Synthesis and biological evaluation of quinuclidine derivatives incorporating phenothiazine moieties as squalene synthase inhibitors

Squalene synthase inhibitors have the potential to be superior hypocholesterolemic agents. A series of quinuclidine derivatives incorporating phenothiazine systems was synthesized in order to investigate the effects of their structure on the inhibition of hamster liver microsomal enzyme. (+/-)-3-(10-Methyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-ylmethoxy)quinuclidine hydrochloride (19) was the most potent inhibitor in this series with an IC(50) value of 0.12 microM. Oral dosing of compound 19 to hamsters demonstrated effective reduction of both plasma total cholesterol levels and plasma triglyceride levels. Compound 19 showed a reduced tendency to elevate plasma transaminase levels, an indicator of hepatotoxicity. Enantiomerically pure (-)-19, YM-53546, was found to be more potent than the corresponding (+)-enantiomer.