Despite acting at the benzodiazepine site, it does not possess the benzodiazepine structure. It is an imidazothienodiazepine: a thiophene ring, an imidazole ring, and a diazepine ring fused together.
Effects and pharmacodynamics
Ro 19-4603 is an inverse agonist at the benzodiazepine binding site. Due to this, it has effects similar to other benzodiazepine inverse agonists, notably: anxiogenesis[2] and convulsions.[3]
In animal studies, administration of this compound was able to decrease voluntary alcohol consumption. This was observed in rats selected for high alcohol preference.[4] In addition to decreasing its consumption, Ro 19-4603 is able to antagonize the intoxicating effects of alcohol.[5]
^Belzung, C.; Misslin, R.; Vogel, E. (July 1990). "Anxiogenic effects of a benzodiazepine receptor partial inverse agonist, RO 19-4603, in a light/dark choice situation". Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. 36 (3): 593–596. doi:10.1016/0091-3057(90)90260-o. ISSN 0091-3057. PMID 2165618. S2CID 9881393.
^Kubová, H.; Mares, P. (October 1994). "Convulsant action of a benzodiazepine receptor agonist/inverse agonist Ro 19-4603 in developing rats". Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology. 350 (4): 393–397. doi:10.1007/BF00178957. ISSN 0028-1298. PMID 7845475. S2CID 1751486.
^Balakleevsky, A.; Colombo, G.; Fadda, F.; Gessa, G. L. (1990). "Ro 19-4603, a benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonist, attenuates voluntary ethanol consumption in rats selectively bred for high ethanol preference". Alcohol and Alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire). 25 (5): 449–452. ISSN 0735-0414. PMID 1965120.
^Lister, R. G.; Durcan, M. J. (1989-03-13). "Antagonism of the intoxicating effects of ethanol by the potent benzodiazepine receptor ligand Ro 19-4603". Brain Research. 482 (1): 141–144. doi:10.1016/0006-8993(89)90551-9. ISSN 0006-8993. PMID 2539880. S2CID 22770686.