Naltrindole

Naltrindole

File:Naltrindole.png
Clinical data
Routes of administration	IV
Identifiers
IUPAC name 17-Cyclopropylmethyl-6,7-dehydro-4,5-epoxy -3,14-dihydroxy-6,7,2',3'-indolomorphinan
CAS Number	111555-53-4
PubChem CID	5497186
E number	{{#property:P628}}
ECHA InfoCard	{{#property:P2566}}
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C26H26N2O3
Molar mass	414.496 g/mol

Naltrindole is a highly potent, highly selective delta opioid receptor antagonist used in biomedical research.

Drug Design

Since peptide compounds are unable to cross the blood brain barrier, researchers developed naltrindole to be a non-peptide antagonist analog of the delta-preferring endogenous opiate enkephalin. Enkephalin contains an aromatic phenyl group on its Phe⁴ residue, which was hypothesized to be the "address" sequence responsible for the opiate's delta opioid receptor affinity. Thus, attachment of a phenyl-containing indole molecule to the C-ring of naltrexone's morphinan base successfully produced a drug with the high receptor affinity of naltrexone, but which binds almost exclusively to the delta opioid receptor.