BRL 15,572

BRL-15,572 is a drug which acts as a selective antagonist for the serotonin receptor subtype 5-HT_1D, with around 60x selectivity over other related receptors. The 5-HT_1D receptor has a very similar pharmacology to the closely related 5-HT_1B receptor, and most older ligands for these receptors bind to both subtypes with approximately equal affinity, so development of compounds such as BRL-15572 which are able to selectively block the 5-HT_1D subtype while leaving 5-HT_1B unaffected, have been a significant advance which has helped scientists in researching the function of these serotonin receptor subtypes. One function of the 5-HT_1D receptor this research has revealed is its role in modulating release of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain, as well as functions in regulation of cerebral blood pressure which are important in the pathogenesis of migraine headaches.