Selective Ion Channel Modulators Avoiding MAO Inhibition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current medicaments that modulate sodium and/or calcium channels for treating neurological, psychiatric, inflammatory, urogenital, and gastrointestinal diseases often exhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory activity, leading to adverse side effects such as hypertensive crises and serotoninergic syndrome, especially when combined with other drugs or consumed with tyramine-rich foods.

Innovation Solution

Development of 2-[2-(phenyl)ethylamino]alkaneamide derivatives that act as selective sodium and/or calcium channel modulators, substantially free from MAO inhibitory activity, reducing the risk of these side effects by avoiding MAO inhibition and thus providing a safer therapeutic option for these pathologies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If current medicaments that modulate sodium and/or calcium channels are used, then therapeutic efficacy for neurological, psychiatric, inflammatory, urogenital, and gastrointestinal diseases is achieved, but MAO inhibitory activity causes adverse side effects such as hypertensive crises and serotoninergic syndrome

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetherapeutic efficacyVSAvoidMAO inhibitory side effects
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the pharmacological activity into two distinct components: sodium/calcium channel modulation (therapeutic effect) and MAO inhibition (side effect source). By designing compounds that selectively target voltage-gated sodium and/or calcium channels without significant MAO inhibitory activity, the invention separates the desired therapeutic action from the harmful side effects, achieving reliable treatment efficacy while eliminating MAO-related adverse reactions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies local quality by creating compounds with selective affinity for specific ion channel subtypes (e.g., Nav1.7, Nav1.8, Cav2.2) while maintaining lack of affinity for MAO enzymes. This localized specificity ensures that the medicament exerts its therapeutic effect only at the intended molecular target (sodium/calcium channels) without affecting other systems (MAO), thereby achieving reliable therapy without MAO inhibitory side effects

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If MAO inhibitory activity is present in sodium and/or calcium channel modulators, then broad therapeutic coverage is achieved, but the risk of hypertensive crises and serotoninergic syndrome increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetherapeutic coverageVSAvoidrisk of hypertensive crises and serotoninergic syndrome
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and removes the MAO inhibitory activity component from the medicament while retaining the sodium/calcium channel modulation capability. By designing compounds that lack MAO inhibitory activity but maintain ion channel modulating effects, the patent eliminates the source of hypertensive crises and serotoninergic syndrome while preserving broad therapeutic coverage for multiple disease indications

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention converts the historical limitation (MAO inhibition causing side effects) into a benefit by deliberately designing compounds that avoid MAO inhibition. This approach transforms what was previously a harmful dual-action profile into a beneficial selective-action profile, where the absence of MAO inhibition becomes the key advantage that enables safe and effective treatment across multiple therapeutic areas

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentEP2155663B1Substituted 2-[2-(phenyl)ethylamino]alkaneamide derivatives and their use as sodium and/or calcium channel modulators
Publication Date: 2017.11.29 NEWRON PHARMACEUTICALS SPA
  • EP2155663B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2155663B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2155663B1 patent drawing

AI summary

Substituted 2-[2-(phenyl)ethylamino]alkaneamide derivatives of formula (I) wherein X, Y, Z, R, R1, R2, R3, R'3, R4, R5, R6, R7 have the meanings defined in the specification and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, pharmaceutical compositions containing them as active ingredient and their use as sodium and/or calcium channel modulators useful in preventing, alleviating and curing a wide range of pathologies, including, but not limited to, neurological, cognitive, psychiatric, inflammatory, urogenital and gastrointestinal diseases, where the above mechanisms have been described as playing a pathological role.