Structure-activity relationships of unsaturated analogues of valproic acid.

The principal metabolite of valproic acid (VPA), 2-ene VPA, appears to share most of VPA's pharmacological and therapeutic properties while lacking its hepatotoxicity and teratogenicity, thus making it a useful lead compound for the development of safer antiepileptic drugs. Analogues of 2-ene VPA were evaluated for anticonvulsant activity in mice using the subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole test. Cyclooctylideneacetic acid exhibited a potency markedly exceeding that of VPA itself with only modest levels of sedation. Potency, as either ED50 or brain concentration, was highly correlated (r > 0.85) with volume and lipophilicity rather than with one of the shape parameters calculated by molecular modeling techniques, arguing against the existence of a specific receptor site. Instead, a role for the plasma membrane in mediating the anticonvulsant effect is suggested.