Recent CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonists and inverse agonists

Antagonists or inverse agonists of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) reported from the 2006–2007 period are reviewed. The compounds are either variations of the archetypical cannabinoid CB1 inverse agonist rimonabant (SR141716) or are other structures less obviously related to the archetype. Many of the former class replace the core pyrazole ring of rimonabant with other ring systems to display/arrange the appended binding/activity elements. A structure‐activity relationship evolves from bioassays of these compounds that also provides a more detailed understanding of the molecular mechanism of the binding to and stabilization of the active and inactive states of the constitutively active CB1R. In addition to diverse variations of the core ring and appended substituents, conformationally constrained analogs with high affinity were revealed, a number of which do not fit a one‐to‐one atom correspondence with the putatively active conformations of the rimonabant template and other active analogs. Diphenylmethyl analogs were a repeated motif in structures where core rings were either absent or played less restrictive roles in structures pursuing higher conformational freedom. Bicyclic nitrogen heterocyclic ring systems as the central core structures were reported, as were linear structures including phenyl ureas and taranabant analogs. Finally, peptides in the hemopressin class were presented as CB1 antagonists. Drug Dev Res 70:601–615, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.