Aminotetralone analogues of ketamine: synthesis and evaluation of hypnotic and locomotor properties in mice.

Ketamine and phencyclidine are structurally similar compounds that share many pharmacological actions, some of which are similar to the phenethylamines amphetamine and cathione. In order to integrate structural features of ketamine and cathinone, two groups of analogues, which are more conformationally restricted compared to the parent compounds, were synthesized for biological evaluation. These included 1-amino-1-methyl-2-tetralone and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-tetralone was well as several N-substituted derivatives of these molecules. Locomotor activity testing in mice revealed that 2-amino-2-methyl-1-tetralone caused an increase in locomotor activity while 1-amino-1-methyl-2-tetralone depressed spontaneous locomotor activity. None of the compounds produced hypnosis or profound ataxia.