Pharmaceutical Studies on Piperazine-Based Compounds Targeting Serotonin Receptors and Serotonin Reuptake Transporters.

Depression is a debilitating mental illness that has a significant impact on an individual's psychological, social, and physical life. Multiple factors, such as genetic factors and abnormalities in neurotransmitter levels, contribute to the development of depression. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and atypical and new-generation antidepressants are well-known drug classes. SSRIs are the commonly prescribed antidepressant medications in the clinic. Genetic variations impacting serotonergic activity in people can influence susceptibility to diseases and response to antidepressant therapy. Gene polymorphisms related to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) signaling and subtypes of 5-HT receptors may play a role in the development of depression and the response to antidepressants. SSRIs binding to 5-HT reuptake transporters help relieve depression symptoms. Research has been conducted to identify a biomarker for detecting depressive disorders to identify new treatment targets and maybe offer novel therapy approaches. The pharmacological potentials of the piperazine-based compounds led researchers to design new piperazine derivatives and to examine their pharmacological activities. Structure-activity relationships indicated that the first aspect is the flexibility in the molecules, where a linker of typically a 2-4 carbon chain joins two aromatic sides, one of which is attached to a piperazine/phenylpiperazine/benzyl piperazine moiety. Newly investigated compounds having a piperazine core show a superior antidepressant effect compared to SSRIs in vitro/in vivo.