The science of pain control has evolved dramatically in the past several years. The body deals with pain by releasing anandamide (see Section 20-6). Anandamide binds to the cannabinoid receptor, the same site that recognizes the active ingredients in marijuana. Binding to this site suppresses the perception of pain. The effect is not long lasting, because another enzyme degrades anandamide over time. Thus, recent research has focused on fi nding therapeutic molecules capable of blocking this anandamide-destroying enzyme. The biphenyl derivative URB597 is an experimental substance that displays some of this desired enzyme-blocking ability, and it has been demonstrated to enhance pain suppression in rats. Examine the structure of URB597 and address the following question: Would you expect URB597 to be an easy or a difficult target molecule to prepare, beginning with biphenyl (Problem 39)? If you chose easy, illustrate how the reactions of this chapter might be employed in a synthetic approach to this drug. If you chose difficult, explain why. 

Data from Problem 39

Transcribed Image Text:

HN H,N- URB597