allylprodine

Allylprodine is an opioid analgesic that is an analog of prodine. It was discovered by Hoffman-La Roche in 1957 during research into the related drug pethidine. Derivatives were tested to prove the theory that phenolic and non-phenolic opioids bind at different sites of the opiate receptor.

Allylprodine is more potent as an analgesic than similar drugs such as α-prodine, and the 3R,4S-isomer is 23 times more potent than morphine, due to the allyl group binding to an additional amino acid target in the binding site on the μ-opioid receptor. It is also stereoselective, with one isomer being much more active. When modeled in three dimensions, the alkene overlays the alkenes found in 14-cinnamoyloxycodeinone and in 14-allyloxycodeinone, re-enforcing the presence of an interaction of the alkene.