Atypical in vitro and in vivo binding of [3H]S-14506 to brain 5-HT1A receptors

Evaluation of [C]S14506 and [F]S14506 in rat and monkey as agonist PET radioligands for brain 5-HT(1A) receptors

In vitro and ex vivo measurements have shown that the binding of the selective high-affinity agonist, S14506 (1-[2-(4-fluorobenzoylamino)ethyl]-4-(7-methoxy-naphthyl)piperazine), to 5-HT(1A) receptors, is similar in affinity (K(d) = 0.79 nM) and extent (B(max)) to that of the antagonist, WAY 100635. We aimed to test whether S14506, labeled with a positron-emitter, might serve as a radioligand for imaging brain 5-HT(1A) receptors in vivo with positron emission tomography (PET). Here we evaluated [(11)C]S14506 and [(18)F]S14506 in rat and rhesus monkey in vivo. After intravenous administration of [(11)C]S14506 into rat, radioactivity entered brain, reaching 210% SUV at 2 min. Radioactivity uptake into brain was higher (~ 350% SUV) in rats pre-treated with the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor, cyclosporin A. In rhesus monkey, peak brain uptake of radioactivity after administration of [(11)C]S14506 or [(18)F]S14506 was also moderate and for [(11)C]S14506 increased from ~ 170% SUV after 7 min, to 240% SUV in a monkey pre-treated with the P-gp inhibitor, tariquidar. The ratios of radioactivity in 5-HT(1A) receptor-rich regions, such as cingulate or hippocampus to that in receptor-poor cerebellum reached between 1.35 and 1.5 at 60 min for both [(11)C]S14506 and [(18)F]S14506. [(11)C]S14506 gave one major polar radiometabolite in monkey plasma, and [(18)F]S14506 gave three and two more polar radiometabolites in rat and monkey plasma, respectively. The rat radiometabolites of [(18)F]S14506 did not accumulate in brain. [(18)F]S14506 was not radiodefluorinated in monkey. Thus, despite high-affinity and lack of troublesome brain radiometabolites, both [(11)C]S14506 and [(18)F]S14506 were ineffective for imaging rat or monkey brain 5-HT(1A) receptors in vivo, even under P-gp inhibited conditions. Explanations for the failure of these radioligands are offered.

S 14506: novel receptor coupling at 5-HT(1A) receptors

S 14506 is chemically related to the inverse agonist at 5-HT(1A) receptors, spiperone, but S 14506 behaves as one of the most potent agonists known at these receptors, both in vitro and in vivo. In hippocampal membranes, the specific binding of [(3)H]-S 14506 (K(d)=0.79+/-0.2 nM; B(max)=400+/-32 fmol/mg protein) to 5-HT(1A) receptors resembled that of an antagonist in that it was increased by GppNHp, whereas GppNHp reduced the binding of the classic agonist [(3)H]-8-OH-DPAT (K(d)=1.5+/-0.5 nM; B(max)=303+/-20 fmol/mg protein). Manganese, magnesium and calcium reduced the binding of [(3)H]-S 14506 to 5-HT(1A) receptors whereas the binding of [(3)H]-8-OH-DPAT was increased. Further, sodium markedly reduced the binding of [(3)H]-8-OH-DPAT, without affecting the binding of [(3)H]-S 14506. [(3)H]-S 14506 also bound with high affinity to h 5-HT(1A) receptors stably expressed in membranes of CHO cells (K(d)=0.13+/-0.05 nM; B(max)=2.99+/-0.60 pmol/mg protein): the B(max) was double that of [(3)H]-8-OH-DPAT. GppNHp strongly decreased [(3)H]-8-OH-DPAT binding but scarcely changed [(3)H]-S 14506 binding; calcium, magnesium and manganese had little effect on [(3)H]-S 14506 binding in CHO cells. Antagonists (WAY 100635, WAY 100135) and inverse agonists (spiperone and metitepine) displaced [(3)H]-S 14506 binding with high affinity and Hill slopes close to unity, whereas agonists (5-HT and 5-CT) displayed low affinity with low Hill slopes: partial agonists (buspirone, ipsapirone) showed intermediate properties. In fusion proteins of h 5-HT(1A) receptors with G(ialpha1) the compound potently increased high-affinity GTPase, with a steeper Hill slope than for 5-HT, which may indicate positive cooperativity. The maximum response for S 14506 in these assays was equivalent to 5-HT, indicating it to be a full agonist.In molecular modelling studies, using a three-site model of the 5-HT(1A) receptor, S 14506 spanned between the 5-HT recognition site and the "arginine switch" (DRY microdomain) postulated to activate the interaction of the receptor with the G protein. Thus it is possible to synthesise ligands at G-protein-coupled receptors which are highly potent agonists, but which are structurally related to inverse agonists and show some features of antagonist/inverse agonist binding.

Ex vivo binding of flibanserin to serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors

Flibanserin has been reported to be an agonist at 5-HT1A-receptors and an antagonist at 5-HT2A receptors, with higher affinity for 5-HT1A receptors. Despite the fact that less receptor occupation is required by full agonists than by antagonists to exert their effects, flibanserin was shown to exert 5-HT2A antagonism at doses (4-5 mg kg-1) that are lower or equal to those required to stimulate 5-HT1A receptors. In order to understand this phenomenon, the interaction of flibanserin with 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors was evaluated in ex vivo binding studies. This interaction was evaluated in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and midbrain by using [3H]8-OH-DPAT and [3H]ketanserin to label 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors, respectively. Flibanserin was given at 1, 10 and 30 mg kg-1 intraperitoneally. The dose of 1 mg kg-1 displaced both radioligands preferentially in the frontal cortex. The doses of 10 and 30 mg kg-1 reduced the binding of both radioligands in all the three brain regions non-selectively by about 50% and 70%, respectively. The displacement was maximal after 0.5 h and was reduced or not evident after 3 h. We conclude that 5-HT2 antagonism brought about by low doses of flibanserin may reflect functional mechanisms more than receptor-mediated effects.

Differential modulation by GTPgammaS of agonist and inverse agonist binding to h5-HT(1A) receptors revealed by [3H]-WAY100,635

1. The interaction of serotonergic ligands at human (h) 5-HT(1A) receptors expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells was examined with the selective 'neutral' 5-HT(1A) antagonist [(3)H]-WAY100,635. Its binding was saturable (K(D)=0.056 nM) with a B(max) (3.65 pmol mg(-1)) significantly higher than that of two other selective 5-HT(1A) radioligands: the partial agonist, [(3)H]-S15535 (2.77 pmol mg(-1)) and the agonist, [(3)H]-8-OH-DPAT (2.02 pmol mg(-1)). 2. The influence of GTPgammaS (100 microM) on the binding affinity of 15 serotonergic agonists, partial agonists, antagonists and inverse agonists was investigated in competition binding experiments with [(3)H]-WAY100,635. 3. Agonists, including 5-HT, 8-OH-DPAT and buspirone, displayed biphasic isotherms which shifted to the right in the presence of GTPgammaS. In contrast, isotherms of the inverse agonists, methiothepin, (+)butaclamol and spiperone, were shifted to the left in the presence of GTPgammaS. Unlabelled WAY100,635 was the only ligand that was unaffected by GTPgammaS, consistent with 'neutral' antagonist properties. 4. The magnitude of affinity changes induced by GTPgammaS for 13 ligands was highly correlated (r = 0.98) with their efficacy (positive and negative) previously determined by [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding. 5. In contrast, the napthylpiperazine derivative and high efficacy agonist, S14506, displayed only a modest GTPgammaS shift, in accordance with previous indications of 'atypical' binding properties of this ligand. A further full agonist, S14671, which is chemically closely-related to S14506, also displayed a minimal GTPgammaS shift, underpinning this observation. 6. In conclusion, [(3)H]-WAY100,635 constitutes a useful neutral antagonist radioligand for the characterization of drug actions at h5-HT(1A) receptors. GTPgammaS-induced affinity changes of agonist and inverse agonist competition isotherms generally correlate well with ligand efficacy, with the notable exception of two chemically-similar agents, S14506 and S14671, which are efficacious agonists, yet relatively insensitive to h5-HT(1A) receptor/G-protein coupling changes.

Central 5-HT(1A) receptors: regional distribution and functional characteristics

Among the multiple receptors for serotonin identified to date, the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)(1A) type is among the best known because selective ligands have been available for more than 15 years. Radioactive derivatives allowed the demonstration of the presence of 5-HT(1A) binding sites mainly in the limbic areas and the raphe nuclei in the brain, where they correspond to postsynaptic receptors and "presynaptic" autoreceptors, respectively. This review article summarizes key data on the molecular, pharmacological, and differential functional properties of pre- versus postsynaptic 5-HT(1A) receptors.

Correlation between low/high affinity ratios for 5-HT(1A) receptors and intrinsic activity

G protein-coupled receptors exist in G protein-coupled and -uncoupled forms that exhibit high and low affinity for agonists, respectively. Consequently, affinity differences of a compound for the high vs. the low affinity state of a receptor have been used to estimate its intrinsic activity at that receptor. We examined the affinity of a series of compounds for 5-hydroxytryptamine(1A) (5-HT(1A)) receptor sites labeled with 0.2 nM [3H](+/-)-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin ([3H]8-OH-DPAT) (high affinity), or with 0.25 nM [3H]4-(2'-methoxy-)-phenyl-1-[2'-(N-2"-pyridyl)-p-fluorobenzamido] eth yl-piperazine ([3H]p-MPPF) in the presence of 100 microM guanylylimidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p) (low affinity) in rat hippocampal membranes. For a variety of 5-HT(1A) receptor ligands, the low/high affinity ratio (ranging from 110 for 5-HT to 0.12 for spiperone) was in good agreement with their reported intrinsic activity. Positive rank correlations were found between low/high affinity ratios and intrinsic activities (E(max) values) reported in the literature. The high efficacy 5-HT(1A) receptor agonists, 1[2-(4-fluorobenzoylamino)ethyl]-4-(7-methoxynaphtyl)piperaz ine (S-14506) and dihydroergotamine, however, had similar, high affinity for both G protein-coupled and -uncoupled forms of the receptor. The Hill coefficients for both compounds were markedly higher than 1.0, suggesting that positive cooperativity could be responsible for the unexpected results. The 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist activity of dihydroergotamine and S-14506, assessed by measuring the inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation, was blocked completely by pertussis toxin, reinforcing the suggested involvement of an inhibitory G protein in their effects. Taken together, the results suggest that, although the low/high affinity ratio of a ligand for 5-HT(1A) receptors generally covaries with its intrinsic activity, dihydroergotamine and S-14506 may interact with 5-HT(1A) receptors in a manner different from that of other 5-HT(1A) receptor agonists. Their effects, however, appear to be G(i) protein-dependent.

The 5-HT1A receptor and its ligands: structure and function

An overview is presented on progress made in research on 5-HT1A receptors and their ligands since their discovery in 1983. Molecular biology has offered new tools, for example cloned 5-HT1A receptors, their mutants and chimeras to study structure and function. Many compounds, belonging to different chemical classes, display high affinity and selectivity for 5-HT1A receptors. The majority of these compounds are agonists or partial agonists, full antagonists are still scarce. Agonists and partial agonists are active in various animal models of anxiety and depression. Partial receptor agonists have been proven to be effective in general anxiety disorder and depression in man. Potential therapeutic applications for 5-HT1A receptor antagonists are evaluated, for example, in cognition disorders.