1
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Maleeva G, Nin-Hill A, Wirth U, Rustler K, Ranucci M, Opar E, Rovira C, Bregestovski P, Zeilhofer HU, König B, Alfonso-Prieto M, Gorostiza P. Light-Activated Agonist-Potentiator of GABA A Receptors for Reversible Neuroinhibition in Wildtype Mice. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:28822-28831. [PMID: 39383450 PMCID: PMC11503767 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c08446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2024] [Revised: 09/24/2024] [Accepted: 09/25/2024] [Indexed: 10/11/2024]
Abstract
Gamma aminobutyric acid type A receptors (GABAARs) play a key role in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) as drivers of neuroinhibitory circuits, which are commonly targeted for therapeutic purposes with potentiator drugs. However, due to their widespread expression and strong inhibitory action, systemic pharmaceutical potentiation of GABAARs inevitably causes adverse effects regardless of the drug selectivity. Therefore, therapeutic guidelines must often limit or exclude clinically available GABAAR potentiators, despite their high efficacy, good biodistribution, and favorable molecular properties. One solution to this problem is to use drugs with light-dependent activity (photopharmacology) in combination with on-demand, localized illumination. However, a suitable light-activated potentiator of GABAARs has been elusive so far for use in wildtype mammals. We have met this need by developing azocarnil, a diffusible GABAergic agonist-potentiator based on the anxiolytic drug abecarnil that is inactive in the dark and activated by visible violet light. Azocarnil can be rapidly deactivated with green light and by thermal relaxation in the dark. We demonstrate that it selectively inhibits neuronal currents in hippocampal neurons in vitro and in the dorsal horns of the spinal cord of mice, decreasing the mechanical sensitivity as a function of illumination without displaying systemic adverse effects. Azocarnil expands the in vivo photopharmacological toolkit with a novel chemical scaffold and achieves a milestone toward future phototherapeutic applications to safely treat muscle spasms, pain, anxiety, sleep disorders, and epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galyna Maleeva
- Institute
for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Networking
Biomedical Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine
(CIBER-BBN), ISCIII, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - Alba Nin-Hill
- Departament
de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica (Secció
de Química Orgànica) & Institut de Química
Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08020, Spain
| | - Ulrike Wirth
- Institute
of Organic Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Karin Rustler
- Institute
of Organic Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Matteo Ranucci
- Institute
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University
of Zurich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Ekin Opar
- Institute
for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Networking
Biomedical Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine
(CIBER-BBN), ISCIII, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Doctorate
program of the University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08020, Spain
| | - Carme Rovira
- Departament
de Química Inorgànica i Orgànica (Secció
de Química Orgànica) & Institut de Química
Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08020, Spain
- Catalan
Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona 08010, Spain
| | - Piotr Bregestovski
- Institut
de Neurosciences des Systèmes, UMR INSERM 1106, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille 13005, France
| | - Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
- Institute
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University
of Zurich, Zürich 8057, Switzerland
- Institute
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Zürich 8093, Switzerland
| | - Burkhard König
- Institute
of Organic Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg 93053, Germany
| | - Mercedes Alfonso-Prieto
- Institute
of Neuroscience and Medicine INM-9 Computational Biomedicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, D-52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Pau Gorostiza
- Institute
for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute for Science and Technology, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Networking
Biomedical Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine
(CIBER-BBN), ISCIII, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Catalan
Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona 08010, Spain
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2
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Roßmann K, Gonzalez-Hernandez AJ, Bhuyan R, Schattenberg C, Sun H, Börjesson K, Levitz J, Broichhagen J. Deuteration as a General Strategy to Enhance Azobenzene-Based Photopharmacology. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202408300. [PMID: 38897926 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202408300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 06/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Chemical photoswitches have become a widely used approach for the remote control of biological functions with spatiotemporal precision. Several molecular scaffolds have been implemented to improve photoswitch characteristics, ranging from the nature of the photoswitch itself (e.g. azobenzenes, dithienylethenes, hemithioindigo) to fine-tuning of aromatic units and substituents. Herein, we present deuterated azobenzene photoswitches as a general means of enhancing the performance of photopharmacological molecules. Deuteration can improve azobenzene performance in terms of light sensitivity (higher molar extinction coefficient), photoswitch efficiency (higher photoisomerization quantum yield), and photoswitch kinetics (faster macroscopic rate of photoisomerization) with minimal alteration to the underlying structure of the photopharmacological ligand. We report synthesized deuterated azobenzene-based ligands for the optimized optical control of ion channel and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) function in live cells, setting the stage for the straightforward, widespread adoption of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kilian Roßmann
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Rahul Bhuyan
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 413 90, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Caspar Schattenberg
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Han Sun
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), 13125, Berlin, Germany
| | - Karl Börjesson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 413 90, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Joshua Levitz
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Johannes Broichhagen
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), 13125, Berlin, Germany
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3
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Notartomaso S, Antenucci N, Mazzitelli M, Rovira X, Boccella S, Ricciardi F, Liberatore F, Gomez-Santacana X, Imbriglio T, Cannella M, Zussy C, Luongo L, Maione S, Goudet C, Battaglia G, Llebaria A, Nicoletti F, Neugebauer V. A 'double-edged' role for type-5 metabotropic glutamate receptors in pain disclosed by light-sensitive drugs. eLife 2024; 13:e94931. [PMID: 39172042 PMCID: PMC11341090 DOI: 10.7554/elife.94931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
We used light-sensitive drugs to identify the brain region-specific role of mGlu5 metabotropic glutamate receptors in the control of pain. Optical activation of systemic JF-NP-26, a caged, normally inactive, negative allosteric modulator (NAM) of mGlu5 receptors, in cingulate, prelimbic, and infralimbic cortices and thalamus inhibited neuropathic pain hypersensitivity. Systemic treatment of alloswitch-1, an intrinsically active mGlu5 receptor NAM, caused analgesia, and the effect was reversed by light-induced drug inactivation in the prelimbic and infralimbic cortices, and thalamus. This demonstrates that mGlu5 receptor blockade in the medial prefrontal cortex and thalamus is both sufficient and necessary for the analgesic activity of mGlu5 receptor antagonists. Surprisingly, when the light was delivered in the basolateral amygdala, local activation of systemic JF-NP-26 reduced pain thresholds, whereas inactivation of alloswitch-1 enhanced analgesia. Electrophysiological analysis showed that alloswitch-1 increased excitatory synaptic responses in prelimbic pyramidal neurons evoked by stimulation of presumed BLA input, and decreased BLA-driven feedforward inhibition of amygdala output neurons. Both effects were reversed by optical silencing and reinstated by optical reactivation of alloswitch-1. These findings demonstrate for the first time that the action of mGlu5 receptors in the pain neuraxis is not homogenous, and suggest that blockade of mGlu5 receptors in the BLA may limit the overall analgesic activity of mGlu5 receptor antagonists. This could explain the suboptimal effect of mGlu5 NAMs on pain in human studies and validate photopharmacology as an important tool to determine ideal target sites for systemic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nico Antenucci
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbockUnited States
| | - Mariacristina Mazzitelli
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbockUnited States
| | - Xavier Rovira
- MCS - Medicinal Chemistry & Synthesis, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of CataloniaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Serena Boccella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Flavia Ricciardi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | | | - Xavier Gomez-Santacana
- MCS - Medicinal Chemistry & Synthesis, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of CataloniaBarcelonaSpain
| | | | - Milena Cannella
- Mediterranean Neurological Institute, IRCCS NeuromedPozzilliItaly
| | - Charleine Zussy
- Institute of Functional Genomics IGF, National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS, INSERM, University of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Livio Luongo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Sabatino Maione
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”NaplesItaly
| | - Cyril Goudet
- Institute of Functional Genomics IGF, National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS, INSERM, University of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Giuseppe Battaglia
- Mediterranean Neurological Institute, IRCCS NeuromedPozzilliItaly
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of RomeRomeItaly
| | - Amadeu Llebaria
- MCS - Medicinal Chemistry & Synthesis, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of CataloniaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Mediterranean Neurological Institute, IRCCS NeuromedPozzilliItaly
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of RomeRomeItaly
| | - Volker Neugebauer
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbockUnited States
- Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbockUnited States
- Garrison Institute on Aging, Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbockUnited States
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4
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Panarello S, González-Díez A, Berizzi AE, Malhaire F, Borràs-Tudurí R, Rovira X, Serra C, Prézeau L, Pin JP, Goudet C, Llebaria A, Gómez-Santacana X. Photoswitchable positive allosteric modulators of metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 to improve selectivity. iScience 2024; 27:110123. [PMID: 38966572 PMCID: PMC11223089 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu) regulate multiple functions in the nervous systems and are involved in several neurological disorders. However, selectively targeting individual mGlu subtypes with spatiotemporal precision is still an unmet need. Photopharmacology can address this concern through the utilization of photoswitchable compounds such as optogluram, which is a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of mGlu4 that enables the precise control of physiological responses using light but does not have an optimal selectivity profile. Optogluram analogs were developed to obtain photoswitchable PAMs of mGlu4 receptor with an improved selectivity. Among them, optogluram-2 emerged as a photoswitchable ligand for mGlu4 receptor with activity as both PAM and allosteric agonists. It presents a higher selectivity and offers improved photoswitching of mGlu4 activity. These improved properties make optogluram-2 an excellent candidate to study the role of mGlu4 with a high spatiotemporal precision in systems where mGlu4 can be co-expressed with other mGlu receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Panarello
- MCS, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia – CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
- PhD Program in Organic Chemistry of the University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aleix González-Díez
- MCS, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia – CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
- PhD Program in Organic Chemistry of the University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alice E. Berizzi
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, UMR 5203 CNRS and U 1191 INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Fanny Malhaire
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, UMR 5203 CNRS and U 1191 INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Xavier Rovira
- MCS, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia – CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carme Serra
- MCS, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia – CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laurent Prézeau
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, UMR 5203 CNRS and U 1191 INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Pin
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, UMR 5203 CNRS and U 1191 INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Cyril Goudet
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, UMR 5203 CNRS and U 1191 INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Amadeu Llebaria
- MCS, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia – CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Gómez-Santacana
- MCS, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia – CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, Université de Montpellier, UMR 5203 CNRS and U 1191 INSERM, Montpellier, France
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5
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Notartomaso S, Antenucci N, Mazzitelli M, Rovira X, Boccella S, Ricciardi F, Liberatore F, Gomez-Santacana X, Imbriglio T, Cannella M, Zussy C, Luongo L, Maione S, Goudet C, Battaglia G, Llebaria A, Nicoletti F, Neugebauer V. A "double-edged" role for type-5 metabotropic glutamate receptors in pain disclosed by light-sensitive drugs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.02.573945. [PMID: 38260426 PMCID: PMC10802266 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.02.573945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Knowing the site of drug action is important to optimize effectiveness and address any side effects. We used light-sensitive drugs to identify the brain region-specific role of mGlu5 metabotropic glutamate receptors in the control of pain. Optical activation of systemic JF-NP-26, a caged, normally inactive, negative allosteric modulator (NAM) of mGlu5 receptors, in cingulate, prelimbic and infralimbic cortices and thalamus inhibited neuropathic pain hypersensitivity. Systemic treatment of alloswitch-1, an intrinsically active mGlu5 receptor NAM, caused analgesia, and the effect was reversed by light-induced drug inactivation in in the prelimbic and infralimbic cortices, and thalamus. This demonstrates that mGlu5 receptor blockade in the medial prefrontal cortex and thalamus is both sufficient and necessary for the analgesic activity of mGlu5 receptor antagonists. Surprisingly, when light was delivered in the basolateral amygdala, local activation of systemic JF-NP-26 reduced pain thresholds, whereas inactivation of alloswitch-1 enhanced analgesia. Electrophysiological analysis showed that alloswitch-1 increased excitatory synaptic responses in prelimbic pyramidal neurons evoked by stimulation of BLA input, and decreased feedforward inhibition of amygdala output neurons by BLA. Both effects were reversed by optical silencing and reinstated by optical reactivation of alloswitch-1. These findings demonstrate for the first time that the action of mGlu5 receptors in the pain neuraxis is not homogenous, and suggest that blockade of mGlu5 receptors in the BLA may limit the overall analgesic activity of mGlu5 receptor antagonists. This could explain the suboptimal effect of mGlu5 NAMs on pain in human studies and validate photopharmacology as an important tool to determine ideal target sites for systemic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Notartomaso
- Mediterranean Neurological Institute, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Nico Antenucci
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Mariacristina Mazzitelli
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Xavier Rovira
- MCS - Medicinal Chemistry & Synthesis, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC−CSIC), Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Serena Boccella
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Flavia Ricciardi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | | | - Xavier Gomez-Santacana
- MCS - Medicinal Chemistry & Synthesis, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC−CSIC), Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Tiziana Imbriglio
- Mediterranean Neurological Institute, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Milena Cannella
- Mediterranean Neurological Institute, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Charleine Zussy
- Institute of Functional Genomics IGF, National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS, INSERM, University of Montpellier, F-34094 Montpellier, France
| | - Livio Luongo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Sabatino Maione
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
| | - Cyril Goudet
- Institute of Functional Genomics IGF, National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS, INSERM, University of Montpellier, F-34094 Montpellier, France
| | - Giuseppe Battaglia
- Mediterranean Neurological Institute, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Amadeu Llebaria
- MCS - Medicinal Chemistry & Synthesis, Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC−CSIC), Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Mediterranean Neurological Institute, IRCCS Neuromed, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00185, Italy
| | - Volker Neugebauer
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
- Center of Excellence for Translational Neuroscience and Therapeutics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
- Garrison Institute on Aging, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX, USA
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