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Rahman MS, Hadi Esfahani S, Zhang Y, Queen A, Aljarrah M, Kandil H, Baez A, Abbruscato TJ, Karamyan VT, Trippier PC. Imidazole Bioisostere Activators of Endopeptidase Neurolysin with Enhanced Potency and Metabolic Stability. ACS Med Chem Lett 2024; 15:510-517. [PMID: 38628788 PMCID: PMC11017387 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.4c00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The peptidase neurolysin (Nln) has been validated as a potential target for developing therapeutics for ischemic stroke (IS). Overexpression of Nln in a mouse model of IS provides significant cerebroprotection, leading to reduced infarction size and edema volume. Pharmacological inhibition of Nln in the post-stroke brain worsens neurological outcomes. A virtual screen identified dipeptide small-molecule activators of Nln. Optimization studies resulted in a class of peptidomimetic compounds with promising activity. However, these compounds still possessed an amide bond that compromised their stability in plasma and the brain. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a series of amide bioisosteres based on our peptidomimetic leads. Imidazole-based bioisosteres afford scaffolds with increased potency to activate Nln combined with enhanced mouse plasma stability and significantly better brain permeability over the original dipeptide hits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Shafikur Rahman
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Shiva Hadi Esfahani
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, Texas 79106, United States
- Laboratory
for Neurodegenerative Disease & Drug Discovery, William Beaumont
School of Medicine, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, United States
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, Texas 79106, United States
| | - Aarfa Queen
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Manar Aljarrah
- Laboratory
for Neurodegenerative Disease & Drug Discovery, William Beaumont
School of Medicine, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, United States
- Biological
and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, United States
| | - Haya Kandil
- Laboratory
for Neurodegenerative Disease & Drug Discovery, William Beaumont
School of Medicine, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, United States
- Biological
and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, United States
| | - Andrew Baez
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, Texas 79106, United States
| | - Thomas J. Abbruscato
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, Texas 79106, United States
- Center
for Blood Brain Barrier Research, Jerry H. Hodge School of Pharmacy, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, Texas 79106, United States
| | - Vardan T. Karamyan
- Laboratory
for Neurodegenerative Disease & Drug Discovery, William Beaumont
School of Medicine, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, United States
- Department
of Foundational Medical Studies, William Beaumont School of Medicine, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, United States
| | - Paul C. Trippier
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
- UNMC
Center for Drug Design and Innovation, University
of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
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Bagchi S, Nozohouri E, Ahn Y, Patel D, Bickel U, Karamyan VT. Systemic and Brain Pharmacokinetics of Milnacipran in Mice: Comparison of Intraperitoneal and Intravenous Administration. Pharmaceutics 2023; 16:53. [PMID: 38258064 PMCID: PMC10819729 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16010053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Milnacipran is a dual serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, clinically used for the treatment of major depression or fibromyalgia. Currently, there are no studies reporting the pharmacokinetics (PK) of milnacipran after intraperitoneal (IP) injection, despite this being the primary administration route in numerous experimental studies using the drug. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the PK profile of IP-administered milnacipran in mice and compare it to the intravenous (IV) route. First a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to accurately quantify milnacipran in biological samples. The method was used to quantify milnacipran in blood and brain samples collected at various time-points post-administration. Non-compartmental and PK analyses were employed to determine key PK parameters. The maximum concentration (Cmax) of the drug in plasma was at 5 min after IP administration, whereas in the brain, it was at 60 min for both routes of administration. Curiously, the majority of PK parameters were similar irrespective of the administration route, and the bioavailability was 92.5% after the IP injection. These findings provide insight into milnacipran's absorption, distribution, and elimination characteristics in mice after IP administration for the first time and should be valuable for future pharmacological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sounak Bagchi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX 79106, USA; (S.B.); (E.N.); (Y.A.)
| | - Ehsan Nozohouri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX 79106, USA; (S.B.); (E.N.); (Y.A.)
| | - Yeseul Ahn
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX 79106, USA; (S.B.); (E.N.); (Y.A.)
| | - Dhavalkumar Patel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX 79106, USA; (S.B.); (E.N.); (Y.A.)
| | - Ulrich Bickel
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, TX 79106, USA; (S.B.); (E.N.); (Y.A.)
| | - Vardan T. Karamyan
- Department of Foundational Medical Studies, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
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