Discovery and optimization of piperidyl-1,2,3-triazole ureas as potent, selective, and in vivo-active inhibitors of α/β-hydrolase domain containing 6 (ABHD6)

α/β-Hydrolase domain containing 6 (ABHD6) is a transmembrane serine hydrolase that hydrolyzes the endogenous cannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) to regulate certain forms of cannabinoid receptor-dependent signaling in the nervous system. The full spectrum of ABHD6 metabolic activities and functions is currently unknown and would benefit from selective, in vivo-active inhibitors. Here, we report the development and characterization of an advanced series of irreversible (2-substituted)-piperidyl-1,2,3-triazole urea inhibitors of ABHD6, including compounds KT182 and KT203, which show exceptional potency and selectivity in cells (<5 nM) and, at equivalent doses in mice (1 mg kg(-1)), act as systemic and peripherally restricted ABHD6 inhibitors, respectively. We also describe an orally bioavailable ABHD6 inhibitor, KT185, that displays excellent selectivity against other brain and liver serine hydrolases in vivo. We thus describe several chemical probes for biological studies of ABHD6, including brain-penetrant and peripherally restricted inhibitors that should prove of value for interrogating ABHD6 function in animal models.