1
|
Cone AL, Wu KK, Kravitz AV, Norris AJ. Kappa opioid receptor activation increases thermogenic energy expenditure which drives increased feeding. iScience 2023; 26:107241. [PMID: 37485355 PMCID: PMC10362357 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid receptors, including the kappa opioid receptor (KOR), exert control over thermoregulation and feeding behavior. Notably, activation of KOR stimulates food intake, leading to postulation that KOR signaling plays a central role in managing energy intake. KOR has also been proposed as a target for treating obesity. Herein, we report studies examining how roles for KOR signaling in regulating thermogenesis, feeding, and energy balance may be interrelated using pharmacological interventions, genetic tools, quantitative thermal imaging, and metabolic profiling. Our findings demonstrate that activation of KOR in the central nervous system causes increased energy expenditure via brown adipose tissue activation. Importantly, pharmacologic, or genetic inhibition of brown adipose tissue thermogenesis prevented the elevated food intake triggered by KOR activation. Furthermore, our data reveal that KOR-mediated thermogenesis elevation is reversibly disrupted by chronic high-fat diet, implicating KOR signaling as a potential mediator in high-fat diet-induced weight gain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aaron L. Cone
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kenny K. Wu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alexxai V. Kravitz
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Aaron J. Norris
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tuhin MTH, Liang D, Liu F, Aldawod H, Amin TU, Ho JS, Emara R, Patel AD, Felmlee MA, Park MS, Uchizono JA, Alhamadsheh MM. Peripherally restricted transthyretin-based delivery system for probes and therapeutics avoiding opioid-related side effects. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3590. [PMID: 35739116 PMCID: PMC9226319 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31342-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Several investigations into the sites of action of opioid analgesics have utilized peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonists (PAMORAs), which have been incorrectly assumed to possess limited permeability across the blood-brain barrier. Unfortunately, the poor pharmacokinetic properties of current PAMORAs have resulted in misunderstandings of the role of central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract in precipitating side effects such as opioid-induced constipation. Here, we develop a drug delivery approach for restricting the passage of small molecules across the blood-brain barrier. This allows us to develop naloxone- and oxycodone-based conjugates that display superior potency, peripheral selectivity, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy in rats compared to other clinically used PAMORAs. These probes allow us to demonstrate that the mu-opioid receptors in the central nervous system have a fundamental role in precipitating opioid-induced constipation. Therefore, our conjugates have immediate use as pharmacological probes and potential therapeutic agents for treating constipation and other opioid-related side effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Md Tariqul Haque Tuhin
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Dengpan Liang
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Fang Liu
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Hala Aldawod
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Toufiq Ul Amin
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Joshua S Ho
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Rasha Emara
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Arjun D Patel
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Melanie A Felmlee
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Miki S Park
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - James A Uchizono
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US
| | - Mamoun M Alhamadsheh
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Medicinal Chemistry, Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA, 95211, US.
| |
Collapse
|