Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Synthesis Of Photoswitchable Triptan Derivatives, Chelsea Sainsbury

Honors College

Serotonin has various functions throughout the body and directly effects many neurological diseases/disorders, like depression, that are linked to the dysregulation of serotonin. Triptans are indole containing drugs that bind to a subset of serotonin receptors (5-HT1Band 5-HT1D) and are used to treat migraines. In this project, the synthesis of anindole intermediate is attempted. Ideally, an azobenzene would have been added to the 5th position (replacing the primary amine). Azobenzenes are compounds composed of 2 benzene rings connected by a nitrogen-nitrogen double bond that can switch between cis and trans conformations by absorbing different wavelengths of light. The transformation of …