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Merlino F, Secondo A, Mitidieri E, Sorrentino R, Bellavita R, Grasso N, Chatenet D, Pannaccione A, Grieco P, d'Emmanuele di Villa Bianca R, Carotenuto A. Expanding Structure-Activity Relationships of Human Urotensin II Peptide Analogues: A Proposed Key Role of the N-Terminal Region for Novel Urotensin II Receptor Modulators. J Med Chem 2024; 67:13879-13890. [PMID: 39096311 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/05/2024]
Abstract
While the urotensinergic system plays a role in influencing various pathologies, its potential remains untapped because of the absence of therapeutically effective urotensin II receptor (UTR) modulators. Herein, we developed analogues of human urotensin II (hU-II) peptide in which, along with well-known antagonist-oriented modifications, the Glu1 residue was subjected to single-point mutations. The generated library was tested by a calcium mobilization assay and ex vivo experiments, also in competition with selected ligands. Interestingly, many derivatives showed noncompetitive modulation that was rationalized by the lateral allostery concept applied to a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) multimeric model. UPG-108 showed an unprecedented ability to double the efficacy of hU-II, while UPG-109 and UPG-111 turned out to be negative allosteric modulators of UTR. Overall, our investigation will serve to explore and highlight the expanding possibilities of modulating the UTR system through N-terminally modified hU-II analogues and, furthermore, will aim to elucidate the intricate nature of such a GPCR system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Merlino
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sui Peptidi Bioattivi "Carlo Pedone" (CIRPeB), University of Naples Federico II, via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | - Agnese Secondo
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Dentistry Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Emma Mitidieri
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaella Sorrentino
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Bellavita
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Nicola Grasso
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - David Chatenet
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Université du Québec, H7 V 1B7 Québec, Canada
| | - Anna Pannaccione
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Dentistry Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Paolo Grieco
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sui Peptidi Bioattivi "Carlo Pedone" (CIRPeB), University of Naples Federico II, via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
| | | | - Alfonso Carotenuto
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
- Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sui Peptidi Bioattivi "Carlo Pedone" (CIRPeB), University of Naples Federico II, via Mezzocannone 16, 80134 Naples, Italy
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Soni A, Saha S, Agarwal A, Rehman Abdul Rauf A, Singh RK, Seth M, Singh SK, Sinha S, Shirumalla RK, Marumoto S, Tandon R. 2-{N-[(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy) acetyl]-N-methylamino}-3-pyrrolidinepropanamide analogs as potential antagonists of Urotensin II receptor. J Recept Signal Transduct Res 2023; 43:1-8. [PMID: 36651469 DOI: 10.1080/10799893.2022.2164306] [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: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
THE PURPOSE OF THE ARTICLE To identify novel small molecule antagonists of Urotensin II receptor with acceptable pharmacological profile. MATERIALS AND METHODS Structure-activity-relationship (SAR) studies on 2-{N-[(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy) acetyl]-N-methylamino}-3-pyrrolidinepropanamide series were conducted and shortlisted compounds were synthesized and evaluated in in vitro cell-based assays. Human and mouse Urotensin II receptor overexpressing CHO cells were used for calcium release and radioligand binding assays. Initial molecules in this series had solubility and inter-species variability issue in the calcium release assay. We, therefore, conducted SAR to overcome these 2 issues and molecules with accepted in vitro profile were evaluated further in mouse pressor response model to generate the in vivo proof of concept for UII receptor antagonization. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We report herewith identification of 2-{N-[(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetyl]-N-methylamino}-3-pyrrolidinepropanamides series to obtain novel small molecule antagonists of Urotensin II receptor with acceptable pharmacological profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajay Soni
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Subham Saha
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Aditi Agarwal
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Abdul Rehman Abdul Rauf
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Mahesh Seth
- Department of Pharmacology, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Shashi Kant Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Sandeep Sinha
- Department of Pharmacology, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | - Raj Kumar Shirumalla
- Department of Pharmacology, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India
| | | | - Ruchi Tandon
- Department of Pharmacology, Daiichi Sankyo Life Science Research Centre in India, Gurgaon, Haryana, India.,Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, NCR-Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad, India
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Avagimyan A, Kajaia A, Gabunia L, Ghambashidze K, Sulashvili N, Ratiani L, Heshmat-Ghahdarijani K, Sheibani M, Aznauryan A. Urotensin-II As a Promising Key-Point of Cardiovascular Disturbances Sequel. Curr Probl Cardiol 2021; 47:101074. [PMID: 34848248 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2021.101074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Arterial hypertension is a highly urgent problem of modern medicine since the crisis of blood pressure control remains open, due to the increasing number of uncontrolled arterial hypertension. Today, one of the most critical problems of cardiology is the study of the mechanisms of development and progression of arterial hypertension. Therefore, our international and multidisciplinary working group presents a vision of a new therapeutic target - urotensin II in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension. Thus, this article reflects the concept of the Armenian, Georgian and Iranian medical schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashot Avagimyan
- Department of Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Morphology, Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi, Republic of Armenia.
| | - Albina Kajaia
- Pharmacology Department, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Luiza Gabunia
- Pharmacology Department, Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | | | - Nodar Sulashvili
- Pharmacology Department, Tbilisi Open University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Levan Ratiani
- Director of the First University Clinic of Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | | | - Mohammad Sheibani
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Artashes Aznauryan
- Histology Department, Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
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Alicic D, Martinovic D, Rusic D, Zivkovic PM, Tadin Hadjina I, Vilovic M, Kumric M, Tokic D, Supe-Domic D, Lupi-Ferandin S, Bozic J. Urotensin II levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. World J Gastroenterol 2021; 27:6142-6153. [PMID: 34629825 PMCID: PMC8476337 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i36.6142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are associated with increased cardiovascular risk and have increased overall cardiovascular burden. On the other hand, urotensin II (UII) is one of the most potent vascular constrictors with immunomodulatory effect that is connected with a number of different cardiometabolic disorders as well. Furthermore, patients with ulcerative colitis have shown increased expression of urotensin II receptor in comparison to healthy controls. Since the features of IBD includes chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction as well, it is plausible to assume that there is connection between increased cardiac risk in IBD and UII.
AIM To determine serum UII levels in patients with IBD and to compare them to control subjects, as well as investigate possible associations with relevant clinical and biochemical parameters.
METHODS This cross sectional study consecutively enrolled 50 adult IBD patients (26 with Crohn’s disease and 24 with ulcerative colitis) and 50 age and gender matched controls. Clinical assessment was performed by the same experienced gastroenterologist according to the latest guidelines. Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity and Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s Disease were used for endoscopic evaluation. Serum levels of UII were determined using the enzyme immunoassay kit for human UII, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
RESULTS IBD patients have significantly higher concentrations of UII when compared to control subjects (7.57 ± 1.41 vs 1.98 ± 0.69 ng/mL, P < 0.001), while there were no significant differences between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients (7.49 ± 1.42 vs 7.65 ± 1.41 ng/mL, P = 0.689). There was a significant positive correlation between serum UII levels and high sensitivity C reactive peptide levels (r = 0.491, P < 0.001) and a significant negative correlation between serum UII levels and total proteins (r = -0.306, P = 0.032). Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between serum UII levels with both systolic (r = 0.387, P = 0.005) and diastolic (r = 0.352, P = 0.012) blood pressure. Moreover, serum UII levels had a significant positive correlation with Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (r = 0.425, P = 0.048) and Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s Disease (r = 0.466, P = 0.028) scores. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that serum UII levels retained significant association with high sensitivity C reactive peptide (β ± standard error, 0.262 ± 0.076, P < 0.001) and systolic blood pressure (0.040 ± 0.017, P = 0.030).
CONCLUSION It is possible that UII is involved in the complex pathophysiology of cardiovascular complications in IBD patients, and its purpose should be investigated in further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damir Alicic
- Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Split, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Dinko Martinovic
- Department of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Doris Rusic
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Split School of Medicine, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Piero Marin Zivkovic
- Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Split, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Ivana Tadin Hadjina
- Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital of Split, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Marino Vilovic
- Department of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Marko Kumric
- Department of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Daria Tokic
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive care, University Hospital of Split, Split 21000, Croatia
| | | | - Slaven Lupi-Ferandin
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Split, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Josko Bozic
- Department of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, Split 21000, Croatia
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Lim G, Lim CJ, Lee JH, Lee BH, Ryu JY, Oh KS. Identification of new target proteins of a Urotensin-II receptor antagonist using transcriptome-based drug repositioning approach. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17138. [PMID: 34429474 PMCID: PMC8384862 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96612-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug repositioning research using transcriptome data has recently attracted attention. In this study, we attempted to identify new target proteins of the urotensin-II receptor antagonist, KR-37524 (4-(3-bromo-4-(piperidin-4-yloxy)benzyl)-N-(3-(dimethylamino)phenyl)piperazine-1-carboxamide dihydrochloride), using a transcriptome-based drug repositioning approach. To do this, we obtained KR-37524-induced gene expression profile changes in four cell lines (A375, A549, MCF7, and PC3), and compared them with the approved drug-induced gene expression profile changes available in the LINCS L1000 database to identify approved drugs with similar gene expression profile changes. Here, the similarity between the two gene expression profile changes was calculated using the connectivity score. We then selected proteins that are known targets of the top three approved drugs with the highest connectivity score in each cell line (12 drugs in total) as potential targets of KR-37524. Seven potential target proteins were experimentally confirmed using an in vitro binding assay. Through this analysis, we identified that neurologically regulated serotonin transporter proteins are new target proteins of KR-37524. These results indicate that the transcriptome-based drug repositioning approach can be used to identify new target proteins of a given compound, and we provide a standalone software developed in this study that will serve as a useful tool for drug repositioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gyutae Lim
- Data Convergence Drug Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Chae Jo Lim
- Data Convergence Drug Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Hyun Lee
- Data Convergence Drug Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Ho Lee
- Data Convergence Drug Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Yong Ryu
- Department of Biotechnology, Duksung Women's University, 33 Samyang-ro 144-gil, Dobong-gu, Seoul, 01369, Republic of Korea.
| | - Kwang-Seok Oh
- Data Convergence Drug Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong,-gu, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea.
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Nassour H, Hoang TA, Martin RD, Dallagnol JCC, Billard É, Létourneau M, Novellino E, Carotenuto A, Allen BG, Tanny JC, Fournier A, Hébert TE, Chatenet D. Lipidated peptides derived from intracellular loops 2 and 3 of the urotensin II receptor act as biased allosteric ligands. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101057. [PMID: 34389356 PMCID: PMC8424217 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last decade, the urotensinergic system, composed of one G protein-coupled receptor and two endogenous ligands, has garnered significant attention as a promising new target for the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases. Indeed, this system is associated with various biomarkers of cardiovascular dysfunctions and is involved in changes in cardiac contractility, fibrosis and hypertrophy contributing, like the angiotensinergic system, to the pathogenesis and progression of heart failure. Significant investment has been made toward the development of clinically relevant UT ligands for therapeutic intervention, but with little or no success to date. This system therefore remains to be therapeutically exploited. Pepducins and other lipidated peptides have been used as both mechanistic probes and potential therapeutics; therefore, pepducins derived from the human urotensin II receptor might represent unique tools to generate signaling bias and study hUT signaling networks. Two hUT-derived pepducins, derived from the second and the third intracellular loop of the receptor (hUT-Pep2 and [Trp1, Leu2]hUT-Pep3, respectively) were synthesized and pharmacologically characterized. Our results demonstrated that hUT-Pep2 and [Trp1, Leu2]hUT-Pep3 acted as biased ago-allosteric modulators, triggered ERK1/2 phosphorylation and to a lesser extent, IP1 production and stimulated cell proliferation yet were devoid of contractile activity. Interestingly, both hUT-derived pepducins were able to modulate human urotensin II (hUII)- and urotensin II-related peptide (URP)-mediated contraction albeit to different extents. These new derivatives represent unique tools to reveal the intricacies of hUT signaling and also a novel avenue for the design of allosteric ligands selectively targeting hUT signaling potentially.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Nassour
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Tuan Anh Hoang
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Ryan D Martin
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Juliana C C Dallagnol
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Department of Medicine, Université de Montreal, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Étienne Billard
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec, Canada; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Myriam Létourneau
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Ettore Novellino
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Alfonso Carotenuto
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Bruce G Allen
- Department of Medicine, Université de Montreal, Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Jason C Tanny
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Alain Fournier
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Terence E Hébert
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - David Chatenet
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec, Canada.
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Urantide Improves Cardiac Function, Modulates Systemic Cytokine Response, and Increases Survival in A Murine Model of Endotoxic Shock. Shock 2021; 54:574-582. [PMID: 31568223 DOI: 10.1097/shk.0000000000001448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Urotensin II is a potent vasoactive peptide activating the the G protein-coupled urotensin II receptor UT, and is involved in systemic inflammation and cardiovascular functions. The aim of our work was to study the impact of the UT antagonist urantide on survival, systemic inflammation, and cardiac function during endotoxic shock. METHODS C57Bl/6 mice were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and then randomized to be injected either by urantide or NaCl 0.9% 3, 6, and 9 h (H3, H6, H9) after LPS. The effect of urantide on the survival rate, the levels of cytokines in plasma at H6, H9, H12, the expression level of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB-p65) in liver and kidney (at H12), and the cardiac function by trans-thoracic echocardiography from H0 to H9 was evaluated. RESULTS Urantide treatment improved survival (88.9% vs. 30% on day 6, P < 0.05). This was associated with changes in cytokine expression: a decrease in IL-6 (2,485 [2,280-2,751] pg/mL vs. 3,330 [3,119-3,680] pg/mL, P < 0.01) at H6, in IL-3 (1.0 [0.40-2.0] pg/mL vs. 5.8 [3.0-7.7] pg/mL, P < 0.01), and IL-1β (651 [491-1,135] pg/mL vs. 1,601 [906-3,010] pg/mL, P < 0.05) at H12 after LPS administration. Urantide decreased the proportion of cytosolic NF-κB-p65 in liver (1.3 [0.9-1.9] vs. 3.2 [2.3-4], P < 0.01) and kidney (0.3 [0.3-0.4] vs. 0.6 [0.5-1.1], P < 0.01). Urantide improved cardiac function (left ventricular fractional shortening: 24.8 [21.5-38.9] vs. 12.0 [8.7-17.6] %, P < 0.01 and cardiac output: 30.3 [25.9-39.8] vs. 15.1 [13.0-16.9] mL/min, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION These results show a beneficial curative role of UT antagonism on cytokine response (especially IL-3), cardiac dysfunction, and survival during endotoxic shock in mice, highlighting a potential new therapeutic target for septic patients.
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Identification of novel Urotensin-II receptor antagonists with potent inhibition of U-II induced pressor response in mice. Eur J Pharmacol 2020; 886:173391. [PMID: 32745605 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Urotensin II (U-II) has been found to be one of the most potent vasoconstrictor (Ames et al., 1999; Bohm et al., 2002) reported till date. U-II exerts its response via activation of a G-protein coupled receptor, Urotensin II receptor(UT). Binding of U-II to UT leads to an instant increase in the inositol phosphate turnover and intracellular Ca2+. Such an instant Ca2+ release and potent vasoconstriction exerted by U-II is expected to have an important role in the progression of cardiac diseases. We have previously shown that UT antagonist DS37001789 prevents U-II induced blood pressure elevation in mice (Nishi et al., 2019) in a dose dependent manner, with potent efficacy at 30 and 100 mg/kg. Further to this, we have also shown that DS37001789 ameliorates mortality in pressure-overload mice with heart failure (Nishi et al., 2020). We therefore conducted an extensive structure-activity relationship studies to identify molecules with superior efficacy. In the present manuscript, we report the identification of two potent, non-peptide small molecule antagonists of Urotensin II receptor (UT), RCI-0879 and RCI-0298 which blocked the action of U-II, both in vitro and in vivo. These molecules were found to be very potent in in vitro Ca2+ and radioligand binding assays using human and mouse UT over-expressing CHO cells. RCI-0879 and RCI-0298 also exhibited superior efficacy in in vivo mouse pressor response model using C57BL/6 mice, compared to our initial molecules (Nishi et al., 2019) and demonstrated ED50 values of 3.2 mg/kg and 6.8 mg/kg respectively. Our findings reported herewith, further strengthen our concept and belief in UT antagonization as a potential therapeutic approach for the management of chronic heart failure.
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Billard E, Chatenet D. Insights into the Molecular Determinants Involved in Urocontrin and Urocontrin A Action. ACS Med Chem Lett 2020; 11:1717-1722. [PMID: 32944139 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.0c00223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past few years, we have identified two allosteric modulators of the urotensinergic system with probe-dependent action, termed Urocontrin (UC) and Urocontrin A (UCA). Such action is atypical and important since it will allow us to understand the specific function of the functionally selective cognate ligands of this system, namely urotensin II and urotensin II-related peptide. Delineating the molecular determinants involved in this particular behavior would represent an important step toward designing small molecules suitable for pharmacologic and/or therapeutic intervention. Hence, we undertook an exploratory research by replacing the Trp4 residue of URP with several para-substituted phenylalanine amino acids in order to get a grasp on the required nature, distance, and orientation of the side chain of this residue for allosteric modulatory action. We found that the position of the second aromatic group is crucial, and we identified two new allosteric modulators: [Trip4]URP and [Phe(pPy-4)4]URP with probe-dependent action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Billard
- INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec H7 V 1B7, Canada
| | - David Chatenet
- INRS - Institut Armand-Frappier, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec, Ville de Laval, Québec H7 V 1B7, Canada
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DeepHIT: a deep learning framework for prediction of hERG-induced cardiotoxicity. Bioinformatics 2020; 36:3049-3055. [DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btaa075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Motivation
Blockade of the human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) channel by small compounds causes a prolonged QT interval that can lead to severe cardiotoxicity and is a major cause of the many failures in drug development. Thus, evaluating the hERG-blocking activity of small compounds is important for successful drug development. To this end, various computational prediction tools have been developed, but their prediction performances in terms of sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) need to be improved to reduce false negative predictions.
Results
We propose a computational framework, DeepHIT, which predicts hERG blockers and non-blockers for input compounds. For the development of DeepHIT, we generated a large-scale gold-standard dataset, which includes 6632 hERG blockers and 7808 hERG non-blockers. DeepHIT is designed to contain three deep learning models to improve sensitivity and NPV, which, in turn, produce fewer false negative predictions. DeepHIT outperforms currently available tools in terms of accuracy (0.773), MCC (0.476), sensitivity (0.833) and NPV (0.643) on an external test dataset. We also developed an in silico chemical transformation module that generates virtual compounds from a seed compound, based on the known chemical transformation patterns. As a proof-of-concept study, we identified novel urotensin II receptor (UT) antagonists without hERG-blocking activity derived from a seed compound of a previously reported UT antagonist (KR-36676) with a strong hERG-blocking activity. In summary, DeepHIT will serve as a useful tool to predict hERG-induced cardiotoxicity of small compounds in the early stages of drug discovery and development.
Availability and implementation
https://bitbucket.org/krictai/deephit and https://bitbucket.org/krictai/chemtrans
Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Nassour H, Iddir M, Chatenet D. Towards Targeting the Urotensinergic System: Overview and Challenges. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2019; 40:725-734. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2019.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Pereira-Castro J, Brás-Silva C, Fontes-Sousa AP. Novel insights into the role of urotensin II in cardiovascular disease. Drug Discov Today 2019; 24:2170-2180. [PMID: 31430542 DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2019.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Urotensin II (UII) is a vasoactive peptide that interacts with a specific receptor called the UT receptor. UII has been implicated in cardiovascular regulation, with promising therapeutic applications based on UT receptor antagonism. The endogenous ligands of the UT receptor: UII and urotensin-related peptide (URP), differentially bind and activate this receptor. Also, the receptor localization is not restricted to the plasma membrane, possibly inducing different physiological responses that could support its inconsistent, but potent, vasoactive activity. These properties could explain the disappointing outcomes in clinical studies, in contrast to the positive preclinical results regarding heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus. These aspects should be considered in future investigations to a better comprehension of the role of UII as a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Pereira-Castro
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto (ICBAS-UP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Carmen Brás-Silva
- Department of Surgery and Physiology, UnIC - Cardiovascular Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Patrícia Fontes-Sousa
- Laboratório de Farmacologia e Neurobiologia, Centro de Investigação Farmacológica e Inovação Medicamentosa (MedInUP), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto (ICBAS-UP), Porto, Portugal.
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13
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Lim CJ, Kim NH, Park HJ, Lee BH, Oh KS, Yi KY. Synthesis and SAR of 5-aryl-furan-2-carboxamide derivatives as potent urotensin-II receptor antagonists. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2019; 29:577-580. [PMID: 30611618 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.12.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The synthesis and biological evaluation as potential urotensin-II receptor antagonists of a series of 5-arylfuran-2-carboxamide derivatives 1, bearing a 4-(3-chloro-4-(piperidin-4-yloxy)benzyl)piperazin-1-yl group, are described. The results of a systematic SAR investigation of furan-2-carboxamides with C-5 aryl groups possessing a variety of aryl ring substituents led to identification of the 3,4-difluorophenyl analog 1y as a highly potent UT antagonist with an IC50 value of 6 nM. In addition, this substance was found to display high metabolic stability, and low hERG inhibition and cytotoxicity, and to have an acceptable PK profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chae Jo Lim
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, KRICT School, University of Science and Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
| | - Nam Hui Kim
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, KRICT School, University of Science and Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Jin Park
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, KRICT School, University of Science and Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Ho Lee
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang-Seok Oh
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, KRICT School, University of Science and Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyu Yang Yi
- Therapeutics & Biotechnology Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea; Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, KRICT School, University of Science and Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
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14
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Sun SL, Liu LM. Urotensin II: an inflammatory cytokine. J Endocrinol 2019; 240:JOE-18-0505.R2. [PMID: 30601760 DOI: 10.1530/joe-18-0505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Urotensin II (UII) is a polypeptide molecule with neurohormone-like activity. It has been confirmed that UII is widely distributed in numerous organs of different animal species from fish to mammals, including humans. The UII receptor is orphan G-protein coupled receptor 14, also known as UT. The tissue distribution of UII and UT is highly consistent, and their expression may be regulated by autocrine and paracrine mechanisms. In the body, UII has many physiological and pathophysiological activities, such as vasoconstrictor and vasodilatory actions, cell proliferation, pro-fibrosis, neuroendocrine activity, insulin resistance, and carcinogenic and inflammatory effects, which have been recognized only in recent years. In fact, UII is involved in the process of inflammatory injury and plays a key role in the onset and development of inflammatory diseases. In this paper, we will review the roles UII plays in inflammatory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sui-Lin Sun
- S Sun, Department of Infection, Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China, Nanchang, China
| | - Liang-Ming Liu
- L Liu, Department of Infection, Songjiang Hospital Affiliated to First People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, 201600, China
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Billard É, Iddir M, Nassour H, Lee-Gosselin L, Poujol de Molliens M, Chatenet D. New directions for urotensin II receptor ligands. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Étienne Billard
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec; Ville de Laval Québec H7V 1B7 Canada
| | - Mustapha Iddir
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec; Ville de Laval Québec H7V 1B7 Canada
| | - Hassan Nassour
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec; Ville de Laval Québec H7V 1B7 Canada
| | - Laura Lee-Gosselin
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec; Ville de Laval Québec H7V 1B7 Canada
| | - Mathilde Poujol de Molliens
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec; Ville de Laval Québec H7V 1B7 Canada
| | - David Chatenet
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Groupe de Recherche en Ingénierie des Peptides et en Pharmacothérapie (GRIPP), Université du Québec; Ville de Laval Québec H7V 1B7 Canada
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The Protective Effect of Total Flavones from Rhododendron simsii Planch. on Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury and Its Underlying Mechanism. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2018. [PMID: 29541143 PMCID: PMC5818901 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6139372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Total flavones from Rhododendron simsii Planch. (TFR) are the effective part extracted from the flowers of Rhododendron simsii Planch. and have obvious protective effects against cerebral ischemic or myocardial injuries in rabbits and rats. However, their mechanism of cardioprotection is still unrevealed. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of TFR on myocardial I/R injury and the underlying mechanism. Methods TFR groups were treated by gavage once a day for 3 days at a dose of 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg, respectively, and then the model of myocardial I/R injury was established. Myocardial infarction, ST-segment elevation, and the expression of UTR, ROCK1, ROCK2, and p-MLC protein in rat myocardium were determined at 90 min after reperfusion. UTR siRNA in vivo transfection and competition binding assay method were used to study the relationship between the protective effect of TFR and UTR. Results The expression of UTR protein markedly decreased in myocardium of UTR siRNA transfection group rats. TFR could significantly reduce the infarct size and inhibit the increase of RhoA activity and ROCK1, ROCK2, and p-MLC protein expressions both in WT and UTR knockdown rats. The reducing rate of TFR in myocardial infarction area, RhoA activity, and ROCK1, ROCK2, and p-MLC protein expressions in UTR knockdown rats decreased markedly compared with that in WT rats. In addition, TFR had no obvious effect on the increase of ΣST in UTR knockdown rats in comparison with that in model group. In particular, TFR could significantly inhibit the combination of [125I]-hu-II and UTR, and IC50 was 0.854 mg/l. Conclusions The results indicate that the protective effect of TFR on I/R injury may be correlated with its blocking UTR and the subsequent inhibition of RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.
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Indole-2-carboxamide Derivatives as Potent Urotensin-II Receptor (UT) Antagonists. B KOREAN CHEM SOC 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.11221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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