3-Deoxyclocinnamox: The First High-Affinity, Nonpeptide μ-Opioid Antagonist Lacking a Phenolic Hydroxyl Group

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Abstract
The C(3)-substituent in morphinan opioids is of critical importance; the 3-OH group is usually associated with very much higher affinity for mu-receptors than H or -OMe. However in this series of 14beta-cinnamoylamino derivatives the codeinones (e.g. methoclocinnamox, MC-CAM) had unexpectedly high mu-opioid receptor affinity, similar to that of the morphinone (clocinnamox, C-CAM). The current report relates to the synthesis and in vitro evaluation of deoxyclocinnamox (DOC-CAM) which acted as a high-affinity opioid antagonist similar to C-CAM but with greater mu selectivity. Thus it appears that the C(3)-substituent does not play a major role in the binding of the 14beta-cinnamoyl series and that the cinnamoyl group itself may in fact be the dominant binding feature.