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Huang WL, Hsiung MH, Dai W, Hu SSJ. Rottlerin, BDNF, and the impairment of inhibitory avoidance memory. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:421-439. [PMID: 33146738 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05690-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE As a eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase (eEF2K) inhibitor and a mitochondrial uncoupler, oncologists have extensively studied rottlerin. Neuroscientists, however, have accumulated scarce data on the role of rottlerin in affective and cognitive functions. Only two prior studies have, respectively, documented its antidepressant-like effect and how it impairs psychostimulant-supported memory. Whether or not rottlerin would affect aversive memory remains unknown. Hence, we sought to investigate the effects of rottlerin on aversive memory in the inhibitory avoidance (IA) task in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Male C57BL/6J mice were trained to acquire the IA task. Rottlerin (5 mg/kg, i.p. or 3 μg bilaterally in the hippocampus) or the vehicle was administered before footshock training (acquisition), after footshock training (consolidation), after the memory reactivation (reconsolidation), and before the test (retrieval) in the IA task. RESULTS Systemic and intrahippocampal rottlerin impaired the acquisition, consolidation, and retrieval of IA memory, without affecting the reconsolidation process. Rottlerin (5 mg/kg, i.p.) induced a fast-onset and long-lasting increase in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein levels in the mouse hippocampus. Systemic injection of 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (7,8-DHF, 30 mg/kg), a BDNF tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) agonist impaired IA memory consolidation, and treatment with K252a (5 μg/kg), a Trk receptor antagonist, reversed the suppressing effect of rottlerin on IA memory consolidation. CONCLUSION Rottlerin impairs IA memory consolidation through the enhancement of BDNF signaling in the mouse hippocampus. Excessive brain BDNF levels can be detrimental to cognitive function. Rottlerin is likely to affect the original memory-associated neuroplasticity. Thus, it can be combined with exposure therapy to facilitate the forgetting of maladaptive aversive memory, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Ling Huang
- Cannabinoid Signaling Laboratory, Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Rd, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Heng Hsiung
- Cannabinoid Signaling Laboratory, Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Rd, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Wen Dai
- Cannabinoid Signaling Laboratory, Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Rd, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Sherry Shu-Jung Hu
- Cannabinoid Signaling Laboratory, Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Rd, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan.
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Hsiung MH, Huang WL, Kan LY, Chen LH, Hu SSJ. The facilitating effect of MK-801 on inhibitory avoidance memory via mTOR signaling in the mouse hippocampus. Behav Brain Res 2020; 389:112630. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Ibrahim SRM, Asfour HZ. Bioactive γ-butyrolactones from Endophytic Fungus Aspergillus versicolor. INT J PHARMACOL 2018. [DOI: 10.3923/ijp.2018.437.443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Kalafateli AL, Vallöf D, Jörnulf JW, Heilig M, Jerlhag E. A cannabinoid receptor antagonist attenuates ghrelin-induced activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system in mice. Physiol Behav 2017; 184:211-219. [PMID: 29221808 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Ghrelin has been attributed various physiological processes including food intake and reward regulation, through activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system. Reward modulation involves the mesolimbic dopamine system, consisting of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons targeting nucleus accumbens (NAc), a system that ghrelin activates through VTA-dependent mechanisms. In the first study, we found that systemic intraperitoneal (ip) administration of rimonabant attenuated intracerebroventricular (icv) ghrelin's ability to cause locomotor stimulation and NAc dopamine release in mice. Ghrelin-induced (icv) chow intake was not altered by rimonabant administration (ip). Finally, we showed that bilateral VTA administration of rimonabant blocks the ability of intra-VTA administered ghrelin to increase locomotor activity, but does not affect food intake in mice. Collectively, these data indicate clear dissociation between regulation of food intake and activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimilia Lydia Kalafateli
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Pharmacology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Daniel Vallöf
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Pharmacology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Julia Winsa Jörnulf
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Pharmacology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Markus Heilig
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Division of Neuro and Inflammation Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Elisabet Jerlhag
- Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Pharmacology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Hu SSJ, Liu YW, Yu L. Medial prefrontal cannabinoid CB1 receptors modulate consolidation and extinction of cocaine-associated memory in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:1803-15. [PMID: 25420608 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3812-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Cannabinoid CB1 receptors are implicated in various forms of learning and memory, including acquisition and reinstatement of cocaine-associated memory. However, roles of CB1 receptors in consolidation and extinction processes of cocaine-associated memory and the brain areas potentially involved remain unknown. OBJECTIVE This study examined the effect of rimonabant, a CB1 receptor antagonist, administered systemically or directly into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) on memory consolidation and extinction of cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Male C57BL/6J mice were trained to acquire cocaine-induced CPP. Rimonabant (0.1-3 mg/kg, i.p. or 1.5 μg bilaterally in the mPFC) or vehicle was administered either immediately after each CPP training (consolidation) or forced extinction (extinction) trial. Cocaine-induced CPP was tested after training, extinction, or cocaine priming. RESULTS Systemic or intra-mPFC administration of rimonabant impaired consolidation of CPP induced by a high dose (20 or 40 mg/kg) of cocaine but facilitated that induced by a low dose (2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg). Moreover, systemic or intra-mPFC administration of rimonabant enhanced extinction of CPP memory induced by a high-dose (20 mg/kg) cocaine. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that antagonism of CB1 receptors in the mPFC bidirectionally modulates consolidation but facilitates extinction of cocaine-induced CPP memory. Therefore, CB1 receptor blockade with the concomitant extinction behavioral procedure may hint important therapeutic intervention strategies for the heavy cocaine addicts in a clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherry Shu-Jung Hu
- Cannabinoid Signaling Laboratory, Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Rd., Tainan, 70101, Taiwan,
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Hoerbelt P, Nalwalk JW, Phillips JG, Wentland MP, Shan Z, Hough LB. Antinociceptive activity of CC44, a biotinylated improgan congener. Eur J Pharmacol 2013; 714:464-71. [PMID: 23834775 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.06.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2012] [Revised: 06/17/2013] [Accepted: 06/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Improgan, a non-opioid, antinociceptive drug, activates descending analgesic circuits following brain administration, but the improgan receptor remains unidentified. Since biotinylation of drugs can enhance drug potency or facilitate discovery of new drug targets, a biotinylated congener of improgan (CC44) and several related compounds were synthesized and tested for antinociceptive activity. In rats and mice, intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of CC44 produced dose-dependent reductions in thermal nociceptive (tail flick and hot plate) responses, with 5-fold greater potency than improgan. CC44 also robustly attenuated mechanical (tail pinch) nociception in normal rats and mechanical allodynia in a spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain. Similar to the effects of improgan, CC44 antinociception was reversed by the GABAA agonist muscimol (consistent with activation of analgesic circuits), and was resistant to the opioid antagonist naltrexone (implying a non-opioid mechanism). Also like improgan, CC44 produced thermal antinociception when microinjected into the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM). Unlike improgan, CC44 (i.c.v.) produced antinociception which was resistant to antagonism by the cannabinoid CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist rimonabant. CC44 was inactive in mice following systemic administration, indicating that CC44 does not penetrate the brain. Preliminary findings with other CC44 congeners suggest that the heteroaromatic nucleus (imidazole), but not the biotin moiety, is required for CC44's antinociceptive activity. These findings demonstrate that CC44 is a potent analgesic compound with many improgan-like characteristics. Since powerful techniques are available to characterize and identify the binding partners for biotin-containing ligands, CC44 may be useful in searching for new receptors for analgesic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Hoerbelt
- Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience, Albany Medical College MC-136, 47 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208, USA
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Albrecht PJ, Nalwalk JW, Hough LB. Efficacy of improgan, a non-opioid analgesic, in neuropathic pain. Brain Res 2011; 1424:32-7. [PMID: 22015352 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2011] [Revised: 09/22/2011] [Accepted: 10/02/2011] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Improgan, a non-opioid analgesic, is known to act in the rodent brain stem to produce highly effective antinociception in several acute pain tests. However, improgan has not been studied in any models of chronic pain. To assess the efficacy of improgan in an animal model of neuropathic pain, the effects of this drug were studied on mechanical allodynia following unilateral spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in rats. Intracerebroventricular (icv) improgan (40-80 μg) produced complete, reversible, dose-dependent attenuation of hind paw mechanical allodynia for up to 1h after administration, with no noticeable behavioral or motor side effects. Intracerebral (ic) microinjections of improgan (5-30 μg) into the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) also reversed the allodynia, showing this brain area to be an important site for improgan's action. The recently-demonstrated suppression of RVM ON-cell activity by improgan may account for the presently-observed anti-allodynic activity. The present findings suggest that brain-penetrating, improgan-like drugs developed for human use could be effective medications for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip J Albrecht
- Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience, Albany Medical College MC-136, 47 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208, USA
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Hough LB, Nalwalk JW, Yang J, Conroy JL, VanAlstine MA, Yang W, Gargano J, Shan Z, Zhang SZ, Wentland MP, Phillips JG, Knapp BI, Bidlack JM, Zuiderveld OP, Leurs R, Ding X. Brain P450 epoxygenase activity is required for the antinociceptive effects of improgan, a nonopioid analgesic. Pain 2011; 152:878-887. [PMID: 21316152 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2011.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2010] [Revised: 12/01/2010] [Accepted: 01/04/2011] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The search for the mechanism of action of improgan (a nonopioid analgesic) led to the recent discovery of CC12, a compound that blocks improgan antinociception. Because CC12 is a cytochrome P450 inhibitor, and brain P450 mechanisms were recently shown to be required in opioid analgesic signaling, pharmacological and transgenic studies were performed in rodents to test the hypothesis that improgan antinociception requires brain P450 epoxygenase activity. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of the P450 inhibitors miconazole and fluconazole, and the arachidonic acid (AA) epoxygenase inhibitor N-methylsulfonyl-6-(2-propargyloxyphenyl)hexanamide (MS-PPOH) potently inhibited improgan antinociception in rats at doses that were inactive alone. MW06-25, a new P450 inhibitor that combines chemical features of CC12 and miconazole, also potently blocked improgan antinociception. Although miconazole and CC12 were weakly active at opioid and histamine H(3) receptors, MW06-25 showed no activity at these sites, yet retained potent P450-inhibiting properties. The P450 hypothesis was also tested in Cpr(low) mice, a viable knock-in model with dramatically reduced brain P450 activity. Improgan (145 nmol, i.c.v.) antinociception was reduced by 37% to 59% in Cpr(low) mice, as compared with control mice. Moreover, CC12 pretreatment (200 nmol, i.c.v.) abolished improgan action (70% to 91%) in control mice, but had no significant effect in Cpr(low) mice. Thus, improgan's activation of bulbospinal nonopioid analgesic circuits requires brain P450 epoxygenase activity. A model is proposed in which (1) improgan activates an unknown receptor to trigger downstream P450 activity, and (2) brainstem epoxygenase activity is a point of convergence for opioid and nonopioid analgesic signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay B Hough
- Center for Neuropharmacology and Neuroscience, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, and School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY, USA Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA Curragh Chemistries, Valley View, OH, USA Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA Leiden/Amsterdam Center for Drug Research, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Heinricher MM, Martenson ME, Nalwalk JW, Hough LB. Neural basis for improgan antinociception. Neuroscience 2010; 169:1414-20. [PMID: 20570607 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2010] [Revised: 05/14/2010] [Accepted: 05/17/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Improgan, the prototype compound of a novel class of non-opioid analgesic drugs derived from histamine antagonists, attenuates thermal and mechanical nociception in rodents following intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration. Improgan does not bind to known opioid, histamine or cannabinoid receptors, and its molecular target has not been identified. It is known however, that improgan acts directly in the periaqueductal gray and the rostral ventromedial medulla to produce its antinociceptive effects, and that inactivation of the rostral ventromedial medulla prevents the antinociceptive effect of improgan given i.c.v. Here we used in vivo single-cell recording in lightly anesthetized rats to show that improgan engages pain-modulating neurons in the medulla to produce antinociception. Following improgan administration, OFF-cells, which inhibit nociception, became continuously active and no longer paused during noxious stimulation. The increase in OFF-cell firing does not represent a non-specific neuroexcitant effect of this drug, since ON-cell discharge, associated with net nociceptive facilitation, was depressed. NEUTRAL-cell firing was unaffected by improgan. The net response of rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) neurons to improgan is thus comparable to that evoked by mu-opioids and cannabinoids, well known RVM-active analgesic drugs. This common basis for improgan, opioid, and cannabinoid antinociception in the RVM supports the idea that improgan functions as a specific analgesic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Heinricher
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
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Carter GT, Abood ME, Aggarwal SK, Weiss MD. Cannabis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Hypothetical and Practical Applications, and a Call for Clinical Trials. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 2010; 27:347-56. [DOI: 10.1177/1049909110369531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant advances have increased our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), yet this has not translated into any greatly effective therapies. It appears that a number of abnormal physiological processes occur simultaneously in this devastating disease. Ideally, a multidrug regimen, including glutamate antagonists, antioxidants, a centrally acting anti-inflammatory agent, microglial cell modulators (including tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α] inhibitors), an antiapoptotic agent, 1 or more neurotrophic growth factors, and a mitochondrial function-enhancing agent would be required to comprehensively address the known pathophysiology of ALS. Remarkably, cannabis appears to have activity in all of those areas. Preclinical data indicate that cannabis has powerful antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. In the G93A-SOD1 ALS mouse, this has translated to prolonged neuronal cell survival, delayed onset, and slower progression of the disease. Cannabis also has properties applicable to symptom management of ALS, including analgesia, muscle relaxation, bronchodilation, saliva reduction, appetite stimulation, and sleep induction. With respect to the treatment of ALS, from both a disease modifying and symptom management viewpoint, clinical trials with cannabis are the next logical step. Based on the currently available scientific data, it is reasonable to think that cannabis might significantly slow the progression of ALS, potentially extending life expectancy and substantially reducing the overall burden of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory T. Carter
- Muscular Dystrophy Association/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA,
| | - Mary E. Abood
- Anatomy and Cell Biology and Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sunil K. Aggarwal
- Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael D. Weiss
- Muscular Dystrophy Association/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA, Neuromuscular Disease Division, Department of Neurology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA, Electrodiagnostic Laboratory, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA
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Non-opioid antinociception produced by brain stem injections of improgan: significance of local, but not cross-regional, cannabinoid mechanisms. Brain Res 2008; 1247:62-70. [PMID: 18983834 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2008] [Revised: 10/02/2008] [Accepted: 10/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Improgan, a cimetidine derivative which lacks activity at known histamine, opioid or cannabinoid receptors, acts by an unknown mechanism in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and raphe magnus (RM) to stimulate descending, analgesic circuits. These circuits may utilize cannabinoid mechanisms. To characterize further the nature of these circuits, the effects of intracerebral (i.c.) microinjections of rimonabant (a CB(1) receptor inverse agonist) were studied on antinociceptive responses following i.c. microinjections of improgan and the cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212 (WIN) in rats. Separate intra-RM injections of improgan (30 microg) and WIN (8 microg) produced near-maximal antinociception on both the hot plate (HP) and tail flick (TF) nociceptive tests. Pretreatment with intra-RM rimonabant (20 microg) antagonized the antinociception produced by both intra-RM improgan and intra-RM WIN, but had no effects when given alone. Similar studies with improgan demonstrated rimonabant-sensitive sites within the dorsal and ventrolateral PAG. However, intra-RM pretreatment with rimonabant had no effect on antinociceptive responses following intra-PAG improgan. These studies show that improgan activates pain-relieving mechanisms in the PAG and the RM, both of which may utilize local cannabinoid mechanisms.
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