Synthesis and structure-activity relationships of (R)-1-alkyl-3-[2-(2-amino)phenethyl]-5-(2-fluorophenyl)-6-methyluracils as human GnRH receptor antagonists

The synthesis of a series of (R)-1-alkyl-3-[2-(2-amino)phenethyl]-5-(2-fluorophenyl)-6-methyluracils is discussed. SAR around N-1 of the uracil was explored, which led to the discovery that an electron-deficient 2,6-disubstituted benzyl group is required for optimal receptor binding. The best compound from the series had binding affinity of 0.7 nM (K(i) for the human GnRH receptor, which was 8-fold better than the 2,6-difluorobenzyl analog.