(R)- and (S)-5-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino)tetralin (5-OH DPAT): assessment of optical purities and dopaminergic activities

Racemic 5-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino)tetralin (5-OH DPAT), a potent and selective dopamine (DA) D2-receptor agonist, was resolved into the enantiomers by a new method. The enantiomers of 5-OH DPAT were determined by chiral ion-pair chromatography using N-benzyloxycarbonylglycyl-L-proline as the counter ion. The enantiomeric purity of (R)-5-OH DPAT was found to be greater than 99.7%. The ability of the enantiomers to change the rat brain DOPA levels was evaluated in vivo. The results indicate that (R)-5-OH DPAT is a weakly potent DA D2-receptor antagonist.