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Negus SS, St. Onge CM, Lee YK, Li M, Rice KC, Zhang Y. Effects of Selective and Mixed-Action Kappa and Delta Opioid Receptor Agonists on Pain-Related Behavioral Depression in Mice. Molecules 2024; 29:3331. [PMID: 39064909 PMCID: PMC11279860 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29143331] [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: 06/11/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
We recently developed a series of nalfurafine analogs (TK10, TK33, and TK35) that may serve as non-addictive candidate analgesics. These compounds are mixed-action agonists at the kappa and delta opioid receptors (KOR and DOR, respectively) and produce antinociception in a mouse warm-water tail-immersion test while failing to produce typical mu opioid receptor (MOR)-mediated side effects. The warm-water tail-immersion test is an assay of pain-stimulated behavior vulnerable to false-positive analgesic-like effects by drugs that produce motor impairment. Accordingly, this study evaluated TK10, TK33, and TK35 in a recently validated assay of pain-related behavioral depression in mice that are less vulnerable to false-positive effects. For comparison, we also evaluated the effects of the MOR agonist/analgesic hydrocodone (positive control), the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) antagonist aprepitant (negative control), nalfurafine as a selective KOR agonist, SNC80 as a selective DOR agonist, and a nalfurafine/SNC80 mixture. Intraperitoneal injection of dilute lactic acid (IP lactic acid) served as a noxious stimulus to depress vertical and horizontal locomotor activity in male and female ICR mice. IP lactic acid-induced locomotor depression was alleviated by hydrocodone but not by aprepitant, nalfurafine, SNC80, the nalfurafine/SNC80 mixture, or the KOR/DOR agonists. These results suggest that caution is warranted in advancing mixed-action KOR/DOR agonists as candidate analgesics.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/metabolism
- Mice
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/metabolism
- Pain/drug therapy
- Pain/metabolism
- Male
- Depression/drug therapy
- Depression/etiology
- Morphinans/pharmacology
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Analgesics, Opioid/pharmacology
- Spiro Compounds/pharmacology
- Spiro Compounds/chemistry
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Stevens Negus
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
| | - Celsey M. St. Onge
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (C.M.S.O.); (M.L.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Young K. Lee
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA;
| | - Mengchu Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (C.M.S.O.); (M.L.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Kenner C. Rice
- Drug Design and Synthesis Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA;
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; (C.M.S.O.); (M.L.); (Y.Z.)
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Negus SS, Akbarali HI, Kang M, Lee YK, Marsh SA, Santos EJ, Zhang Y. Role of mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonist efficacy as a determinant of opioid antinociception in a novel assay of pain-depressed behavior in female and male mice. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2023; 4:1281698. [PMID: 37886350 PMCID: PMC10598607 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1281698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Intermediate efficacy mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists have potential to retain analgesic effectiveness while improving safety, but the optimal MOR efficacy for effective and safe opioid analgesia is unknown. Preclinical assays of pain-depressed behavior can assess effects of opioids and other candidate analgesics on pain-related behavioral depression, which is a common manifestation of clinically relevant pain and target of pain treatment. Accordingly, the present study goal was to validate a novel assay of pain-depressed locomotor behavior in mice and evaluate the role of MOR efficacy as a determinant of opioid analgesic effects and related safety measures. Methods Male and female ICR mice were tested in a locomotor chamber consisting of 2 compartments connected by a doorway that contained a 1-inch-tall barrier. Dependent measures during 15-min behavioral sessions included crosses between compartments (which required vertical activity to surmount the barrier) and total movement counts (which required horizontal activity to break photobeams in each compartment). Results and Discussion Intraperitoneal injection of lactic acid (IP acid) produced a concentration- and time-dependent depression of both endpoints. Optimal blockade of IP acid-induced behavioral depression with minimal motor impairment was achieved with intermediate-efficacy MOR treatments that also produced less gastrointestinal-transit inhibition and respiratory depression than the high-efficacy MOR agonist fentanyl. Sex differences in treatment effects were rare. Overall, these findings validate a novel procedure for evaluating opioids and other candidate analgesic effects on pain-related behavioral depression in mice and support continued research with intermediate-efficacy MOR agonists as a strategy to retain opioid analgesic effectiveness with improved safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Stevens Negus
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Hamid I. Akbarali
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Minho Kang
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Young K. Lee
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Samuel A. Marsh
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Edna J. Santos
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
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Clements MA, Kwilasz AJ, Litwiler ST, Sents Z, Woodall BJ, Hayashida K, Watkins LR. Intrathecal non-viral interleukin-10 gene therapy ameliorates neuropathic pain as measured by both classical static allodynia and a novel supra-spinally mediated pain assay, the Two-Arm Rodent Somatosensory (TARS) task. Brain Behav Immun 2023; 111:177-185. [PMID: 37037361 PMCID: PMC10330316 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrathecal delivery of interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene therapy has been reported to be effective in suppressing pain enhancement in a variety of rodent models. However, all publications that have tested this treatment have relied upon measures of static allodynia (von Frey test) and thermal hyperalgesia (Hargreaves test). As this plasmid DNA IL-10 (pDNA-IL10) therapeutic approach is now in human clinical trials for multiple pain indications, including intrathecal delivery for human neuropathic pain, it is important to consider the recent concerns raised in the pain field that such tests reflect spinal rather than supraspinal processing of, and responsivity to, noxious stimuli. Consequently, this raises the question of whether intrathecal pDNA-IL10 can reverse established neuropathic pain when assessed by a test requiring supraspinal, rather than solely spinal, mediation of the behavioral response. The present study utilizes the rat sciatic chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of neuropathic pain to compare the expression of static allodynia with that of cognitively controlled choice behavior in a two-arm maze, adapted from Hayashida et al. (2019). This modification, termed the Two-Arm Rodent Somatosensory (TARS) task, provides rats free choice to reach a desired goal box via a short "arm" of the maze with tactile probes as flooring versus a longer "arm" of the maze with a smooth surface. Here we demonstrate that static allodynia and avoidance of the nociceptive flooring in TARS develop in parallel over time, and that both behaviors also resolve in parallel following intrathecal pDNA-IL10 gene therapy. Details for the construction and use of this new maze design are also provided. Together, this study documents both: (a) the important finding that intrathecal IL-10 gene therapy does indeed resolve neuropathic pain as measured by a supraspinally-mediated behavioral task, and (b) a new, supraspinally-mediated task that allows behavioral assessments across weeks and allows the analysis of both development and resolution of neuropathic pain by therapeutic interventions. As such, the TARS operant behavior task is an improvement over other approaches such as the mechanical conflict-avoidance system which have difficulties demonstrating development and reversal of pain behavior in a within-subject design.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Clements
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado - Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - A J Kwilasz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado - Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - S T Litwiler
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado - Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Z Sents
- Department of Engineering, University of Colorado - Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - B J Woodall
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado - Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - K Hayashida
- Pharmacology Department, Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ld., Kagoshima, Japan
| | - L R Watkins
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado - Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
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Dickenson AH, Patel R. Translational issues in precision medicine in neuropathic pain. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PAIN-REVUE CANADIENNE DE LA DOULEUR 2020; 4:30-38. [PMID: 32258972 PMCID: PMC7077367 DOI: 10.1080/24740527.2020.1720502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Neuropathic pain remains poorly treated, with most new drugs falling through the translational gap. The traditional model of bench-to-bedside research has relied on identifying new mechanisms/targets in animal models and then developing clinical applications. Several have advocated bridging the translational gap by beginning with clinical observations and back-translating to animal models for further investigation of mechanisms. There is good evidence that phenotyping of patients through quantitative sensory testing can lead to improved treatment selection and hence improved patient outcomes. This practice has been widely adopted in clinical investigations, but its application in preclinical research is not mainstream. In this review, we retrospectively examine our historical rodent data sets with the aim of reconsidering drug effects on sensory neuronal endpoints, their alignment with clinical observations, and how these might guide future clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony H Dickenson
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ryan Patel
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
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