Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Ogerin-Based Positive Allosteric Modulators for G Protein-Coupled Receptor 68 (GPR68)

G protein-coupled receptor 68 (GPR68) is an understudied orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR). It is expressed most abundantly in the brain, potentially playing important roles in learning and memory. Pharmacological studies with GPR68 have been hindered by lack of chemical tools that can selectively modulate its activity. We previously reported the first small-molecule positive allosteric modulator (PAM), ogerin (1), and showed that 1 can potentiate proton activity at the GPR68-G_s pathway. Here, we report the first comprehensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) study on the scaffold of 1. Our lead compound resulted from this study, MS48107 (71), displayed 33-fold increased allosteric activity compared to 1. Compound 71 demonstrated high selectivity over closely related proton GPCRs and 48 common drug targets, and was bioavailable and brain-penetrant in mice. Thus, our SAR study has resulted in an improved GPR68 PAM for investigating the physiological and pathophysiological roles of GPR68 in vitro and in vivo.