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Spetea M, Schmidhammer H. Recent Chemical and Pharmacological Developments on 14-Oxygenated- N-methylmorphinan-6-ones. Molecules 2021; 26:5677. [PMID: 34577147 PMCID: PMC8464912 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26185677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Adequate pain management, particularly chronic pain, remains a major challenge associated with modern-day medicine. Current pharmacotherapy offers unsatisfactory long-term solutions due to serious side effects related to the chronic administration of analgesic drugs. Morphine and structurally related derivatives (e.g., oxycodone, oxymorphone, buprenorphine) are highly effective opioid analgesics, mediating their effects via the activation of opioid receptors, with the mu-opioid receptor subtype as the primary molecular target. However, they also cause addiction and overdose deaths, which has led to a global opioid crisis in the last decades. Therefore, research efforts are needed to overcome the limitations of present pain therapies with the aim to improve treatment efficacy and to reduce complications. This review presents recent chemical and pharmacological advances on 14-oxygenated-N-methylmorphinan-6-ones, in the search of safer pain therapeutics. We focus on drug design strategies and structure-activity relationships on specific modifications in positions 5, 6, 14 and 17 on the morphinan skeleton, with the goal of aiding the discovery of opioid analgesics with more favorable pharmacological properties, potent analgesia and fewer undesirable effects. Targeted molecular modifications on the morphinan scaffold can afford novel opioids as bi- or multifunctional ligands targeting multiple opioid receptors, as attractive alternatives to mu-opioid receptor selective analgesics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Spetea
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria;
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Ben Haddou T, Malfacini D, Calo G, Aceto MD, Harris LS, Traynor JR, Coop A, Schmidhammer H, Spetea M. Exploring pharmacological activities and signaling of morphinans substituted in position 6 as potent agonists interacting with the μ opioid receptor. Mol Pain 2014; 10:48. [PMID: 25059282 PMCID: PMC4121618 DOI: 10.1186/1744-8069-10-48] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid analgesics are the most effective drugs for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. However, they also produce several adverse effects that can complicate pain management. The μ opioid (MOP) receptor, a G protein-coupled receptor, is recognized as the opioid receptor type which primarily mediates the pharmacological actions of clinically used opioid agonists. The morphinan class of analgesics including morphine and oxycodone are of main importance as therapeutically valuable drugs. Though the natural alkaloid morphine contains a C-6-hydroxyl group and the semisynthetic derivative oxycodone has a 6-carbonyl function, chemical approaches have uncovered that functionalizing position 6 gives rise to a range of diverse activities. Hence, position 6 of N-methylmorphinans is one of the most manipulated sites, and is established to play a key role in ligand binding at the MOP receptor, efficacy, signaling, and analgesic potency. We have earlier reported on a chemically innovative modification in oxycodone resulting in novel morphinans with 6-acrylonitrile incorporated substructures. RESULTS This study describes in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities and signaling of new morphinans substituted in position 6 with acrylonitrile and amido functions as potent agonists and antinociceptive agents interacting with MOP receptors. We show that the presence of a 6-cyano group in N-methylmorphinans has a strong influence on the binding to the opioid receptors and post-receptor signaling. One 6-cyano-N-methylmorphinan of the series was identified as the highest affinity and most selective MOP agonist, and very potent in stimulating G protein coupling and intracellular calcium release through the MOP receptor. In vivo, this MOP agonist showed to be greatly effective against thermal and chemical nociception in mice with marked increased antinociceptive potency than the lead molecule oxycodone. CONCLUSION Development of such novel chemotypes by targeting position 6 provides valuable insights on ligand-receptor interaction and molecular mode of action, and may aid in identification of opioid therapeutics with enhanced analgesic properties and fewer undesirable effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanila Ben Haddou
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
| | - Davide Malfacini
- Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Pharmacology and Italian Institute of Neuroscience, University of Ferrara, Ferrara I-44121, Italy
| | - Girolamo Calo
- Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Pharmacology and Italian Institute of Neuroscience, University of Ferrara, Ferrara I-44121, Italy
| | - Mario D Aceto
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA
| | - Louis S Harris
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA
| | - John R Traynor
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, 1301 MSRB III, 1150 West Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5632, USA
| | - Andrew Coop
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Helmut Schmidhammer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
| | - Mariana Spetea
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, Innsbruck A-6020, Austria
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Filer CN. Morphinan alkaloids labeled with tritium: synthesis and applications. J Labelled Comp Radiopharm 2013; 56:639-48. [DOI: 10.1002/jlcr.3094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2013] [Revised: 06/13/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Crist N. Filer
- PerkinElmer Life Sciences & Technology, Inc.; 940 Winter Street Waltham MA 02451 USA
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Synthesis of 14-alkoxymorphinan derivatives and their pharmacological actions. Top Curr Chem (Cham) 2010; 299:63-91. [PMID: 21630508 DOI: 10.1007/128_2010_77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Among opioids, morphinans play an important role as therapeutically valuable drugs. They include pain relieving agents such as naturally occurring alkaloids (e.g. morphine, codeine), semisynthetic derivatives (e.g. oxycodone, oxymorphone, buprenorphine), and synthetic analogs (e.g. levorphanol). Currently used opioid analgesics also share a number of severe side effects, limiting their clinical usefulness. The antagonist morphinans, naloxone and naltrexone are used to treat opioid overdose, opioid dependence, and alcoholism. All these opioid drugs produce their biological actions through three receptor types, mu, delta, and kappa, belonging to the G-protein-coupled receptor family. Considerable effort has been put forward to understand the appropriate use of opioid analgesics, while medicinal chemistry and opioid pharmacology have been continuously engaged in the search for safer, more efficacious and nonaddicting opioid compounds, with the final goal to reduce complications and to improve patient compliance. Toward this goal, recent advances in chemistry, ligand-based structure activity relationships and pharmacology of 14-alkoxymorphinans are reviewed in this chapter. Current developments of different structural patterns of 14-alkoxymorphinans as research tools and their potential therapeutic opportunities are also summarized.
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Spetea M, Greiner E, Aceto MD, Harris LS, Coop A, Schmidhammer H. Effect of a 6-cyano substituent in 14-oxygenated N-methylmorphinans on opioid receptor binding and antinociceptive potency. J Med Chem 2005; 48:5052-5. [PMID: 16033285 DOI: 10.1021/jm0580205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In a continued effort to find new substitution patterns in morphinans that would produce strong antinociception while inducing lesser side effects, 4,5-oxygen bridge-opened 6-cyano-substituted N-methylmorphinans (1-3) were synthesized. All compounds showed high affinities in the low nanomolar range to the mu opioid receptor and decreased interaction with delta and kappa receptors, thus being mu selective. When tested in vivo, the 6-cyanomorphinanas acted as potent antinociceptive agents which were either more active or equipotent to their 6-keto analogues 4-6.
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MESH Headings
- Analgesics/chemical synthesis
- Analgesics/chemistry
- Analgesics/pharmacology
- Animals
- Brain/metabolism
- In Vitro Techniques
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred ICR
- Morphinans/chemical synthesis
- Morphinans/chemistry
- Morphinans/pharmacology
- Nitriles/chemical synthesis
- Nitriles/chemistry
- Nitriles/pharmacology
- Rats
- Receptors, Opioid/drug effects
- Receptors, Opioid/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/drug effects
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/drug effects
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/drug effects
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/metabolism
- Structure-Activity Relationship
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Spetea
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52a, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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Greiner E, Schottenberger H, Wurst K, Schmidhammer H. Novel class of morphinans with acrylonitrile incorporated substructures as key intermediates for non-oxygen-bridged opioid ligands. J Am Chem Soc 2001; 123:3840-1. [PMID: 11457125 DOI: 10.1021/ja015550r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E Greiner
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy and Institute of General, Inorganic and Theoretical Chemistry University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52a A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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7
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Márki A, Monory K, Otvös F, Tóth G, Krassnig R, Schmidhammer H, Traynor JR, Roques BP, Maldonado R, Borsodi A. Mu-opioid receptor specific antagonist cyprodime: characterization by in vitro radioligand and [35S]GTPgammaS binding assays. Eur J Pharmacol 1999; 383:209-14. [PMID: 10585536 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-2999(99)00610-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The use of compounds with high selectivity for each opioid receptor (mu, delta and kappa) is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of opioid actions. Until recently non-peptide mu-opioid receptor selective antagonists were not available. However, N-cyclopropylmethyl-4,14-dimethoxy-morphinan-6-one (cyprodime) has shown a very high selectivity for mu-opioid receptor in in vivo bioassays. This compound also exhibited a higher affinity for mu-opioid receptor than for delta- and kappa-opioid receptors in binding assays in brain membranes, although the degree of selectivity was lower than in in vitro bioassays. Cyprodime has recently been radiolabelled with tritium resulting in high specific radioactivity (36.1 Ci/mmol). We found in in vitro binding experiments that this radioligand bound with high affinity (K(d) 3. 8+/-0.18 nM) to membranes of rat brain affording a B(max) of 87. 1+/-4.83 fmol/mg. Competition studies using mu, delta and kappa tritiated specific ligands confirmed the selective labelling of cyprodime to a mu-opioid receptor population. The mu-opioid receptor selective agonist [D-Ala(2),N-MePhe(4),Gly(5)-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO) was readily displaced by cyprodime (K(i) values in the low nanomolar range) while the competition for delta- ([D-Pen(2), D-Pen(5)]enkephalin (DPDPE)) and kappa- (5alpha,7alpha, 8beta-(-)-N-methyl-N-[7-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-oxaspiro(4, 5)dec-8-yl]-benzene-acetamide (U69,593)) opioid receptor selective compounds was several orders of magnitude less. We also found that cyprodime inhibits morphine-stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS binding. The EC(50) value of morphine increased about 500-fold in the presence of 10 microM cyprodime. These findings clearly indicate that cyprodime is a useful selective antagonist for mu-opioid receptor characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Márki
- Institute of Biochemistry and Isotope Laboratory, Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-6701, Szeged, Hungary
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Monory K, Greiner E, Sartania N, Sallai L, Pouille Y, Schmidhammer H, Hanoune J, Borsodi A. Opioid binding profiles of new hydrazone, oxime, carbazone and semicarbazone derivatives of 14-alkoxymorphinans. Life Sci 1999; 64:2011-20. [PMID: 10374926 DOI: 10.1016/s0024-3205(99)00148-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Several hydrazone, oxime, carbazone and semicarbazone derivatives of 14-alkoxycodeinones and 14-alkoxydihydrocodeinones were synthesised [1] and characterised in in vitro radioligand binding assays in rat brain membrane preparations. The tested compounds show the highest affinity for the mu opioid binding sites and most of them have agonist character. Subtype analysis of the binding shows mu2 specificity. However, some of these ligands are able to block partially (40-60%) the high affinity (putative mu1) opioid binding sites while all of them act as reversible ligands at the low affinity (putative mu2) sites.
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MESH Headings
- Affinity Labels
- Animals
- Brain/metabolism
- In Vitro Techniques
- Kinetics
- Morphinans/chemical synthesis
- Morphinans/chemistry
- Morphinans/metabolism
- Naloxone/metabolism
- Narcotic Antagonists/metabolism
- Oxycodone/analogs & derivatives
- Oxycodone/metabolism
- Rats
- Rats, Wistar
- Receptors, Opioid/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/metabolism
- Structure-Activity Relationship
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Affiliation(s)
- K Monory
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged
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Affiliation(s)
- A Borsodi
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged
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Schmidhammer H, Kaspar F, Marki A, Borsodi A. Mixed Azines of Naloxone with Dihydromorphinone Derivatives. Helv Chim Acta 1994. [DOI: 10.1002/hlca.19940770412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Irreversible blockade of the high and low affinity (3H) naloxone binding sites by C-6 derivatives of morphinane-6-ones. Life Sci 1991; 48:439-51. [PMID: 1992286 DOI: 10.1016/0024-3205(91)90500-b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
C-6 derivatives--hydrazones, phenylhydrazones, dinitrophenylhydrazones, oximes and semicarbazones--of morphinane-6-ones were synthesized and their binding characteristics were studied on rat brain membranes. The dihydromorphinone and oxymorphone derivatives compete for the (3H)naloxone binding sites with high affinity, while the dihydrocodeinone and oxycodone derivatives are less potent. The affinity of the new compounds is decreased for the delta sites as compared to the parent ligands. The ligands bearing bulky substituents also bind with low affinity to the kappa sites. The modification decreased the Na(+)-index of compounds indicating their mixed agonist-antagonist character. The dihydromorphinone derivatives are all capable to block irreversibly the high affinity binding site of (3H)naloxone, whereas the dihydrocodeionone derivatives block irreversibly the low affinity site. A possible mechanism for the inhibition is suggested.
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12
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Benyhe S, Hoffmann G, Varga E, Hosztafi S, Toth G, Borsodi A, Wollemann M. Effects of oxymorphazone in frogs: long lasting antinociception in vivo, and apparently irreversible binding in vitro. Life Sci 1989; 44:1847-57. [PMID: 2472540 DOI: 10.1016/0024-3205(89)90302-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Oxymorphazone (at doses of 50-200 mg/kg) was found to be a relatively weak antinociceptive drug in intact frog (Rana esculenta) when acetic acid was used as pain stimulus. Frogs remained analgesic for at least 48 hrs following oxymorphazone (200 mg/kg) administration. The ligand increased the latency of wiping reflex in spinal frogs too. These effects were blocked by naloxone. In equilibrium binding studies (3H)oxymorphazone had high affinity to the opioid receptors of frog brain and spinal cord as well (apparent Kd values were 8.9 and 10.6 nM, respectively). Kinetic experiments show that only 25% of the bound (3H)oxymorphazone is readily dissociable. Preincubation of the membranes with labeled oxymorphazone results in a washing resistant inhibition of the opioid binding sites. At least 70% of the (3H)oxymorphazone specific binding is apparently irreversible after reaction at 5 nM ligand concentration, and this can be enhanced by a higher concentration of tritiated ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Benyhe
- Institute of Biochemistry, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged
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