Distinct effects of (R)‐modafinil and its (R)‐ and (S)‐fluoro‐analogs on mesolimbic extracellular dopamine assessed by voltammetry and microdialysis in rats

Psychostimulant use disorders remain an unabated public health concern worldwide, but no FDA approved medications are currently available for treatment. Modafinil (MOD), like cocaine, is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor and one of the few drugs evaluated in clinical trials that has shown promise for the treatment of cocaine or methamphetamine use disorders in some patient subpopulations. Recent structure–activity relationship and preclinical studies on a series of MOD analogs have provided insight into modifications of its chemical structure that may lead to advancements in clinical efficacy. Here, we have tested the effects of the clinically available (R)‐enantiomer of MOD on extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens shell, a mesolimbic dopaminergic projection field that plays significant roles in various aspects of psychostimulant use disorders, measured in vivo by fast‐scan cyclic voltammetry and by microdialysis in Sprague‐Dawley rats. We have compared these results with those obtained under identical experimental conditions with two novel and enantiopure bis(F) analogs of MOD, JBG1‐048 and JBG1‐049. The results show that (R)‐modafinil (R‐MOD), JBG1‐048, and JBG1‐049, when administered intravenously with cumulative drug‐doses, will block the dopamine transporter and reduce the clearance rate of dopamine, increasing its extracellular levels. Differences among the compounds in their maximum stimulation of dopamine levels, and in their time course of effects were also observed. These data highlight the mechanistic underpinnings of R‐MOD and its bis(F) analogs as pharmacological tools to guide the discovery of novel medications to treat psychostimulant use disorders. Novel dopamine transporter inhibitors, structurally related to modafinil, were evaluated for their effects on the tonic and phasic properties of dopamine signaling using microdialysis and FSCV in the nucleus accumbens shell of Sprague‐Dawley rats. Our preclinical results highlight the mechanistic underpinnings of R‐modafinil and its bis(F) analogs as pharmacological tools to guide the discovery of novel medications to treat psychostimulant use disorders.