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Li Y, Lu L, Androulakis IP. The Physiological and Pharmacological Significance of the Circadian Timing of the HPA Axis: A Mathematical Modeling Approach. J Pharm Sci 2024; 113:33-46. [PMID: 37597751 PMCID: PMC10840710 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
As a potent endogenous regulator of homeostasis, the circadian time-keeping system synchronizes internal physiology to periodic changes in the external environment to enhance survival. Adapting endogenous rhythms to the external time is accomplished hierarchically with the central pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) signaling the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to release hormones, notably cortisol, which help maintain the body's circadian rhythm. Given the essential role of HPA-releasing hormones in regulating physiological functions, including immune response, cell cycle, and energy metabolism, their daily variation is critical for the proper function of the circadian timing system. In this review, we focus on cortisol and key fundamental properties of the HPA axis and highlight their importance in controlling circadian dynamics. We demonstrate how systems-driven, mathematical modeling of the HPA axis complements experimental findings, enhances our understanding of complex physiological systems, helps predict potential mechanisms of action, and elucidates the consequences of circadian disruption. Finally, we outline the implications of circadian regulation in the context of personalized chronotherapy. Focusing on the chrono-pharmacology of synthetic glucocorticoids, we review the challenges and opportunities associated with moving toward personalized therapies that capitalize on circadian rhythms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannuo Li
- Chemical & Biochemical Engineering Department, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Lingjun Lu
- Chemical & Biochemical Engineering Department, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Ioannis P Androulakis
- Chemical & Biochemical Engineering Department, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Biomedical Engineering Department, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08540, USA.
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Larriba Y, Mason IC, Saxena R, Scheer FAJL, Rueda C. CIRCUST: A novel methodology for temporal order reconstruction of molecular rhythms; validation and application towards a daily rhythm gene expression atlas in humans. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011510. [PMID: 37769026 PMCID: PMC10564179 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The circadian system drives near-24-h oscillations in behaviors and biological processes. The underlying core molecular clock regulates the expression of other genes, and it has been shown that the expression of more than 50 percent of genes in mammals displays 24-h rhythmic patterns, with the specific genes that cycle varying from one tissue to another. Determining rhythmic gene expression patterns in human tissues sampled as single timepoints has several challenges, including the reconstruction of temporal order of highly noisy data. Previous methodologies have attempted to address these challenges in one or a small number of tissues for which rhythmic gene evolutionary conservation is assumed to be preserved. Here we introduce CIRCUST, a novel CIRCular-robUST methodology for analyzing molecular rhythms, that relies on circular statistics, is robust against noise, and requires fewer assumptions than existing methodologies. Next, we validated the method against four controlled experiments in which sampling times were known, and finally, CIRCUST was applied to 34 tissues from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) dataset with the aim towards building a comprehensive daily rhythm gene expression atlas in humans. The validation and application shown here indicate that CIRCUST provides a flexible framework to formulate and solve the issues related to the analysis of molecular rhythms in human tissues. CIRCUST methodology is publicly available at https://github.com/yolandalago/CIRCUST/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Larriba
- Department of Statistics and Operational Research, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
- Mathematics Research Institute of the University of Valladolid, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Ivy C. Mason
- Medical Chronobiology Program, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Richa Saxena
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for Genomic Medicine and Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Program in Medical and Population Genetics, Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Frank A. J. L. Scheer
- Medical Chronobiology Program, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Cristina Rueda
- Department of Statistics and Operational Research, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
- Mathematics Research Institute of the University of Valladolid, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
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Factors Determining Plasticity of Responses to Drugs. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23042068. [PMID: 35216184 PMCID: PMC8877660 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The plasticity of responses to drugs is an ever-present confounding factor for all aspects of pharmacology, influencing drug discovery and development, clinical use and the expectations of the patient. As an introduction to this Special Issue of the journal IJMS on pharmacological plasticity, we address the various levels at which plasticity appears and how such variability can be controlled, describing the ways in which drug responses can be affected with examples. The various levels include the molecular structures of drugs and their receptors, expression of genes for drug receptors and enzymes involved in metabolism, plasticity of cells targeted by drugs, tissues and clinical variables affected by whole body processes, changes in geography and the environment, and the influence of time and duration of changes. The article provides a rarely considered bird’s eye view of the problem and is intended to emphasize the need for increased awareness of pharmacological plasticity and to encourage further debate.
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Recent Advances in Chronotherapy Targeting Respiratory Diseases. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13122008. [PMID: 34959290 PMCID: PMC8704788 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13122008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory diseases contribute to a significant percentage of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The circadian rhythm is a natural biological process where our bodily functions align with the 24 h oscillation (sleep-wake cycle) process and are controlled by the circadian clock protein/gene. Disruption of the circadian rhythm could alter normal lung function. Chronotherapy is a type of therapy provided at specific time intervals based on an individual's circadian rhythm. This would allow the drug to show optimum action, and thereby modulate its pharmacokinetics to lessen unwanted or unintended effects. In this review, we deliberated on the recent advances employed in chrono-targeted therapeutics for chronic respiratory diseases.
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Improving the Pharmacological Properties of Ciclopirox for Its Use in Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11060485. [PMID: 34071291 PMCID: PMC8230281 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11060485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP), also known as Günther's disease, results from a deficient activity in the fourth enzyme, uroporphyrinogen III synthase (UROIIIS), of the heme pathway. Ciclopirox (CPX) is an off-label drug, topically prescribed as an antifungal. It has been recently shown that it also acts as a pharmacological chaperone in CEP, presenting a specific activity in deleterious mutations in UROIIIS. Despite CPX is active at subtoxic concentrations, acute gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity was found due to the precipitation in the stomach of the active compound and subsequent accumulation in the intestine. To increase its systemic availability, we carried out pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) studies using alternative formulations for CPX. Such strategy effectively suppressed GI toxicity in WT mice and in a mouse model of the CEP disease (UROIIISP248Q/P248Q). In terms of activity, phosphorylation of CPX yielded good results in CEP cellular models but showed limited activity when administered to the CEP mouse model. These results highlight the need of a proper formulation for pharmacological chaperones used in the treatment of rare diseases.
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