Synthesis and anticonvulsant activity of new N-[(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)-alkyl] derivatives of 3-phenyl-pyrrolidine-2,5-dione.

In the present study, on the development of new anticonvulsants, the series of N-[(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)-alkyl]-3-(2-methylphenyl)- (8a-e, 10a-h) and 3-(2-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-pyrrolidine-2,5-diones (9a-e, 11a-i) were synthesized and tested for anticonvulsant activity using the maximal electroshock (MES), subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) screens. Their neurotoxicity were determined applying the rotorod test. In this series, the most active were N-[(4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl)-methyl]-3-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)-pyrrolidine-2,5-dione (9a) with the ED(50)=20.78mg/kg, when given orally to rats and N-[3-{4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)-piperazin-1-yl}-propyl]-3-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)-pyrrolidine-2,5-dione (11i) with the ED(50)=132.13mg/kg after intraperitoneally injection to mice.