Opioid κ Receptors as a Molecular Target for the Creation of a New Generation of Analgesic Drugs

Discovery of N'-benzyl-3-chloro-N-((1S,3R,4R)-3-((dimethylamino)methyl)-4-hydroxy-4-(3-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexyl)benzenesulfonamide as a novel selective KOR ligand

The effective management of moderate to severe pain often relies on the use of analgesic agents. However, the widespread utility of these medications is hindered by the occurrence of several undesirable side effects. In light of this challenge, there is growing interest in the development of κ opioid receptor (KOR) agonists, which have shown promise in mitigating these adverse effects. In this study, leveraging the structural scaffold of compound D (our previous study), we embarked on the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a series of N'-benzyl-3-chloro-N- ((1S,3R,4R)-3-((dimethylamino)methyl)-4-hydroxy-4-(3-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexyl)benzenesulfonamide derivatives. These compounds were subjected to comprehensive in vitro and in vivo test. Through systematic structure-activity relationship (SAR) exploration, we successfully identified compound 23p (Ki(KOR):1.9 nM) as a highly selective KOR ligand of new chemotype. 23p showed high clearance in vitro PK test, and abdominal contraction test showed potent antinociceptive effect. 23p and its O-demethyl metabolite 25 were both found in the plasma of mouse, 25 also showed potent affinity toward KOR (Ki(KOR): 3.1 nM), both they contribute to the analgesic effect. Moreover, 23p exhibited potent antinociceptive activity in abdominal constriction test, which was effectively abolished by pre-treatment of nor-BNI, a selective KOR antagonist.

Exploration of the SAR Connection between Morphinan- and Arylacetamide-Based κ Opioid Receptor (κOR) Agonists Using the Strategy of Bridging

κ opioid receptor (κOR) is a subtype of opioid receptors, and there are two major κOR agonists currently available, morphinans and arylacetamides, which are structurally distinct from each other. Numerous efforts had been made to correlate these series of compounds in order to establish a consensus binding pattern for κOR agonists. Unfortunately, no morphinan-based agent with an arylacetamidyl substituent has been identified as a κOR agonist with a pharmacological profile similar to arylacetamides. Since the recently described morphinan-based compound SLL-039 was identified as a selective and potent κOR agonist that contains a unique benzamidyl substituent in structure similar to arylacetamides, numerous arylacetamidyl substituents were introduced to this scaffold to examine whether the structure-activity relationships (SARs) of arylacetamides in conferring κOR agonistic activities could be reproduced by these analogues. Thus, a series of N-cyclopropylmethyl-7α-arylacetamidylphenyl-6,14-endoethanotetrahydronorthebaine analogues were designed, synthesized, and assayed for biological activities. Among these compounds, compound 4j with a 3',4'-dimethylphenylacetamidyl substituent showed a single digit low nanomolar affinity to the κOR and relatively high subtype selectivity in binding assays, but this profile was not reproduced in functional assays. In contrast, compound 4i displayed moderately selective κOR agonistic activities in functional assays, which was inconsistent with its nonselective nature in binding assays. Overall, introduction of an arylacetamidyl substituent to the morphinan-based scaffold was associated with pharmacological diversity in both binding and functional activities on opioid receptors in vitro. The resultant SARs were inconsistent with that of classical arylacetamides as κOR agonists, despite bearing a similar arylacetamidyl substituent in the structure. Therefore, the arylacetamidyl substituent of the morphinan-based scaffold was found to be disconnected from that of arylacetamides in conferring κOR activities.

The Use of Computational Approaches in the Discovery and Mechanism Study of Opioid Analgesics

Opioid receptors that belong to class A G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are vital in pain control. In the past few years, published high-resolution crystal structures of opioid receptor laid a solid basis for both experimental and computational studies. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) has been established as a powerful tool for discovering novel lead compounds and for understanding activation mechanism of target receptors. Herein, we reviewed the computational-guided studies on opioid receptors for the discovery of new analgesics, the structural basis of receptor subtype selectivity, agonist interaction mechanism, and biased signaling mechanism.

Discovery of a Highly Selective and Potent κ Opioid Receptor Agonist from N-Cyclopropylmethyl-7α-phenyl-6,14-endoethanotetrahydronorthebaines with Reduced Central Nervous System (CNS) Side Effects Navigated by the Message-Address Concept

Effective and safe analgesics represent an unmet medical need for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. A series of N-cyclopropylmethyl-7α-phenyl-6,14-endoethanotetrahydronorthebaines were designed, synthesized, and assayed, leading to the discovery of a benzylamine derivative (compound 4, SLL-039) as a highly selective and potent κ opioid agonist (κ, K_i = 0.47 nM, κ/μ = 682, κ/δ = 283), which was confirmed by functional assays in vitro and antinociceptive assays in vivo. The in vivo effect could be blocked by pretreatment with the selective κ antagonist nor-BNI. Moreover, this compound did not induce sedation, a common dose limiting effect of κ opioid receptor agonists, at its analgesic dose compared to U50,488H. The dissociation of sedation/antinociception found in SLL-039 was assumed to be correlated with the occupation of its benzamide motif in a unique subsite involving V118^2.63, W124^EL1, and E209^EL2.