Ringdahl_1982_Eur.J.Pharmacol_85_79

A series of structural analogues of the potent oxotremorine-like agent N-(4-pyrrolidino-2-butynyl)-N-methyl-acetamide (1) was investigated for muscarinic activity in the isolated guinea pig ileum. Substitution of larger alkyl groups for the acetyl methyl group of 1 results in an attenuation of muscarinic potency. The observation that the agonist N-(4-dimethylamino-2-butynyl)-N-methylpropionamide (6) has a dissociation constant (KA = 5.1 X 10(-5) M), estimated after elimination of spare receptors with dibenamine, similar to that of the antagonist N-(4-dimethylamino-2-butynyl)-N-methyl-2,2-dimethylpropionamide (11) suggests that the decrease in muscarinic agonist activity with increasing substitution is due mainly to a loss of efficacy. The N-methyl group of 1 is essential for muscarinic activity since its replacement by a hydrogen atom or an ethyl group yields antagonists.