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Rech TDST, Strelow DN, Krüger LD, Neto JSS, Blödorn GB, Alves D, Brüning CA, Bortolatto CF. Pharmacological evidence for glutamatergic pathway involvement in the antidepressant-like effects of 2-phenyl-3-(phenylselanyl)benzofuran in male Swiss mice. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2023; 396:3033-3044. [PMID: 37160481 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-023-02508-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Depression is a multifactorial and heterogeneous disease with several neurobiological mechanisms underlying its pathophysiology, including dysfunctional glutamatergic neurotransmission, which makes the exploration of the glutamate pathway an interesting strategy for developing novel rapid-acting antidepressant treatments. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the possible glutamatergic pathway relation in the antidepressant-like action of 2-phenyl-3-(phenylselanyl)benzofuran (SeBZF1) in Swiss mice employing the tail suspension test (TST). Male Swiss mice received drugs targeting glutamate receptors before acute SeBZF1 administration at effective (50 mg/kg) or subeffective (1 mg/kg) doses by intragastric route (ig). TST and the open-field test (OFT) were employed in all behavioral experiments. The pretreatment of mice with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) (0.1 pmol/site, intracerebroventricular, icv, a selective agonist of the NMDA receptors), D-serine (30 µg/site, icv, a co-agonist at the NMDA receptor), arcaine (1 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, ip, an antagonist of the polyamine-binding site at the NMDA receptor), and 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX) (2,5 µg/site, icv, an antagonist of the AMPA/kainate type of glutamate receptors) inhibited the antidepressant-like effects of SeBZF1 (50 mg/kg, ig) in the TST. Coadministration of a subeffective dose of SeBZF1 with low doses of MK-801 (0.001 mg/kg, ip, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist) or ketamine (0.1 mg/kg, ip, a non-selective antagonist of the NMDA receptors) produced significant antidepressant-like effects (synergistic action). These findings suggest the involvement of the glutamatergic system, probably through modulation of ionotropic glutamate receptors, in the antidepressant-like action of SeBZF1 in mice and contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying its pharmacological effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taís da Silva Teixeira Rech
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Bioprospecção (PPGBBio), Laboratório de Bioquímica e Neurofarmacologia Molecular (LABIONEM), Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurobiotecnologia (GPN), Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos (CCQFA), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Dianer Nornberg Strelow
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Bioprospecção (PPGBBio), Laboratório de Bioquímica e Neurofarmacologia Molecular (LABIONEM), Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurobiotecnologia (GPN), Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos (CCQFA), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Letícia Devantier Krüger
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Bioprospecção (PPGBBio), Laboratório de Bioquímica e Neurofarmacologia Molecular (LABIONEM), Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurobiotecnologia (GPN), Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos (CCQFA), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, Brazil
| | | | - Gustavo Bierhals Blödorn
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química (PPGQ), Laboratório de Síntese Orgânica Limpa (LASOL), Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos (CCQFA), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Diego Alves
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química (PPGQ), Laboratório de Síntese Orgânica Limpa (LASOL), Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos (CCQFA), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - César Augusto Brüning
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Bioprospecção (PPGBBio), Laboratório de Bioquímica e Neurofarmacologia Molecular (LABIONEM), Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurobiotecnologia (GPN), Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos (CCQFA), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, Brazil.
| | - Cristiani Folharini Bortolatto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica e Bioprospecção (PPGBBio), Laboratório de Bioquímica e Neurofarmacologia Molecular (LABIONEM), Grupo de Pesquisa em Neurobiotecnologia (GPN), Centro de Ciências Químicas, Farmacêuticas e de Alimentos (CCQFA), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), RS, CEP 96010-900, Pelotas, Brazil.
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Viktorov M, Wilkinson MP, Elston VCE, Stone M, Robinson ESJ. A systematic review of studies investigating the acute effects of N-methyl- D-aspartate receptor antagonists on behavioural despair in normal animals suggests poor predictive validity. Brain Neurosci Adv 2022; 6:23982128221081645. [PMID: 35299619 PMCID: PMC8922211 DOI: 10.1177/23982128221081645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist ketamine to induce a rapid and sustained antidepressant effect has led to a surge in pre-clinical studies investigating underlying mechanisms and seeking novel treatments. Animal models are key to this research as they can provide a behavioural readout linking underlying mechanisms to clinical benefits. However, quantifying depression-related behaviours in rodents represents a major challenge with the validity of traditional methods such as models of behavioural despair (forced swim test and tail suspension test) a topic of debate. While there is good evidence to support the value of using these behavioural readouts to study the effects of stress, these approaches have largely failed to detect reliable phenotypic effects in other disease models. In this systematic review, we identified publications which had tested N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists in normal animals using either the forced swim test or tail suspension test. We compared findings for different doses and time points and also drugs with different clinical profiles to investigate how well the outcomes in the rodent model predicted their effects in the clinic. Despite clear evidence that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists reduce immobility time and hence exhibit an antidepressant profile in these tasks, we found similar effects with both clinically effective drugs as well as those which have failed to show efficacy in clinical trials. These findings suggest that behavioural despair tests in normal animals do not provide a good method to predict clinical efficacy of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Viktorov
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Matthew P. Wilkinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Victoria C. E. Elston
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Medi Stone
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Emma S. J. Robinson
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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da Silva Calixto P, de Almeida RN, Stiebbe Salvadori MGS, Dos Santos Maia M, Filho JMB, Scotti MT, Scotti L. In Silico Study Examining New Phenylpropanoids Targets with Antidepressant Activity. Curr Drug Targets 2021; 22:539-554. [PMID: 32881667 DOI: 10.2174/1389450121666200902171838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural products, such as phenylpropanoids, which are found in essential oils derived from aromatic plants, have been explored during non-clinical psychopharmacology studies, to discover new molecules with relevant pharmacological activities in the central nervous system, especially antidepressant and anxiolytic activities. Major depressive disorder is a highly debilitating psychiatric disorder and is considered to be a disabling public health problem, worldwide, as a primary factor associated with suicide. Current clinically administered antidepressants have late-onset therapeutic actions, are associated with several side effects, and clinical studies have reported that some patients do not respond well to treatment or reach complete remission. OBJECTIVE To review important new targets for antidepressant activity and to select phenylpropanoids with antidepressant activity, using Molegro Virtual Docker and Ossis Data Warris, and to verify substances with more promising antidepressant activity. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION An in silico molecular modeling study, based on homology, was conducted to determine the three-dimensional structure of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor (5- HT2AR), then molecular docking studies were performed and the predisposition for cytotoxicity risk among identified molecules was examined. A model for 5-HT2AR homology, with satisfactory results, was obtained indicating the good stereochemical quality of the model. The phenylpropanoid 4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenol showed the lowest binding energy for 5-HT2AR, with results relevant to the L-arginine/nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP pathway, and showed no toxicity within the parameters of mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, reproductive system toxicity, and skin-tissue irritability, when evaluated in silico; therefore, this molecule can be considered promising for the investigation of antidepressant activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Reinaldo Nóbrega de Almeida
- Department of Physiology and Pathology, Laboratory of Psychopharmacology, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
| | | | | | - José Maria Barbosa Filho
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Technology Laboratory, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
| | | | - Luciana Scotti
- Laboratory of Chemoinformatics, Federal University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, Brazil
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A unique hormonal recognition feature of the human glucagon-like peptide-2 receptor. Cell Res 2020; 30:1098-1108. [PMID: 33239759 PMCID: PMC7785020 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-020-00442-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucagon-like peptides (GLP-1 and GLP-2) are two proglucagon-derived intestinal hormones that mediate distinct physiological functions through two related receptors (GLP-1R and GLP-2R) which are important drug targets for metabolic disorders and Crohn's disease, respectively. Despite great progress in GLP-1R structure determination, our understanding on the differences of peptide binding and signal transduction between these two receptors remains elusive. Here we report the electron microscopy structure of the human GLP-2R in complex with GLP-2 and a Gs heterotrimer. To accommodate GLP-2 rather than GLP-1, GLP-2R fine-tunes the conformations of the extracellular parts of transmembrane helices (TMs) 1, 5, 7 and extracellular loop 1 (ECL1). In contrast to GLP-1, the N-terminal histidine of GLP-2 penetrates into the receptor core with a unique orientation. The middle region of GLP-2 engages with TM1 and TM7 more extensively than with ECL2, and the GLP-2 C-terminus closely attaches to ECL1, which is the most protruded among 9 class B G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Functional studies revealed that the above three segments of GLP-2 are essential for GLP-2 recognition and receptor activation, especially the middle region. These results provide new insights into the molecular basis of ligand specificity in class B GPCRs and may facilitate the development of more specific therapeutics.
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