Synthesis and beta-blocking activity of (R,S)-(E)-oximeethers of 2,3-dihydro-1,8-naphthyridine and 2,3-dihydrothiopyrano[2,3-b]pyridine: identification of beta 3-antagonists

Drugs acting on beta(1)- and beta(2)-adrenergic receptors are widely used for the clinical management of a large number of cardiovascular and respiratory pathologies. In the last decade, the discovery of the third subtype of beta receptors, the beta(3)-adrenoceptor, gave a further pharmacological target for the development of new selective drugs. Initially, a potential therapeutic use of beta(3)-selective agents seemed to be restricted to agonists, for the treatment of metabolic diseases, such as obesity, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, urinary frequency and incontinence. More recently, some interesting theories about a negative role played by the cardio-depressant activity of myocardial beta(3)-adrenoceptors in heart failure, seemed to justify a clinical use of beta(3)-antagonists in the last phases of this cardiac disease. Following the indications deriving from previous experimental work, the beta-antagonist properties of newly-synthesised (R,S)-(E)-oximeethers of 2,3-dihydro-1,8-naphthyridine and of 2,3-dihydrothiopyrano2,3-b]pyridine were evaluated, in order to identify some useful structure-activity relationships, which might account for selectivity towards the three beta-subtypes and, in particular, the beta(3)-adrenoceptor. Among the various observations regarding possible structure-activity relationships, able to explain the pharmacodynamic patterns of the synthesised compounds on the three subtypes of beta-adrenoceptors, the most significant data derived from the evaluation of the beta(3)-blocking properties of some oximeethers of 1,8-naphthyridine derivatives. In these molecules, although the presence of the large substituents in position 7, such as 4-chloro-phenoxy- or 4-t-butyl-phenoxy groups determined a dramatic decline in both the beta(1)- and beta(2)-activities, this structural characteristic had a modest influence on the beta(3)-affinity, which was only slightly lower. Hence, this last structural requirement of oximeethers of 1,8-naphthyridine derivatives seems to represent a useful expedient to induce an appreciable selectivity towards the beta(3)-receptor, through a markedly negative effect on the beta(1)- and beta(2)-activities rather than an increase in the beta(3)-affinity.