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Zhao Q, Zhang X, Long S, Wang S, Yu H, Zhou Y, Li Y, Xue L, Hu Y, Yin S. Licochalcone Mediates the Pain Relief by Targeting the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel. Mol Pharmacol 2023; 104:133-143. [PMID: 37419692 DOI: 10.1124/molpharm.122.000658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Licorice is a traditional Chinese medicine and recorded to have pain relief effects in national pharmacopoeia, but the mechanisms behind these effects have not been fully explored. Among the hundreds of compounds in licorice, licochalcone A (LCA) and licochalcone B (LCB) are two important components belonging to the chalcone family. In this study, we compared the analgesic effects of these two licochalcones and the molecular mechanisms. LCA and LCB were applied in cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, and the voltage-gated sodium (NaV) currents and action potentials were recorded. The electrophysiological experiments showed that LCA can inhibit NaV currents and dampen excitabilities of DRG neurons, whereas LCB did not show inhibition effect on NaV currents. Because the NaV1.7 channel can modulate Subthreshold membrane potential oscillations in DRG neuron, which can palliate neuropathic pain, HEK293T cells were transfected with NaV1.7 channel and recorded with whole-cell patch clamp. LCA can also inhibit NaV1.7 channels exogenously expressed in HEK293T cells. We further explored the analgesic effects of LCA and LCB on formalin-induced pain animal models. The animal behavior tests revealed that LCA can inhibit the pain responses during phase 1 and phase 2 of formalin test, and LCB can inhibit the pain responses during phase 2. The differences of the effects on NaV currents between LCA and LCB provide us with the basis for developing NaV channel inhibitors, and the novel findings of analgesic effects indicate that licochalcones can be developed into effective analgesic medicines. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study found that licochalcone A (LCA) can inhibit voltage-gated sodium (NaV) currents, dampen excitabilities of dorsal root ganglion neurons, and inhibit the NaV1.7 channels exogenously expressed in HEK293T cells. Animal behavior tests showed that LCA can inhibit the pain responses during phase 1 and phase 2 of formalin test, whereas licochalcone B can inhibit the pain responses during phase 2. These findings indicate that licochalcones could be the leading compounds for developing NaV channel inhibitors and effective analgesic medicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianru Zhao
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Siru Long
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Shaobing Wang
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Hui Yu
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Yongsheng Zhou
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Lu Xue
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Yan Hu
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
| | - Shijin Yin
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Q.Z., X.Z., S.L., S.W., H.Y., Y.Z., Y.H., S.Y.) and Institute for Medical Biology and Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Protection and Application of Special Plants in Wuling Area of China, College of Life Sciences, South-Central Minzu University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China (Y.L., L.X.)
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Oz M, Lorke DE, Howarth FC. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)-independent actions of capsaicin on cellular excitability and ion transport. Med Res Rev 2023. [PMID: 36916676 DOI: 10.1002/med.21945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
Capsaicin is a naturally occurring alkaloid derived from chili pepper that is responsible for its hot pungent taste. Capsaicin is known to exert multiple pharmacological actions, including analgesia, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, and antioxidant effects. The transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1) is the main receptor mediating the majority of the capsaicin effects. However, numerous studies suggest that the TRPV1 receptor is not the only target for capsaicin. An increasing number of studies indicates that capsaicin, at low to mid µM ranges, not only indirectly through TRPV1-mediated Ca2+ increases, but also directly modulates the functions of voltage-gated Na+ , K+ , and Ca2+ channels, as well as ligand-gated ion channels and other ion transporters and enzymes involved in cellular excitability. These TRPV1-independent effects are mediated by alterations of the biophysical properties of the lipid membrane and subsequent modulation of the functional properties of ion channels and by direct binding of capsaicin to the channels. The present study, for the first time, systematically categorizes this diverse range of non-TRPV1 targets and discusses cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating TRPV1-independent effects of capsaicin in excitable, as well as nonexcitable cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Murat Oz
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait
| | - Dietrich E Lorke
- Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.,Center for Biotechnology, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Frank C Howarth
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
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Shi S, Zhao Q, Ke C, Long S, Zhang F, Zhang X, Li Y, Liu X, Hu H, Yin S. Loureirin B Exerts its Immunosuppressive Effects by Inhibiting STIM1/Orai1 and K V1.3 Channels. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:685092. [PMID: 34248635 PMCID: PMC8268022 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.685092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Loureirin B (LrB) is a constituent extracted from traditional Chinese medicine Resina Draconis. It has broad biological functions and an impressive immunosuppressive effect that has been supported by numerous studies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying Loureirin B-induced immune suppression are not fully understood. We previously reported that Loureirin B inhibited KV1.3 channel, calcium ion (Ca2+) influx, and interleukin-2 (IL-2) secretion in Jurkat T cells. In this study, we applied CRISPR/Cas9 to edit KV1.3 coding gene KCNA3 and successfully generated a KV1.3 knockout (KO) cell model to determine whether KV1.3 KO was sufficient to block the Loureirin B-induced immunosuppressive effect. Surprisingly, we showed that Loureirin B could still inhibit Ca2+ influx and IL-2 secretion in the Jurkat T cells in the absence of KV1.3 although KO KV1.3 reduced about 50% of Ca2+ influx and 90% IL-2 secretion compared with that in the wild type cells. Further experiments showed that Loureirin B directly inhibited STIM1/Orai1 channel in a dose-dependent manner. Our results suggest that Loureirin B inhibits Ca2+ influx and IL-2 secretion in Jurkat T cells by inhibiting both KV1.3 and STIM1/Orai1 channels. These studies also revealed an additional molecular target for Loureirin B-induced immunosuppressive effect, which makes it a promising leading compound for treating autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujuan Shi
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Qianru Zhao
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Caihua Ke
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Siru Long
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Feng Zhang
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Xinqiao Liu
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongzhen Hu
- Department of Anesthesiology, the Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Shijin Yin
- Department of Chemical Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China
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