Laboratory of synthesis of psychoactive compounds
(Head of the laboratory, doctor of chemical sciences, professor Yervand GarnikiParonikyan).
The “Synthesis of Psychoactive Compounds” laboratory (NOK No. 6) of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia was established in 1981. From the day of its establishment until the end of its life (2015), the laboratory was headed by the corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, doctor of chemical sciences, professor Azat Soghomoni Noravyan.
Noravyan created a new scientific direction in the field of chemistry of heterocyclic compounds, put forward the concept of creating a new type of sedatives. Under his leadership, combined bi-, tri-, tetra-, and pentacyclic heterocycles were synthesized in the laboratory based on saturated hexadecane heterocycles containing nitrogen, sulfur, and oxygen.
From 2015 to today, the laboratory is headed by Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor Y.G. Paronikyan.
More than 150 new methods of synthesis of heterocyclic compounds have been developed in the laboratory. thiophenes, furans, pyrroles, thiopyrans, pyridines, thieno(pyrrolo, furo)[2,3-d] pyrimidines, pyrido[2,3-d] thieno (furo)[3,2-d] pyrimidines, etc., condensed with pyran, thiopyran, piperidine, cyclohexane, and cyclopentane. The mechanism of the Gevald reaction, Dimrot rearrangement in triazolopyrimidines and triazolopyridines was studied in detail. The general patterns of thiopyran ring opening under the influence of various amines were studied. A major contribution to the development of the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds is the discovery of new rearrangements leading to conjugated pyridines and a new interesting rearrangement in the 2,7-naphthyridines series. The mechanisms of regroupings of the Smiles regrouping type were studied in detail.
In order to reveal the relationship between the structure and biological activity of the obtained substances, multiple changes in the positions of various heterocycles were carried out during the combination, which made it possible to obtain a number of new effective biologically active compounds with anti-shock, sedative, anti-tumor, cardiotonic, anti-hypoxic and other properties.
Medicines have been created as a result of laboratory studies. toflurazine (a cerebrovascular regulator), pyratidine (a new generation sedative) and timoridine (an anti-hypoxant), as well as a number of protective drugs.
From the day of its foundation to the present day, the employees of the laboratory cooperate with scientific organizations of Hungary, Russia, Greece, Italy, Georgia and other countries. The results of collaborative research open new perspectives for the development of heterocyclic chemistry and the search for new drugs.
Laboratory studies have been published in high-ranking journals abroad, many copyright certificates and patents have been obtained. Works were presented at conferences and symposia held in Russia and other countries. Laboratory employees: A. S. Noravyan, E. G. Paronikyan, S. N. Sirakanyan, A. P. Mkrtchyan, A. Sh. Hovhannisyan, V. V. Dabaeva, M. R. Baghdasaryan, Sh. F. Hakobyan, A. A. Harutyunyan, A. A. Hovakimyan, Sh. Sh. Dashyan, E. K. Hakobyan, actively participated, received awards and honors for the best reports, as well as badges for their contribution to the development of the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds.
Laboratory staff have regularly received grants from ISTC; ANSEF; EIF, GC KGSMN (Republic of Armenia) and RAHR (Russia).
Laboratory employees S. N. Sirakanyan and A. A. Hovakimyan was awarded the RA President’s Award for a series of articles in 2018.
18 candidate and 3 doctoral theses were defended in the laboratory. The employees of the laboratory are highly qualified scientists who successfully work both in ODKGTK and in research institutes abroad.
Direction
Research is being done in the laboratory to create psychotropic drugs. Methods for the synthesis of functional derivatives of more than a hundred new heterocyclic systems containing nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen have been developed, and new rearrangements have been discovered. The relationship between the structure and biological activity of the synthesized compounds was studied, which made it possible to create a number of potential drugs.
