Synthesis and biological evaluation of (4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)isoquinoline derivatives as selective glycine transporter 1 inhibitors

To identify novel glycine transporter 1(GlyT1) inhibitors with greater selectivity relative to GlyT2 and improved aqueous solubility, we synthesized a series of 4H-1,2,4-triazole derivatives with heteroaromatic rings at the 4-position and investigated their structure-activity relationships. Replacement of the 2-fluorophenyl group of lead compound 5 with various aromatic groups led to the identification of 5-(3-biphenyl-4-yl-5-ethyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)isoquinoline (15) with 38-fold selectivity between GlyT1 and GlyT2. 15 also showed improved aqueous solubility and in vivo efficacy on (+)-HA966-induced hyperlocomotion in mice over the lead compound.