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Anversa RG, Barron ML, Walker LC, Lawrence AJ. Emerging GPCR targets for AUD: Insights from preclinical studies. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2024; 87:102896. [PMID: 38971113 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest group of membrane receptors in the central nervous system and one of the key proteins for signal transduction between cells. Currently, many drugs available on the market act via GPCRs and these receptors remain attractive targets for the treatment of brain disorders, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Here, we describe the most recent literature, with a primary focus on the past 5 years, on GPCR targets with the potential for reducing behaviours associated with excessive alcohol intake. Specifically, we focus on preclinical evidence of compounds with attractive pharmacological profiles and potential for future clinical investigation for the treatment of AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Goncalves Anversa
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne 3052, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3052, Australia
| | - Maiya L Barron
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne 3052, Australia; School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Leigh C Walker
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne 3052, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3052, Australia
| | - Andrew J Lawrence
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne 3052, Australia; Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3052, Australia.
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2
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Carrette L, Santos A, Brennan M, Othman D, Collazo A, George O. Antagonists of the stress and opioid systems restore the functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex during alcohol withdrawal through divergent mechanisms. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.09.30.560339. [PMID: 37873478 PMCID: PMC10592857 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.30.560339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Chronic alcohol consumption leads to dependence and withdrawal symptoms upon cessation, contributing to persistent use. However, the brain network mechanisms by which the brain orchestrates alcohol withdrawal and how these networks are affected by pharmacological treatments remain elusive. Recent work revealed that alcohol withdrawal produces a widespread increase in coordinated brain activity and a decrease in modularity of the whole-brain functional network using single-cell whole-brain imaging of immediate early genes. This decreased modularity and functional hyperconnectivity are hypothesized to be novel biomarkers of alcohol withdrawal in alcohol dependence, which could potentially be used to evaluate the efficacy of new medications for alcohol use disorder. However, there is no evidence that current FDA-approved medications or experimental treatments known to reduce alcohol drinking in animal models can normalize the changes in whole-brain functional connectivity. In this report, we tested the effect of R121919, a CRF1 antagonist, and naltrexone, an FDA-approved treatment for alcohol use disorder, on whole-brain functional connectivity using the cellular marker FOS combined with graph theory and advanced network analyses. Results show that both R121919 and naltrexone restored the functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex during alcohol withdrawal, but through divergent mechanisms. Specifically, R121919 increased FOS activation in the prefrontal cortex, partially restored modularity, and normalized connectivity, particularly in CRF1-rich regions, including the prefrontal, pallidum, and extended amygdala circuits. On the other hand, naltrexone decreased FOS activation throughout the brain, decreased modularity, and increased connectivity overall except for the Mu opioid receptor-rich regions, including the thalamus. These results identify the brain networks underlying the pharmacological effects of R121919 and naltrexone and demonstrate that these drugs restored different aspects of functional connectivity of the prefrontal cortex, pallidum, amygdala, and thalamus during alcohol withdrawal. Notably, these effects were particularly prominent in CRF1- and Mu opioid receptors-rich regions highlighting the potential of whole-brain functional connectivity using FOS as a tool for identifying neuronal network mechanisms underlying the pharmacological effects of existing and new medications for alcohol use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- L.L.G. Carrette
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - A. Santos
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - M. Brennan
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - D. Othman
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - A. Collazo
- Beckman Institute, CalTech, Passadena, CA, United States
| | - O. George
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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3
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Quintanilla ME, Israel Y. Role of Metabolism on Alcohol Preference, Addiction, and Treatment. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2023. [PMID: 37221350 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2023_422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Studies presented in this chapter show that: (1) in the brain, ethanol is metabolized by catalase to acetaldehyde, which condenses with dopamine forming salsolinol; (2) acetaldehyde-derived salsolinol increases the release of dopamine mediating, via opioid receptors, the reinforcing effects of ethanol during the acquisition of ethanol consumption, while (3) brain acetaldehyde does not influence the maintenance of chronic ethanol intake, it is suggested that a learned cue-induced hyperglutamatergic system takes precedence over the dopaminergic system. However, (4) following a prolonged ethanol deprivation, the generation of acetaldehyde in the brain again plays a role, contributing to the increase in ethanol intake observed during ethanol re-access, called the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE), a model of relapse behavior; (5) naltrexone inhibits the high ethanol intake seen in the ADE condition, suggesting that acetaldehyde-derived salsolinol via opioid receptors also contributes to the relapse-like drinking behavior. The reader is referred to glutamate-mediated mechanisms that trigger the cue-associated alcohol-seeking and that also contribute to triggering relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Elena Quintanilla
- Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Yedy Israel
- Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Medicina Regenerativa, ICM Clinica Alemana-Universidad de Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
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Qu N, Wang R, Meng Y, Liu N, Zhai J, Shan F. Methionine enkephalin inhibited cervical carcinoma via apoptosis promotion and reduction of myeloid derived suppressor cell infiltrated in tumor. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 110:108933. [PMID: 35738090 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.108933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy for cervical carcinoma is becoming increasingly important recently. In these studies methionine enkephalin (menk) is shown to inhibit cervical tumor cell proliferation in vitro in association with an increase in the expression of apoptosis markers and mediators, including an increase in fas, caspase 8, and caspase 3 expression and intrinsic expression of the signaling pathway mediator bax. In vivo, tumor growth was restrained in mice xenotransplant model with typical pathological features of apoptosis. Furthermore, myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) had a significant decrease in circulation and in tumor site. In brief, these findings showed menk could inhibit tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, providing direction of further research and clinical application prospect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Qu
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, No. 77, Puhe Road, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning Province, China; Department of Gynecology, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, No. 44, Xiaoheyan Road, Shenyang 110042, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Ruizhe Wang
- Department of Gynecology, No. 1 Teaching Hospital, China Medical University, No. 155, North Nanjing Street, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yiming Meng
- Central Laboratory, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, No. 44, Xiaoheyan Road, Shenyang 110042, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Ning Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Shenyang 110004, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Jingbo Zhai
- Medical College, Inner Mongolia Minzu University, Tongliao 028000, China; Key Laboratory of Zoonose Prevention and Control at Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tongliao 028000, China
| | - Fengping Shan
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, No. 77, Puhe Road, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning Province, China.
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Abstract
Nalfurafine has been used clinically in Japan for treatment of itch in kidney dialysis patients and in patients with chronic liver diseases. A one-year post-marketing study showed nalfurafine to be safe and efficacious without producing side effects of typical KOR agonists such as anhedonia and psychotomimesis. In this chapter, we summarize in vitro characterization and in vivo preclinical studies on nalfurafine. In vitro, nalfurafine is a highly potent and moderately selective KOR full agonist; however, whether it is a biased KOR agonist is a matter of debate. In animals, nalfurafine produced anti-pruritic effects in a dose range lower than that caused side effects, including conditioned place aversion (CPA), hypolocomotion, motor incoordination, consistent with the human data. In addition, nalfurafine showed antinociceptive effects in several pain models at doses that did not cause the side effects mentioned above. It appears to be effective against inflammatory pain and mechanical pain, but less so against thermal pain, particularly high-intensity thermal pain. U50,488H and nalfurafine differentially modulated several signaling pathways in a brain region-specific manners. Notably, U50,488H, but not nalfurafine, activated the mTOR pathway, which contributed to U50,488H-induced CPA. Because of its lack of side effects associated with typical KOR agonists, nalfurafine has been investigated as a combination therapy with an MOR ligand for pain treatment and for its effects on opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder, and results indicate potential usefulness for these indications. Thus, although in vitro data regarding uniqueness of nalfurafine in terms of signaling at the KOR are somewhat equivocal, in vivo results support the assertion that nalfurafine is an atypical KOR agonist with a significantly improved side-effect profile relative to typical KOR agonists.
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Wang H, Cao D, Gillespie JC, Mendez RE, Selley DE, Liu-Chen LY, Zhang Y. Exploring the putative mechanism of allosteric modulations by mixed-action kappa/mu opioid receptor bitopic modulators. Future Med Chem 2021; 13:551-573. [PMID: 33590767 PMCID: PMC8027703 DOI: 10.4155/fmc-2020-0308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The modulation and selectivity mechanisms of seven mixed-action kappa opioid receptor (KOR)/mu opioid receptor (MOR) bitopic modulators were explored. Molecular modeling results indicated that the 'message' moiety of seven bitopic modulators shared the same binding mode with the orthosteric site of the KOR and MOR, whereas the 'address' moiety bound with different subdomains of the allosteric site of the KOR and MOR. The 'address' moiety of seven bitopic modulators bound to different subdomains of the allosteric site of the KOR and MOR may exhibit distinguishable allosteric modulations to the binding affinity and/or efficacy of the 'message' moiety. Moreover, the 3-hydroxy group on the phenolic moiety of the seven bitopic modulators induced selectivity to the KOR over the MOR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiqun Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Danni Cao
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
| | - James C Gillespie
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Rolando E Mendez
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Dana E Selley
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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Cano-Cebrián MJ, Fernández-Rodríguez S, Hipólito L, Granero L, Polache A, Zornoza T. Efficacy of N-acetylcysteine in the prevention of alcohol relapse-like drinking: Study in long-term ethanol-experienced male rats. J Neurosci Res 2020; 99:638-648. [PMID: 33063355 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorders are chronic and highly relapsing disorders, thus alcoholic patients have a high rate of recidivism for drug use even after long periods of abstinence. The literature points to the potential usefulness of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in the management of several substance use disorders probably due to its capacity to restore brain homeostasis of the glutamate system disrupted in addiction. However, there is little evidence in the case of alcohol. The aim of this study was to explore the potential anti-relapse efficacy of NAC using the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) model in long-term experienced rats. Two experiments were performed in male Wistar rats to: (a) test the efficacy of NAC to prevent relapse and (b) discriminate the best administration schedule (intermittent vs. continuous) for NAC. In the first experiment, animals were implanted with mini-osmotic pumps delivering 0 or 1 mg/hr NAC during 14 days. In a second experiment, rats received 0, 60, or 100 mg/kg once daily by subcutaneous injection. The efficacy to prevent ADE was evaluated in both experiments. NAC subcutaneously administered, either by continuous infusion or by intermittent injections regimen, is able to block the ADE. The best results were obtained after using 60 mg/kg NAC dose. Our findings support the hypothesis that NAC may represent a valuable therapy in the management of alcohol relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- María José Cano-Cebrián
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Sandra Fernández-Rodríguez
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Lucia Hipólito
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Luis Granero
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Ana Polache
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Teodoro Zornoza
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
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Cao D, Huang P, Chiu YT, Chen C, Wang H, Li M, Zheng Y, Ehlert FJ, Zhang Y, Liu-Chen LY. Comparison of Pharmacological Properties between the Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist Nalfurafine and 42B, Its 3-Dehydroxy Analogue: Disconnect between in Vitro Agonist Bias and in Vivo Pharmacological Effects. ACS Chem Neurosci 2020; 11:3036-3050. [PMID: 32897695 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nalfurafine, a moderately selective kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonist, is used in Japan for treatment of itch without causing dysphoria or psychotomimesis. Here we characterized the pharmacology of compound 42B, a 3-dehydroxy analogue of nalfurafine and compared with that of nalfurafine. Nalfurafine and 42B acted as full KOR agonists and partial μ opioid receptor (MOR) agonists, but 42B showed much lower potency for both receptors and lower KOR/MOR selectivity, different from previous reports. Molecular modeling revealed that water-mediated hydrogen-bond formation between 3-OH of nalfurafine and KOR accounted for its higher KOR potency than 42B. The higher potency of both at KOR over MOR may be due to hydrogen-bond formation between nonconserved Y7.35 of KOR and their carbonyl groups. Both showed modest G protein signaling biases. In mice, like nalfurafine, 42B produced antinociceptive and antiscratch effects and did not cause conditioned place aversion (CPA) in the effective dose ranges. Unlike nalfurafine, 42B caused motor incoordination and hypolocomotion. As both agonists showed G protein biases, yet produced different effects on locomotor activity and motor incoordination, the findings and those in the literature suggest caution in correlating in vitro biochemical data with in vivo behavior effects. The factors contributing to the disconnect, including pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic issues, are discussed. In addition, our results suggest that among the KOR-induced adverse behaviors, CPA can be separated from motor incoordination and hypolocomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danni Cao
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology, State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, 100850, China
| | - Peng Huang
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
| | - Yi-Ting Chiu
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
| | - Chongguang Chen
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
| | - Huiqun Wang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Mengchu Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Yi Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Frederick J. Ehlert
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, United States
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Karkhanis AN, Al-Hasani R. Dynorphin and its role in alcohol use disorder. Brain Res 2020; 1735:146742. [PMID: 32114059 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The dynorphin / kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system has been implicated in many aspects that influence neuropsychiatric disorders. Namely, this system modulates neural circuits that primarily regulate reward seeking, motivation processing, stress responsivity, and pain sensitivity, thus affecting the development of substance and alcohol use disorder (AUD). The effects of this system are often bidirectional and depend on projection targets. To date, a majority of the studies focusing on this system have examined the KOR function using agonists and antagonists. Indeed, there are studies that have examined prodynorphin and dynorphin levels by measuring mRNA and tissue content levels; however, static levels of the neuropeptide and its precursor do not explain complete and online function of the peptide as would be explained by measuring dynorphin transmission in real time. New and exciting methods using optogenetics, chemogenetics, genetic sensors, fast scan cyclic voltammetry are now being developed to detect various neuropeptides with a focus on opioid peptides, including dynorphin. In this review we discuss studies that examine dynorphin projections in areas involved in AUD, its functional involvement in AUD and vulnerability to develop AUD at various ages. Moreover, we discuss dynorphin's role in promoting AUD by dysregulation motivation circuits and how advancements in opioid peptide detection will further our understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anushree N Karkhanis
- Department of Psychology, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Center for Developmental and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University - SUNY, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
| | - Ream Al-Hasani
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Department of Anesthesiology Washington University in St. Louis, Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine & St. Louis College of Pharmacy 660 S.Euclid, Box 8054, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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