SB-271,046

SB-271,046 is a drug which is used in scientific research. It was one of the first selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonists to be discovered, and was found through high-throughput screening of the SmithKline Beecham Compound Bank using cloned 5-HT6 receptors as a target, with an initial lead compound being developed into SB-271,046 through a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study. SB-271,046 was found to be potent and selective in vitro and had good oral bioavailability in vivo, but had poor penetration across the blood-brain barrier, so further SAR work was then conducted, which led to improved 5-HT6 antagonists such as SB-357,134 and SB-399,885.

SB-271,046 was found to increase levels of the excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters glutamate and aspartate, as well as dopamine and noradrenaline in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of rats, and 5-HT6 antagonists have been shown to produce nootropic effects in a variety of animal studies. Suggested applications of these drugs include treatment of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.