Synthesis and anticonvulsant evaluation of semicarbazones of acetophenone Mannich bases

Several semicarbazones of acetophenone and p-chloroacetophenone Mannich bases were designed and synthesized to meet the pharmacophore requirements essential for anticonvulsant activity. Mannich bases of acetophenone and p-chloroacetophenone were prepared by reacting formaldehyde with various secondary amines and then condensed with several aryl semicarbazides to yield the corresponding semicarbazones. All compounds were evaluated for their anticonvulsant activity by maximal electroshock (MES) and by subcutaneous metrazole (ScMet) and strychnine (ScSty) induced seizure methods, and their neurotoxic effects were determined using the rotorod test. The title compounds were also investigated for antidepressant and sedative-hypnotic potentiation properties. It is established that 3-[3-chlorophenyl(β-dimethylaminopropiophenone)semicarbazone] has excellent anticonvulsant activity in MES, ScSty, and ScMet tests and exhibits a potent antidepressant effect in the absence of sedative-hypnotic potentiation. The present study has proved our earlier hypothesis concerning the pharmacophore model with essential binding sites for semicarbazones. The inclusion of an additional moiety (CH₂-CH₂-N<) at the electron donor acceptor group retained the anticonvulsant activity. Published in Khimiko-Farmatsevticheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 15–19, June, 2007.