CX-516 is an
ampakine
Ampakines, also stylized as AMPAkines, are a subgroup of AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulators with a benzamide or closely related chemical structure. They are also known as "CX compounds". Ampakines take their name from the AMPA recepto ...
and
nootropic
Nootropics ( , or ) ( colloquial: smart drugs and cognitive enhancers, similar to adaptogens) are a wide range of natural or synthetic supplements or drugs and other substances that are claimed to improve cognitive function or to promote re ...
that acts as an
AMPA receptor
The α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (also known as AMPA receptor, AMPAR, or quisqualate receptor) is an ionotropic transmembrane receptor for glutamate (iGluR) that mediates fast synaptic transmission in the ce ...
positive allosteric modulator
In pharmacology and biochemistry, allosteric modulators are a group of substances that bind to a receptor to change that receptor's response to stimulus. Some of them, like benzodiazepines, are drugs. The site that an allosteric modulator binds to ...
and had been undergoing
development
Development or developing may refer to:
Arts
*Development hell, when a project is stuck in development
*Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting
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by a collaboration between
Cortex,
Shire, and
Servier
Servier Laboratories (French: Laboratoires Servier, often abbreviated to Servier) is an international pharmaceutical company governed by a non-profit foundation, with its headquarters in France (Suresnes).
The consolidated turnover for the 201 ...
. It was studied as a potential treatment for
Alzheimer's disease under the brand name Ampalex, and was also being examined as a treatment for
ADHD.
CX-516 was the first ampakine compound developed by Cortex and while it showed good ''in vitro'' activity and positive results in animal tests, the human trials proved disappointing due mainly to low potency and short half-life. However, CX-516 is still widely used in animal research into the ampakine drugs and is the standard reference compound that newer, more potent drugs of this class such as
farampator
Farampator (developmental code names CX-691, ORG-24448, SCH-900460) is an ampakine drug. It was developed by Cortex Pharmaceuticals, and licensed to Organon BioSciences for commercial development. Following the purchase of Organon by Schering-Pl ...
and
CX-717
CX717 is an ampakine compound created by Christopher Marrs and Gary Rogers in 1996 at Cortex Pharmaceuticals. It affects the neurotransmitter glutamate, with trials showing the drug improves cognitive functioning and memory.
Approval process
In ...
are compared to.
See also
*
AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulator
AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulators are positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the receptor (AMPR), a type of ionotropic glutamate receptor which mediates most fast synaptic neurotransmission in the central nervous system.
Medical ...
References
*
{{Ionotropic glutamate receptor modulators
Ampakines
Stimulants
AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulators
1-Piperidinyl compounds
Carboxamides
Quinoxalines
Abandoned drugs