effects), Na+ channels (cardio toxic)
- Promiscuous pharmacology = more side effects + broad spectrum activity of these agents
- 3o TCAs - low bioavailabilities but long t1/2 (10- 30h)
- Whatever reaches systemic circulation stays there for a long period of time
- 2D6 & 3A4 for metabolism – metabolites have long t1/2
- 3oN TCAs are rapidly metabolized to secondary amine TCAs (↑ plasma concs. of 2oN TCAs)
- More NET than SERT inhibition
- Contraindicated with MAOIs? Essentially doing the same thing – may lead to too much NT in the synapse
- Are they still useful? Yes, when a patient has failed other treatment options.

Imipramine
- (Tofranil)-Tertiary amine
- A dibenzazepine isostere of phenothiazine
- Increased synaptic Norepi/5HT concentrations by inhibiting reuptake
- N-desmethyl metabolite turns overall activity in favor of NET
- Tertiary amine TCA’s = more SERT than NET (Imipramine)
- Secondary amine TCA’s = more NET than SERT (Desipramine)
- Comes from the discover of chlorpromazine (antipsychotic)

Amitriptyline
- (Elavil)-tertiary amine
- A dibenzocycloheptene – not cis or trans because of symmetry
- Sensitive to photo-oxidation (protect HCl solutions from light – should be kept in amber bottles – dibenzoprolidineamine)
- Polymorphisms with 2D6 metabolism
- Similar to binding profile to imipramine
- Amitriptyline = tertiary amine, Nortriptyline = secondary amine

Doxepin
- (Adapin, Sinequan)-tertiary amine
- O-introduces asymmetry (geometric isomers) – changes functional group to dibenzoxepine which retains the antidepressant activity, but now there are geometric isomers:
- E (inhibits NET) 85%
- Z is the more active isomer and inhibits SERT 15%
- This preparation favors NET over SERT (85%/15%)
- Des or nor-methyl active metabolites can occur from tertiary amine
- O-introduces asymmetry (geometric isomers) – changes functional group to dibenzoxepine which retains the antidepressant activity, but now there are geometric isomers:

Clomipramine
- (Anafranil)- tertiary amine
- last major TCA introduced and most powerful
- A 3-Cl derivative of Imipramine, is 50X more potent
- Exhibits 50% PO bioavailability
- Metabolized by 2D6 (variable metabolism depending on patient phenotype)
- Active metabolite is inhibiting NET > Clomipramine

Secondary Amines TCA’s
Desipramine and Nortriptyline
Desipramine and Nortriptyline
- Secondary Amines
- High bioavailabilities & lipophilic (CNS & breast milk)
- More NET than SERT inhibition
- 1A2 (N-demethylation to 1o amines) & 2D6 (2-OH)
- Extra Info: Carry the same features of the tertiary amine, but side effects are slightly lower. Desipramine comes from imipramine. Nortriptyline comes from amitriptyline. Both undergo a loss of methyl group. Primary amines have a dramatic loss of antidepressant activity. Aromatic hydroxylation occurs at C2 (prepares for further metabolism)

Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
Isocarboxazid (Marplan)
Phenelzine (Nardil)
+/- Tranylcypromine (Parnate)
Selegiline (Elderpryl, Emsam Patch)
Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) General Characteristics
- Irreversible treatment agents
- Have a long duration of action (tie up the enzyme)
- Undergoes oxidative deamination
- Two Isoforms (MAO-A & MAO-B)
- MAO-A: selectively deaminates 5-HT, melatonin, Epi. & Norepi.
- MAO-B: 75% of brain MAOs, deaminates phenethylamines (DA, 5-HT)
- Four irreversible MAOIs (form covalent bonds with MAOs) - long acting despite their short half-life→longer washout period before switching patient to other medication
- ↑ conc. of NE & 5HT @ synapse by ↓ metabolism
- DDIs: (SSRIs, Amphetamines, Tyramine, etc.) – serotonin (5HT) syndrome, hypertensive crisis, etc.
- Most agents are non-selective
- Tyramine (found in cheese) can cause hypertensive crisis

Isocarboxazid
(Marplan)
A hydrazine MAOI
Non-selective irreversible MAOI = inhibits both MAOA and MAOB
Isoniazid (anti-TB agent) was the starting point

Phenelzine
(Nardil)
A hydrazine MAOI
Molecule that is rapidly absorbed, Elim. t1/2 = 1-4 h
Non-selective irreversible MAOI (“suicide” inhibitor)
MoA: free radical reactive species
Suicide inhibition – forming reactive species that stick around and inhibit the same enzymes
NAT polymorphisms exist – may need to adjust the dose for patients

+/- Tranylcypromine
(Parnate) - racemicA cyclopropyl amphetamine analog
Introducing isomerism
Non-selective irreversible MAOI
(+) - enantiomer is the eutomer
More rapid onset vs. Phenelzine
Competitive inhibitor of 2C19 and 2D6

Selegiline
(Elderpryl, Emsam Patch)
A propagylamine MAOI
Selective, irreversible, MAO-B inhibitor (lose selectivity @ higher doses)
L-Selegiline is the eutomer
Why a patch formulation?
Skip GI & liver MAO inhibition & avoid hypertensive crisis
Metabolism: 2B6/2C19 to L-Amphetamine (vasoactive)
Contains a chiral carbon à L-isomer is the more active
Allows patients to have a less restrictive diet – bypasses GI and liver

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
(±)- Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Paroxetine (Paxil)
(±)-Citalopram (Celexa)
Sertraline (Zoloft)
Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) Characteristics
Most commonly prescribed (less SE vs. TCAs)
Well absorbed, longer acting, requires 2D6 & 3A4 for activation/deactivation
Side-effects experienced at higher doses (why?)
Most are arylalkylamine derivatives (mostly arylpropylamines, n = 3)

(±)- Fluoxetine
- (Prozac)
- Phenoxyphenylalkylamine
- S- (-)-isomer (SERT selective) & R- (+)- is longer acting
- SERT inhibition depends on phenoxy ring substitution
- EWGs in 4th position ↑SERT inhibition
- 2,4- or 3,4-disubstitutions ↓ selectivity
- Equally active metabolite is S-Norfluoxetine = longer acting
- Fluoxetine & Norfluoxetine - potently inhibit 2D6 & 3A4
- In racemic form, fluoxetine benefits from a balance of S and R isomers (selectivity and duration of action)
- 2D6 may appear as a poor metabolizer due to potent inhibition of 2D6
- Norfluoxetine is also known as des/nor-methyl fluoxetine

Paroxetine
- (Paxil)
- A phenoxyphenylalkylamine constrained analog of Fluoxetine
- 50% PO bioavailability due to first pass metabolism
- 3S,4R- (-)-isomer is marketed as paroxetine
- At low dose, deactivates 2D6 via reactive metabo. & ↑ plasma conc. of paroxetine
- O-quinoid reactive metabolite leads to deactivation of 2D6 = mechanism-based inhibition of 2D6
- May need to find an alternative if this is occurring at low doses













