THERE IS A NEED FOR NEW SAFE AND EFFECTIVE APPETITE SUPPRESSANT AGENTS THAT WILL BE USEFUL AS DIETARY AIDS FOR WEIGHT CONTROL.

THERE IS A NEED FOR NEW SAFE AND EFFECTIVE APPETITE SUPPRESSANT AGENTS THAT WILL BE USEFUL AS DIETARY AIDS FOR WEIGHT CONTROL. THE DRUGS IN USE TODAY ARE USUALLY PHEN- ETHYLAMINE TYPES WITH CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) STIMULA- TION AS A SIDE EFFECT. ONE APPETITE SUPPRESSANT DRUG ACTS AS A DEPRESSANT. THESE APPETITE SUPPRESSANT DRUGS EFFECT BIOGENIC AMINE FUNCTIONS IN THE CNS. A DERIVATIVE OF A COMPOUND OBTAINED FROM A PLANT SOURCE HAS BEEN DISCOVERED THAT SUPPRESSES APPETITE WITH NO BEHAVIORAL OR TOXIC EFFECTSOF ANY KIND. WHEN ADDED TO RAT DIETS, THE EFFECTS ARE DOSE DEPENDENT AND ARE APPARENTLY DUE TO SYSTEMIC ABSORPTION. THIS PROJECT WILL PREPARE ANALOGS OF THIS NATURAL SOURCE APPETITE SUPPRESSANT IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISCOVER MORE ACTIVE AGENTS THAT ARE EQUALLY SAFE. TESTS OF EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY FEEDING THE COMPOUNDS TO RATS IN DIETS DURING A THREE-WEEK PERIOD. FEED INTAKE, WEIGHT GAIN, AND OTHER RELEVANT PARAMETERS WILL BE MEASURED. GROSSBEHAVIORAL AND TOXIC SYMPTOMS WILL BE OBSERVED. THE PROJECTWILL SERVE TO DEVELOP INFORMATION ABOUT THE MODE OF ACTION OF THE PARENT COMPOUND AND STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS OF THE DERIVATIVES OF THIS UNUSUAL NEW ANORECTIC AGENT.