U-90042 is a
sedative and
hypnotic drug used in scientific research. It has similar effects to sedative-hypnotic
benzodiazepine drugs, but is structurally distinct and so is classed as a
nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic.
U-90042 is a
GABAA agonist acting primarily at the α1, α3 and α6 subtypes, with a
Ki of 7.8nM at α1, 9.5nM at α3 and 11.0nM at α6. It produces
sedation and
ataxia and prolongs sleeping time in mice, rats and monkeys, but does not produce
amnesia and blocks the amnestic effect of
diazepam, reflecting its different subtype affinity compared to benzodiazepine drugs.[1] It was developed by a team at
Novo Nordisk in the 1980s.[2]
References
^Tang AH, Smith MW, Carter DB, Im WB, VonVoigtlander PF (November 1995). "U-90042, a sedative/hypnotic compound that interacts differentially with the GABAA receptor subtypes". The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 275 (2): 761–7.
PMID7473164.
^US 5100895, "Heterocyclic compounds and their preparation and use"