Harnessing the pyrroloquinoxaline scaffold for FAAH and MAGL interaction: Definition of the structural determinants for enzyme inhibition

This paper describes the development of piperazine and 4-aminopiperidine carboxamides/carbamates supported on a pharmacogenic pyrroloquinoxaline scaffold as inhibitors of the endocannabinoid catabolizing enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). Structure-activity relationships and molecular modelling studies allowed the definition of the structural requirements for dual FAAH/MAGL inhibition and led to the identification of a small set of derivatives (compounds 5e, i, k, m) displaying a balanced inhibitory profile against both enzymes, with compound 5m being the frontrunner of the subset. Favorable calculated physico-chemical properties suggest further investigation for specific analogues.