Proxorphan (
INN), also known as proxorphan tartate (
USAN) (developmental code name BL-5572M), is an
opioid analgesic
An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It ...
and
antitussive drug
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
of the
morphinan family that was never marketed.
It acts preferentially as a
κ-opioid receptor partial agonist and to a lesser extent as a
μ-opioid receptor partial agonist.
Synthesis

Starting material for this preparation is ketoester 1, available by one of the classical benzomorphan syntheses. Condensation with the
ylide from
Triethyl phosphonoacetate (
HWE reaction Hwe or HWE may refer to:
* Hwe (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script
* Hwe language, spoken in Ghana, Togo, and Benin
* Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium
* Home War Establishment of the Royal Canadian Air Force
* Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons rea ...
) affords diester 2.
Catalytic hydrogenation proceeds from the less hindered face to afford the corresponding saturated diester (3). The esters are then reduced by means of
LiAlH4 to give the
glycol (4); this undergoes internal ether formation on treatment with acid to form the
pyran ring of 5.
Von Braun reaction with
BrCN (or
ethyl chloroformate) followed by
saponification of the intermediate leads to the 2° amine (6). This is converted to the cyclopropylmethyl derivative 8 by acylation with
cyclopropylcarbonyl chloride followed by reduction of the thus formed amide (7) with LiAlH
4. Cleaving off the O-methyl ether with sodium
ethanethiol affords proxorphan (9).
See also
*
Butorphanol
*
Cyclorphan
Cyclorphan is an opioid analgesic of the morphinan family that was never marketed. It acts as a μ-opioid receptor (MOR) weak partial agonist or antagonist, κ-opioid receptor (KOR) full agonist, and, to a much lesser extent, δ-opioid receptor ...
*
Ketorfanol
Ketorfanol (International Nonproprietary Name, INN, United States Adopted Name, USAN) (developmental code name SBW-22), or ketorphanol, is an opioid analgesic of the morphinan family that was found to possess "potent antinociception, antiwrithing ...
*
Levallorphan
Levallorphan ( INN, BAN) (brand names Lorfan, Naloxifan, Naloxiphan), also known as levallorphan tartrate (USAN), is an opioid modulator of the morphinan family used as an opioid analgesic and opioid antagonist/antidote. It acts as an antagonist ...
*
Levomethorphan
*
Levorphanol
*
Moxazocine
*
Nalbuphine
*
Oxilorphan
Oxilorphan (INN, USAN) (developmental code name L-BC-2605) is an opioid antagonist of the morphinan family that was never marketed. It acts as a μ-opioid receptor (MOR) antagonist but a κ-opioid receptor (KOR) partial agonist, and has similar e ...
*
Xorphanol
Xorphanol (INN) (developmental code name TR-5379 or TR-5379M), also known as xorphanol mesylate (USAN), is an opioid analgesic of the morphinan family that was never marketed.
Xorphanol is a mixed agonist–antagonist of opioid receptors, acti ...
References
Analgesics
Antitussives
Benzomorphans
Kappa-opioid receptor agonists
Opioids
Phenols
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