Design and synthesis of selective ligands targeting different nAChR subtypes

Differences in the pharmacological and functional properties of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) largely depend on their subunit composition. Recent studies indicate that receptor subtypes are selectively implicated in some diseases in which nAChRs have been found to be modified. In order to control different nicotinic brain functions pharmacologically, it is very important to have drugs (agonists or antagonists) that selectively affect the different receptor subtypes in such a way as to maximize the desired effect and minimize the unwanted effects. To achieve these goals, we designed and synthesized different series of compounds potentially able to selectively activate nAChR subtypes (alpha3beta4 and alpha7).