Structure-activity relationships of non-opioid [des-Arg(7)]-dynorphin A analogues for bradykinin receptors

Novel signaling of dynorphin at κ-opioid receptor/bradykinin B2 receptor heterodimers

The κ-opioid receptor (KOR) and bradykinin B2 receptor (B2R) are involved in a variety of important physiological processes and share many similar characteristics in terms of their distribution and functions in the nervous system. We first demonstrated the endogenous expression of KOR and B2R in human SH-SY5Y cells and their co-localization on the membrane of human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. Bioluminescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer and the proximity ligation assay were exploited to demonstrate the formation of functional KOR and B2R heteromers in transfected cells. KOR/B2R heteromers triggered dynorphin A (1-13)-induced Gαs/protein kinase A signaling pathway activity, including upregulation of intracellular cAMP levels and cAMP-response element luciferase reporter activity, resulting in increased cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation, which could be dampened by the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H89. This indicated that the co-existence of KOR and B2R is critical for CREB phosphorylation. In addition, dynorphin A (1-13) induced a significantly higher rate of proliferation in HEK293-KOR/B2R and human SH-SY5Y cells than in the control group. These results indicate that KOR can form a heterodimer with B2R and this leads to increased protein kinase A activity by the CREB signaling pathway, leading to a significant increase in cell proliferation. The nature of this signaling pathway has significant implications for the role of dynorphin in the regulation of neuroprotective effects.

Discovery of Stable Non-opioid Dynorphin A Analogues Interacting at the Bradykinin Receptors for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

Dynorphin A (Dyn A) is a unique endogenous ligand that possesses well-known neuroinhibitory effects via opioid receptors with a preference for the kappa receptor but also neuroexcitatory effects, which cause hyperalgesia. We have shown that the neuroexcitatory effects are mediated through bradykinin (BK) receptors and that intrathecal (i.th.) administration of our lead ligand 1, [des-Arg⁷]-Dyn A-(4-11), which shows good binding affinity (IC₅₀ = 150 nM) at the BK receptors, blocks Dyn A-induced hyperalgesia in naïve animals and reverses thermal and tactile hypersensitivities in a dose-dependent manner in nerve-injured animals. However, 1 has a serious drawback as a potential drug candidate for the treatment of neuropathic pain because of its susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. In an effort to increase its stability, we modified ligand 1 using non-natural amino acids and found that analogues substituted at or near the N-terminus with a d-isomer retain binding at the receptor and provide a large increase in stability. In particular when Leu⁵ was modified, with either the d-isomer or N-methylation, there was a large increase in stability (t_1/2 = 0.7-160 h in rat plasma) observed. From these studies, we have developed a very stable Dyn A analogue 16, [d-Leu⁵,des-Arg⁷]-Dyn A-(4-11), that binds to BK receptors (IC₅₀ = 130 nM) in the same range as ligand 1 and shows good antihyperalgesic effects in both naïve rats and L₅/L₆ spinal nerve ligation rats.

Cyclic non-opioid dynorphin A analogues for the bradykinin receptors

Nerve injury and inflammation cause up-regulation of an endogenous opioid ligand, dynorphin A (Dyn A), in the spinal cord resulting in hyperalgesia via the interaction with bradykinin receptors (BRs). This is a non-opioid neuroexcitatory effect that cannot be blocked by opioid antagonists. Our systematic structure-activity relationships study on Dyn A identified lead ligands 1 and 4, along with the key structural feature (i.e. amphipathicity) for the BRs. However, the ligands showed very low metabolic stability in plasma (t1/2 <1h) and therefore, in order to improve their metabolic stabilities with retained biological activities, various modifications were performed. Cyclization of ligand 4 afforded a cyclic Dyn A analogue 5 that retained the same range of binding affinity as the linear ligand with improved metabolic stability (t1/2 >5h) and therefore possesses the potential as a pharmacophoric scaffold to be utilized for drug development.

Various modifications of the amphipathic dynorphin A pharmacophore for rat brain bradykinin receptors

As a unique endogenous opioid ligand, dynorphin A shows paradoxical neuroexcitatory effects at bradykinin receptors, and the effects are known to be amplified by the upregulation of dynorphin A under chronic pain and inflammatory conditions. In our earlier structure-activity relationship studies, the amphipathic dynorphin A fragment, [Des-Arg(7) ]-Dyn A-(4-11), was identified as a pharmacophore for the bradykinin receptors along with key structural features. Here, further modifications of the pharmacophore showed that the position of a Pro residue is also an important feature because of its role in making (or disrupting) a β-turn or 310 helix structure which is crucial for receptor recognition.

Dynorphin A analogs for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain

Chronic pain is one of the most ubiquitous diseases in the world, but treatment is difficult with conventional methods, due to undesirable side effects of treatments and unknown mechanisms of pathological pain states. The endogenous peptide, dynorphin A has long been established as a target for the treatment of pain. Interestingly, this unique peptide has both inhibitory (opioid in nature) and excitatory activities (nonopioid) in the CNS. Both of these effects have been found to play a role in pain and much work has been done to develop therapeutics to enhance the inhibitory effects. Here we will review the dynorphin A compounds that have been designed for the modulation of pain and will discuss where the field stands today.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2014

This paper is the thirty-seventh consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2014 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (endogenous opioids and receptors), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (pain and analgesia); stress and social status (human studies); tolerance and dependence (opioid mediation of other analgesic responses); learning and memory (stress and social status); eating and drinking (stress-induced analgesia); alcohol and drugs of abuse (emotional responses in opioid-mediated behaviors); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (opioid involvement in stress response regulation); mental illness and mood (tolerance and dependence); seizures and neurologic disorders (learning and memory); electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (opiates and conditioned place preferences (CPP)); general activity and locomotion (eating and drinking); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (alcohol and drugs of abuse); cardiovascular responses (opiates and ethanol); respiration and thermoregulation (opiates and THC); and immunological responses (opiates and stimulants). This paper is the thirty-seventh consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2014 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior (endogenous opioids and receptors), and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia (pain and analgesia); stress and social status (human studies); tolerance and dependence (opioid mediation of other analgesic responses); learning and memory (stress and social status); eating and drinking (stress-induced analgesia); alcohol and drugs of abuse (emotional responses in opioid-mediated behaviors); sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (opioid involvement in stress response regulation); mental illness and mood (tolerance and dependence); seizures and neurologic disorders (learning and memory); electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (opiates and conditioned place preferences (CPP)); general activity and locomotion (eating and drinking); gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (alcohol and drugs of abuse); cardiovascular responses (opiates and ethanol); respiration and thermoregulation (opiates and THC); and immunological responses (opiates and stimulants).

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of multifunctional ligands targeting opioid and bradykinin 2 receptors

We report here the design and synthesis of novel multifunctional ligands that act as (μ/δ) opioid agonists and bradykinin 2 receptor antagonists. These multifunctional ligands were designed to interact with the multiple receptors to show an enhanced analgesic effect, with no opioid-induced tolerance. We designed our multifunctional ligands based on the well-known second generation bradykinin 2 receptor antagonist Hoe 140 (DArg-Arg-Pro-Hyp-Gly-Thi-Ser-DTic-Oic-Arg-OH) and the opioid enkephalin analogues Tyr-DAla-Phe, Tyr-DAla-Gly-Phe and Tyr-Pro-Phe. We explored the conjugation of opioid pharmacophore to the Hoe 140 (DArg-Arg-Pro-Hyp-Gly-Thi-Ser-DTic-Oic-Arg-OH) in various positions with and without a linker. These bifunctional ligands showed very good binding affinity towards the both μ and δ opioid receptors. Among these bifunctional ligands 8, 11 and 12 showed excellent and balanced binding affinity at both μ and δ opioid receptors (0.5 nM, 2.0 nM; 0.3 nM, 2 nM; 2 nM and 3 nM), respectively. On the other hand these bifunctional ligands showed very weak and no binding affinity for rat brain bradykinin 2 receptors. Similarly, the Hoe 140 showed very low affinity (>10,000 nM and 9,000 nM) against [(3)H] BK binding in rat brain membranes and in HEK293 cells, respectively. In contrast, the Hoe 140 showed very good binding affinity in guinea pig ileum (0.43 nM) similar to that of previously reported. The bradykinin 2 receptors are known to be present in rat brain membrane, guinea pig ileum (GPI) and rabbit jugular vein. Previously the binding affinity of Hoe 140 for bradykinin 2 receptor was reported using guinea pig ileum. The above results suggest that the bradykinin 2 receptors present in rat brain membrane are a different sub type than the bradykinin 2 receptor present in guinea pig ileum (GPI).

Modification of amphipathic non-opioid dynorphin A analogues for rat brain bradykinin receptors

It has been shown that under chronic pain or nerve injury conditions, up-regulated dynorphin A (Dyn A) interacts with bradykinin receptors (BRs) to cause hyperalgesia in the spinal cord. Thus BRs antagonist can modulate hyperalgesia by blocking Dyn A's interaction with the BRs in the central nervous system. In our earlier structure-activity relationship (SAR) study, [des-Arg(7)]-Dyn A-(4-11) 13 was discovered as a minimum pharmacophore for rat brain BRs with its antagonist activity (anti-hyperalgesic effect) in in vivo tests using naïve or injured animals. We have pursued further modification on the [des-Arg(7)]-Dyn A analogues and identified a key insight into the pharmacophore of the rat brain BRs: amphipathicity.