SH-053-R-CH3-2â²F is a drug used in scientific research which is a benzodiazepine derivative. It produces some of the same effects as other benzodiazepines, but is much more subtype-selective than most other drugs of this class, having high selectivity, binding affinity and efficacy at the ñ<sub>5</sub> subtype of the GABA<sub>A</sub> receptor. This gives much tighter control of the effects produced, and so while SH-053-R-CH3-2â²F retains sedative and anxiolytic effects, it does not cause ataxia at moderate doses. SH-053-R-CH3-2â²F also blocks the nootropic effects of the ñ<sub>5</sub>-selective inverse agonist PWZ-029, so amnesia is also a likely side effect.
Replacement of the ester function by an amide, realized in analogs such as MP-III-022 and GL-II-73, improves selectivity, efficacy, and kinetic behavior.