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Cernea M, Nikonov G, Ataiants J, Ştefănuţ C, Abernethy J, Voronkov M. Nalbuphine Potentiates Reversal of Fentanyl Overdose by Naloxone. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:866. [PMID: 39065717 PMCID: PMC11279547 DOI: 10.3390/ph17070866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Developing an effective antidote for fentanyl-induced overdose to achieve timely reversal is an unmet public health need. Previously, we found that naloxone derivative NX90 with mild κ-opioid agonistic properties was three-fold more effective than the parent naloxone in reversing a fentanyl overdose in rats. To investigate whether κ-agonistic properties could indeed augment the robustness of overdose reversal, we evaluated a κ-agonist/µ-antagonist nalbuphine (NB) as well as its combinations with naloxone (NX) in a fentanyl overdose model in rodents. An administration of either NB or NX as single agents at 0.1 mg/kg doses produced a full recovery in 90 ± 9.9 min and 11.4 ± 2.7 min, respectively. A higher dose of NX at 0.2 mg/kg reversed an overdose within 4.8 ± 1.0 min. In contrast to that, the coadministration of NB and NX at 0.1 mg/kg each produced a synergistic effect, with overdose reversal in 3.4 ± 0.2 min. The coadministration of NX and NB at sub-therapeutic doses of 0.05 mg/kg each was also 1.2-fold more effective than NX at 0.2 mg/kg. We further found that co-administration of NB at different doses (0.025, 0.05, 0.1 mg/kg) and ratios (1:4 and 1:1) with NX had differential effects on overdose reversal, cardiorespiratory liabilities, and analgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihai Cernea
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; (M.C.)
| | | | - Janna Ataiants
- Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Cristina Ştefănuţ
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; (M.C.)
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Huang P, Ho CK, Cao D, Inan S, Rawls SM, Li M, Huang B, Pagare PP, Townsend EA, Poklis JL, Halquist MS, Banks M, Zhang Y, Liu-Chen LY. NCP, a dual kappa and mu opioid receptor agonist, is a potent analgesic against inflammatory pain without reinforcing or aversive properties. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2024; 389:JPET-AR-2023-001870. [PMID: 38409113 PMCID: PMC10949162 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.123.001870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
While agonists of mu (MOR) and kappa (KOR) opioid receptors have analgesic effects, they produce euphoria and dysphoria, respectively. Other side effects include respiratory depression and addiction for MOR agonists and sedation for KOR agonists. We reported that 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6β-{[4'-(2'-cyanopyridyl)]carboxamido}cmorphinan (NCP) displayed potent KOR full agonist and MOR partial agonist activities (58%) with 6.5x KOR-over-MOR selectivity in vitro Herein, we characterized pharmacological effects of NCP in rodents. In mice, NCP exerted analgesic effects against inflammatory pain in both the formalin test and the acetic acid writhing test, with A50 values of 47.6 and 14.4 microg/kg (s.c.), respectively. The analgesic effects in the acetic acid writhing test were mediated by the KOR. NCP at doses much higher than those effective in reducing inflammatory pain did not produce antinociception in the hot plate and tail flick tests, inhibit compound 48/80-induced scratching, cause conditioned place aversion (CPA) or preference, impair rotarod performance, inhibit locomotor activity, cause respiratory depression, or precipitate morphine withdrawal. However, NCP (10~100 microg/kg) inhibited gastrointestinal transit with a maximum of ~40% inhibition. In MOR knockout mice, NCP caused CPA, demonstrating that its lack of CPA is due to combined actions on the MOR and KOR. Following s.c. injection, NCP penetrated into the mouse brain. In rats trained to self-administer heroin, NCP (1~320 microg/kg/infusion) did not function as a reinforcer. Thus, NCP produces potent analgesic effects via KOR without side effects except constipation. Therefore, dual full KOR/partial MOR agonists with moderate KOR-over-MOR selectivity may be promising as non-addictive analgesics for inflammatory pain. Significance Statement Developing non-addictive analgesics is crucial for reducing opioid overdose deaths, minimizing drug misuse, and promoting safer pain management practices. Herein, pharmacology of a potential non-addictive analgesic, NCP, is reported. NCP has full KOR agonist / partial MOR agonist activities with a 6.5 x selectivity for KOR over MOR. Unlike MOR agonists, analgesic doses of NCP do not lead to self-administration or respiratory depression. Furthermore, NCP does not produce aversion, hypolocomotion, or motor incoordination, side effects typically associated with KOR activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Huang
- Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, United States
| | - Conrad K Ho
- Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, United States
| | - Danni Cao
- Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, United States
| | - Saadet Inan
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, United States
| | - Scott M Rawls
- Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, United States
| | - Mengchu Li
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, United States
| | - Boshi Huang
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, United States
| | - Piyusha P Pagare
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, United States
| | | | | | | | - Matthew Banks
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, United States
| | - Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen
- Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, United States
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3
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Didik S, Golosova D, Xu B, Staruschenko A. Opioids and the Kidney: A Compendium. KIDNEY360 2023; 4:1816-1823. [PMID: 37927032 PMCID: PMC10758516 DOI: 10.34067/kid.0000000000000291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Opioids are a class of medications used in pain management. Unfortunately, long-term use, overprescription, and illicit opioid use have led to one of the greatest threats to mankind: the opioid crisis. Accompanying the classical analgesic properties of opioids, opioids produce a myriad of effects including euphoria, immunosuppression, respiratory depression, and organ damage. It is essential to ascertain the physiological role of the opioid/opioid receptor axis to gain an in-depth understanding of the effects of opioid use. This knowledge will aid in the development of novel therapeutic interventions to combat the increasing mortality rate because of opioid misuse. This review describes the current knowledge of opioids, including the opioid epidemic and opioid/opioid receptor physiology. Furthermore, this review intricately relates opioid use to kidney damage, navigates kidney structure and physiology, and proposes potential ways to prevent opioid-induced kidney damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Didik
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
- James A. Haley Veteran's Hospital, Tampa, Florida
| | - Daria Golosova
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
| | - Biyang Xu
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
| | - Alexander Staruschenko
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
- James A. Haley Veteran's Hospital, Tampa, Florida
- Hypertension and Kidney Research Center, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
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4
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Inhibitory Effects of a Novel μ-Opioid Receptor Nonpeptide Antagonist, UD-030, on Morphine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043351. [PMID: 36834763 PMCID: PMC9961271 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Although opioids are widely used to treat moderate to severe pain, opioid addiction and the opioid overdose epidemic are becoming more serious. Although opioid receptor antagonists/partial agonists, such as naltrexone and buprenorphine, have relatively low selectivity for the μ-opioid receptor (MOP), they have been used for the management of opioid use disorder. The utility of highly selective MOP antagonists remains to be evaluated. Here, we biologically and pharmacologically evaluated a novel nonpeptide ligand, UD-030, as a selective MOP antagonist. UD-030 had more than 100-fold higher binding affinity for the human MOP (Ki = 3.1 nM) than for δ-opioid, κ-opioid, and nociceptin receptors (Ki = 1800, 460, and 1800 nM, respectively) in competitive binding assays. The [35S]-GTPγS binding assay showed that UD-030 acts as a selective MOP full antagonist. The oral administration of UD-030 dose-dependently suppressed the acquisition and expression of morphine-induced conditioned place preference in C57BL/6J mice, and its effects were comparable to naltrexone. These results indicate the UD-030 may be a new candidate for the treatment of opioid use disorder, with characteristics that differ from traditional medications that are in clinical use.
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Ma H, Pagare PP, Li M, Neel LT, Mendez RE, Gillespie JC, Stevens DL, Dewey WL, Selley DE, Zhang Y. Structural Alterations of the "Address" Moiety of NAN Leading to the Discovery of a Novel Opioid Receptor Modulator with Reduced hERG Toxicity. J Med Chem 2023; 66:577-595. [PMID: 36538027 PMCID: PMC10546487 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The search for selective opioid ligands with desired pharmacological potency and improved safety profile has always been an area of interest. Our previous effort yielded a potent opioid modulator, NAN, a 6α-N-7'-indolyl-substituted naltrexamine derivative, which exhibited promising pharmacological activities both in vitro and in vivo. However, significant human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) liability limited its further development. Therefore, a systematic structural modification on NAN was conducted in order to alleviate hERG toxicity while preserving pharmacological properties, which led to the discovery of 2'-methylindolyl derivative compound 21. Compared to NAN, compound 21 manifested overall improved pharmacological profiles. Follow-up hERG channel inhibition evaluation revealed a seven-fold decreased potency of compound 21 compared to NAN. Furthermore, several fundamental drug-like property evaluations suggested a reasonable ADME profile of 21. Collectively, compound 21 appeared to be a promising opioid modulator for further development as a novel therapeutic agent toward opioid use disorder treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongguang Ma
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - Piyusha P Pagare
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - Mengchu Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - Logan T Neel
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - Rolando E Mendez
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - James C Gillespie
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - David L Stevens
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - William L Dewey
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - Dana E Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia23298, United States
- Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, 203 East Cary Street, Richmond, Virginia23298-0059, United States
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6
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Tocco G, Laus A, Vanejevs M, Ture A, Mostallino R, Pintori N, De Luca MA, Castelli MP, Di Chiara G. 3-[3-(Phenalkylamino)cyclohexyl]phenols: Synthesis, biological activity, and in silico investigation of a naltrexone-derived novel class of MOR-antagonists. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2023; 356:e2200432. [PMID: 36328777 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202200432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The development of novel μ-opioid receptor (MOR) antagonists is one of the main objectives of drug discovery and development. Based on a simplified version of the morphinan scaffold, 3-[3-(phenalkylamino)cyclohexyl]phenol analogs were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for their MOR antagonist activity in vitro and in silico. At the highest concentrations, the compounds decreased by 52% to 75% DAMGO-induced GTPγS stimulation, suggesting that they acted as antagonists. Moreover, Extra-Precision Glide and Generalized-Born Surface Area experiments provided useful information on the nature of the ligand-receptor interactions, indicating a peculiar combination of C-1 stereochemistry and N-substitutions as feasibly essential for MOR-ligand complex stability. Interestingly, compound 9 showed the best experimental binding affinity, the highest antagonist activity, and the finest MOR-ligand complex stability. In silico experiments also revealed that the most promising stereoisomer (1R, 3R, 5S) 9 retained 1,3-cis configuration with phenol ring equatorial oriented. Further studies are needed to better characterize the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic properties of these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graziella Tocco
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Antonio Laus
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maksims Vanejevs
- Laboratory of CNS Active Compounds, Latvian Institute of Organic Chemistry, Riga, Latvia
| | - Anastasija Ture
- Laboratory of CNS Active Compounds, Latvian Institute of Organic Chemistry, Riga, Latvia
| | - Rafaela Mostallino
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Nicholas Pintori
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta De Luca
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - M Paola Castelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gaetano Di Chiara
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy.,Neuroscience Institute, National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Cagliari, Italy
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7
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Khan MIH, Sawyer BJ, Akins NS, Le HV. A systematic review on the kappa opioid receptor and its ligands: New directions for the treatment of pain, anxiety, depression, and drug abuse. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 243:114785. [PMID: 36179400 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114785] [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: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) is a member of the opioid receptor system, the G protein-coupled receptors that are expressed throughout the peripheral and central nervous systems and play crucial roles in the modulation of antinociception and a variety of behavioral states like anxiety, depression, and drug abuse. KOR agonists are known to produce potent analgesic effects and have been used clinically for the treatment of pain, while KOR antagonists have shown efficacy in the treatment of anxiety and depression. This review summarizes the history, design strategy, discovery, and development of KOR ligands. KOR agonists are classified as non-biased, G protein-biased, and β-arrestin recruitment-biased, according to their degrees of bias. The mechanisms and associated effects of the G protein signaling pathway and β-arrestin recruitment signaling pathway are also discussed. Meanwhile, KOR antagonists are classified as long-acting and short-acting, based on their half-lives. In addition, we have special sections for mixed KOR agonists and selective peripheral KOR agonists. The mechanisms of action and pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and behavioral studies for each of these categories are also discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Imdadul H Khan
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA
| | - Benjamin J Sawyer
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA
| | - Nicholas S Akins
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA
| | - Hoang V Le
- Department of BioMolecular Sciences and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS, 38677, USA.
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8
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Drakopoulos A, Moianos D, Prifti GM, Zoidis G, Decker M. Opioid ligands addressing unconventional binding sites and more than one opioid receptor subtype. ChemMedChem 2022; 17:e202200169. [PMID: 35560796 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202200169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Opioid receptors (ORs) represent one of the most significant groups of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) drug targets and also act as prototypical models for GPCR function. In a constant effort to develop drugs with less side effects, and tools to explore the ORs nature and function, various (poly)pharmacological ligand design approaches have been performed. That is, besides classical ligands, a great number of bivalent ligands (i.e. aiming on two distinct OR subtypes), univalent heteromer-selective ligands and bitopic and allosteric ligands have been synthesized for the ORs. The scope of our review is to present the most important of the aforementioned ligands, highlight their properties and exhibit the current state-of-the-art pallet of promising drug candidates or useful molecular tools for the ORs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonios Drakopoulos
- University of Gothenburg: Goteborgs Universitet, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Kemigåden 4, 431 45, Göteborg, SWEDEN
| | - Dimitrios Moianos
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens: Ethniko kai Kapodistriako Panepistemio Athenon, Department of Pharmacy, Panepistimiopolis-Zografou, 15771, Athens, GREECE
| | - Georgia-Myrto Prifti
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens: Ethniko kai Kapodistriako Panepistemio Athenon, Department of Pharmacy, Panepistimiopolis-Zografou, 15771, Athens, GREECE
| | - Grigoris Zoidis
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Panepistimioupolis-Zografou, 15771, Athens, GREECE
| | - Michael Decker
- Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg: Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg, Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, GERMANY
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9
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Pagare PP, Li M, Zheng Y, Kulkarni AS, Obeng S, Huang B, Ruiz C, Gillespie JC, Mendez RE, Stevens DL, Poklis JL, Halquist MS, Dewey WL, Selley DE, Zhang Y. Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of NAP Isosteres: A Switch from Peripheral to Central Nervous System Acting Mu-Opioid Receptor Antagonists. J Med Chem 2022; 65:5095-5112. [PMID: 35255685 PMCID: PMC10149103 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The μ opioid receptor (MOR) has been an intrinsic target to develop treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD). Herein, we report our efforts on developing centrally acting MOR antagonists by structural modifications of 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6β-[(4'-pyridyl) carboxamido] morphinan (NAP), a peripherally acting MOR-selective antagonist. An isosteric replacement concept was applied and incorporated with physiochemical property predictions in the molecular design. Three analogs, namely, 25, 26, and 31, were identified as potent MOR antagonists in vivo with significantly fewer withdrawal symptoms than naloxone observed at similar doses. Furthermore, brain and plasma drug distribution studies supported the outcomes of our design strategy on these compounds. Taken together, our isosteric replacement of pyridine with pyrrole, furan, and thiophene provided insights into the structure-activity relationships of NAP and aided the understanding of physicochemical requirements of potential CNS acting opioids. These efforts resulted in potent, centrally efficacious MOR antagonists that may be pursued as leads to treat OUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyusha P Pagare
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
| | - Mengchu Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
| | - Yi Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
| | - Abhishek S Kulkarni
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
| | - Samuel Obeng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
| | - Boshi Huang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
| | - Christian Ruiz
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
| | - James C Gillespie
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Rolando E Mendez
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - David L Stevens
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Justin L Poklis
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Matthew S Halquist
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - William L Dewey
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Dana E Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219, United States
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Root-Bernstein R. Biased, Bitopic, Opioid-Adrenergic Tethered Compounds May Improve Specificity, Lower Dosage and Enhance Agonist or Antagonist Function with Reduced Risk of Tolerance and Addiction. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:214. [PMID: 35215326 PMCID: PMC8876737 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper proposes the design of combination opioid-adrenergic tethered compounds to enhance efficacy and specificity, lower dosage, increase duration of activity, decrease side effects, and reduce risk of developing tolerance and/or addiction. Combinations of adrenergic and opioid drugs are sometimes used to improve analgesia, decrease opioid doses required to achieve analgesia, and to prolong the duration of analgesia. Recent mechanistic research suggests that these enhanced functions result from an allosteric adrenergic binding site on opioid receptors and, conversely, an allosteric opioid binding site on adrenergic receptors. Dual occupancy of the receptors maintains the receptors in their high affinity, most active states; drops the concentration of ligand required for full activity; and prevents downregulation and internalization of the receptors, thus inhibiting tolerance to the drugs. Activation of both opioid and adrenergic receptors also enhances heterodimerization of the receptors, additionally improving each drug's efficacy. Tethering adrenergic drugs to opioids could produce new drug candidates with highly desirable features. Constraints-such as the locations of the opioid binding sites on adrenergic receptors and adrenergic binding sites on opioid receptors, length of tethers that must govern the design of such novel compounds, and types of tethers-are described and examples of possible structures provided.
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Antipruritic Effect of Nalbuphine, a Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist, in Mice: A Pan Antipruritic. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26185517. [PMID: 34576988 PMCID: PMC8466557 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26185517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Antipruritic effects of kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists have been shown in rodent models of acute and chronic scratching (itchlike behavior). Three KOR agonists, nalfurafine, difelikefalin, and nalbuphine, are in clinical studies for antipruritic effects in chronic itch of systemic and skin diseases. Nalfurafine (in Japan) and difelikefalin (in the USA) were approved to be used in the treatment of chronic itch in hemodialysis patients. The FDA-approved nalbuphine has been used in clinic for over 40 years, and it is the only narcotic agonist that is not scheduled. We aimed to study (a) antiscratch activity of nalbuphine against TAT-HIV-1 protein (controls HIV transcription)-, deoxycholic acid (DCA, bile acid)-, and chloroquine (CQ)-induced scratching in a mouse model of acute itch; and (b) whether the effect of nalbuphine is produced via KORs. First, dose-responses were developed for pruritogens. Mice were pretreated with nalbuphine (0.3-10 mg/kg) and then a submaximal dose of pruritogens were administered and the number of scratching bouts was counted. To study if the antiscratch effect of nalbuphine is produced via KOR, we used KOR knock out mice and pharmacologic inhibition of KORs using nor-binaltorphimine, a KOR antagonist. For this aim, we used CQ as a pruritogen. We found that: (a) TAT-HIV-1 protein elicits scratching in a dose-dependent manner; (b) nalbuphine inhibits scratching induced by TAT-HIV-1, DCA, and CQ dose-dependently; and (c) nalbuphine inhibits scratching induced by CQ through KORs. In conclusion, nalbuphine inhibits scratching elicited by multiple pruritogens.
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Cunningham JI, Todtenkopf MS, Dean RL, Azar MR, Koob GF, Deaver DR, Eyerman DJ. Samidorphan, an opioid receptor antagonist, attenuates drug-induced increases in extracellular dopamine concentrations and drug self-administration in male Wistar rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2021; 204:173157. [PMID: 33647274 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Opioid receptors modulate neurochemical and behavioral responses to drugs of abuse in nonclinical models. Samidorphan (SAM) is a new molecular entity that binds with high affinity to human mu- (μ), kappa- (κ), and delta- (δ) opioid receptors and functions as a μ-opioid receptor antagonist with partial agonist activity at κ- and δ-opioid receptors. Based on its in vitro profile, we hypothesized that SAM would block key neurobiological effects of drugs of abuse. Therefore, we assessed the effects of SAM on ethanol-, oxycodone-, cocaine-, and amphetamine-induced increases in extracellular dopamine (DAext) in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAc-sh), and ethanol and cocaine self-administration behavior in rats. In microdialysis studies, administration of SAM alone did not result in measurable changes in NAc-sh DAext when given across a large range of doses. However, SAM markedly decreased average and maximal increases in NAc-sh DAext produced by each of the drugs of abuse tested. In behavioral studies, SAM attenuated fixed-ratio ethanol self-administration and progressive ratio cocaine self-administration. These results highlight the potential of SAM to counteract the neurobiological and behavioral effects of several drugs of abuse with differing mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - George F Koob
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
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13
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Uprety R, Che T, Zaidi SA, Grinnell SG, Varga BR, Faouzi A, Slocum ST, Allaoa A, Varadi A, Nelson M, Bernhard SM, Kulko E, Le Rouzic V, Eans SO, Simons CA, Hunkele A, Subrath J, Pan YX, Javitch JA, McLaughlin JP, Roth BL, Pasternak GW, Katritch V, Majumdar S. Controlling opioid receptor functional selectivity by targeting distinct subpockets of the orthosteric site. eLife 2021; 10:e56519. [PMID: 33555255 PMCID: PMC7909954 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Controlling receptor functional selectivity profiles for opioid receptors is a promising approach for discovering safer analgesics; however, the structural determinants conferring functional selectivity are not well understood. Here, we used crystal structures of opioid receptors, including the recently solved active state kappa opioid complex with MP1104, to rationally design novel mixed mu (MOR) and kappa (KOR) opioid receptor agonists with reduced arrestin signaling. Analysis of structure-activity relationships for new MP1104 analogs points to a region between transmembrane 5 (TM5) and extracellular loop (ECL2) as key for modulation of arrestin recruitment to both MOR and KOR. The lead compounds, MP1207 and MP1208, displayed MOR/KOR Gi-partial agonism with diminished arrestin signaling, showed efficient analgesia with attenuated liabilities, including respiratory depression and conditioned place preference and aversion in mice. The findings validate a novel structure-inspired paradigm for achieving beneficial in vivo profiles for analgesia through different mechanisms that include bias, partial agonism, and dual MOR/KOR agonism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajendra Uprety
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Tao Che
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Saheem A Zaidi
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, Department of Chemistry, Bridge Institute, Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Steven G Grinnell
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & SurgeonsNew YorkUnited States
| | - Balázs R Varga
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Abdelfattah Faouzi
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Samuel T Slocum
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Abdullah Allaoa
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - András Varadi
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Melissa Nelson
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & SurgeonsNew YorkUnited States
| | - Sarah M Bernhard
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
| | - Elizaveta Kulko
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & SurgeonsNew YorkUnited States
| | - Valerie Le Rouzic
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Shainnel O Eans
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of FloridaGainesvilleUnited States
| | - Chloe A Simons
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of FloridaGainesvilleUnited States
| | - Amanda Hunkele
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Joan Subrath
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Ying Xian Pan
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, New JerseyNewarkUnited States
| | - Jonathan A Javitch
- Division of Molecular Therapeutics, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & SurgeonsNew YorkUnited States
| | - Jay P McLaughlin
- Department of Pharmacodynamics, University of FloridaGainesvilleUnited States
| | - Bryan L Roth
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North CarolinaChapel HillUnited States
| | - Gavril W Pasternak
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
| | - Vsevolod Katritch
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, Department of Chemistry, Bridge Institute, Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Susruta Majumdar
- Department of Neurology and Molecular Pharmacology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew YorkUnited States
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, St. Louis College of Pharmacy and Washington University School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of MedicineSt. LouisUnited States
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Behavioral effects of benzylideneoxymorphone (BOM), a low efficacy µ opioid receptor agonist and a δ opioid receptor antagonist. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:3591-3602. [PMID: 32820390 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05638-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Opioids remain the drugs of choice for treating moderate to severe pain, although adverse effects often limit use. Drugs acting concomitantly as agonists at μ opioid receptors and antagonists at δ opioid receptors produce antinociceptive effects with a reduced profile of adverse effects; one such drug, benzylideneoxymorphone (BOM), might further limit adverse effects because it appears to have lower pharmacological efficacy than other μ opioid receptor agonists. OBJECTIVES The current study compared the acute behavioral effects of BOM with the effects of other μ opioid receptor agonists. METHODS Discriminative stimulus and rate-decreasing effects were studied in 1 group of 7 rats discriminating 3.2 mg/kg morphine while responding under a fixed-ratio 10 schedule of food presentation. Antinociceptive effects were determined in a second group of 8 rats using a warm water tail withdrawal procedure. Reinforcing effects were evaluated in a third group of 12 rats with a history of remifentanil self-administration. RESULTS BOM produced morphine-lever responding and both discriminative stimulus and rate-decreasing effects were antagonized by naltrexone. BOM did not markedly increase tail-withdrawal latencies from water maintained at 50 °C and did not substantially attenuate the antinociceptive effects of morphine. BOM was not self-administered and did not change remifentanil self-administration. CONCLUSIONS Some effects of BOM (e.g., discriminative stimulus effects) appear to be mediated by μ opioid receptors; however, BOM is not self-administered by rats, suggesting that it might have limited abuse liability and a reduced profile of adverse effects compared with currently prescribed opioids.
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Tran PN, Sheng J, Randolph AL, Baron CA, Thiebaud N, Ren M, Wu M, Johannesen L, Volpe DA, Patel D, Blinova K, Strauss DG, Wu WW. Mechanisms of QT prolongation by buprenorphine cannot be explained by direct hERG channel block. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241362. [PMID: 33157550 PMCID: PMC7647070 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Buprenorphine is a μ-opioid receptor (MOR) partial agonist used to manage pain and addiction. QTC prolongation that crosses the 10 msec threshold of regulatory concern was observed at a supratherapeutic dose in two thorough QT studies for the transdermal buprenorphine product BUTRANS®. Because QTC prolongation can be associated with Torsades de Pointes (TdP), a rare but potentially fatal ventricular arrhythmia, these results have led to further investigation of the electrophysiological effects of buprenorphine. Drug-induced QTC prolongation and TdP are most commonly caused by acute inhibition of hERG current (IhERG) that contribute to the repolarizing phase of the ventricular action potentials (APs). Concomitant inhibition of inward late Na+ (INaL) and/or L-type Ca2+ (ICaL) current can offer some protection against proarrhythmia. Therefore, we characterized the effects of buprenorphine and its major metabolite norbuprenorphine on cardiac hERG, Ca2+, and Na+ ion channels, as well as cardiac APs. For comparison, methadone, a MOR agonist associated with QTC prolongation and high TdP risk, and naltrexone and naloxone, two opioid receptor antagonists, were also studied. Whole cell recordings were performed at 37°C on cells stably expressing hERG, CaV1.2, and NaV1.5 proteins. Microelectrode array (MEA) recordings were made on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). The results showed that buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, naltrexone, and naloxone had no effect on IhERG, ICaL, INaL, and peak Na+ current (INaP) at clinically relevant concentrations. In contrast, methadone inhibited IhERG, ICaL, and INaL. Experiments on iPSC-CMs showed a lack of effect for buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, naltrexone, and naloxone, and delayed repolarization for methadone at clinically relevant concentrations. The mechanism of QTC prolongation is opioid moiety-specific. This remains undefined for buprenorphine, while for methadone it involves direct hERG channel block. There is no evidence that buprenorphine use is associated with TdP. Whether this lack of TdP risk can be generalized to other drugs with QTC prolongation not mediated by acute hERG channel block warrants further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phu N. Tran
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Immunology and Hematology Devices, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration. Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jiansong Sheng
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- CiPALab, Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Aaron L. Randolph
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Claudia Alvarez Baron
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Nicolas Thiebaud
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Europe) Ltd, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Ming Ren
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Min Wu
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Division of Immunology and Hematology Devices, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration. Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Lars Johannesen
- Division of Cardiology and Nephrology, Office of Cardiology, Hematology, Endocrinology and Nephrology, Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Donna A. Volpe
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Dakshesh Patel
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ksenia Blinova
- Division of Biomedical Physics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David G. Strauss
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Wendy W. Wu
- Division of Applied Regulatory Science, Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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16
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Zheng Y, Obeng S, Reinecke BA, Chen C, Phansalkar PS, Walentiny DM, Gerk PM, Liu-Chen LY, Selley DE, Beardsley PM, Zhang Y. Pharmacological characterization of 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14-dihydroxy-4,5-epoxy-6-[(3'-fluoro-4'-pyridyl)acetamido]morphinan (NFP) as a dual selective MOR/KOR ligand with potential applications in treating opioid use disorder. Eur J Pharmacol 2019; 865:172812. [PMID: 31743739 PMCID: PMC6914219 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.172812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
For thousands of years opioids have been the first-line treatment option for pain management. However, the tolerance and addiction potential of opioids limit their applications in clinic. NFP, a MOR/KOR dual-selective opioid antagonist, was identified as a ligand that significantly antagonized the antinociceptive effects of morphine with lesser withdrawal effects than naloxone at similar doses. To validate the potential application of NFP in opioid addiction treatment, a series of in vitro and in vivo assays were conducted to further characterize its pharmacological profile. In calcium mobilization assays and MOR internalization studies, NFP showed the apparent capacity to antagonize DAMGO-induced calcium flux and etorphine-induced MOR internalization. In contrast to the opioid agonists DAMGO and morphine, cells pretreated with NFP did not show apparent desensitization and down regulation of the MOR. Though in vitro bidirectional transport studies showed that NFP might be a P-gp substrate, in warm-water tail-withdrawal assays it was able to antagonize the antinociceptive effects of morphine indicating its potential central nervous system activity. Overall these results suggest that NFP is a promising dual selective opioid antagonist that may have the potential to be used therapeutically in opioid use disorder treatment.
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MESH Headings
- Analgesics, Opioid/pharmacology
- Animals
- Biological Transport
- CHO Cells
- Caco-2 Cells
- Calcium/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cricetulus
- Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-/pharmacology
- Humans
- Ligands
- Male
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Morphinans/pharmacology
- Narcotic Antagonists/pharmacology
- Opioid-Related Disorders/drug therapy
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/genetics
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zheng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States
| | - Samuel Obeng
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States
| | - Bethany A Reinecke
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States
| | - Chongguang Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, United States
| | - Palak S Phansalkar
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States
| | - David M Walentiny
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States
| | - Phillip M Gerk
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States
| | - Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19140, United States
| | - Dana E Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States
| | - Patrick M Beardsley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States; Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1112 East Clay Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA, 23298, United States.
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17
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Martinez D, Slifstein M, Matuskey D, Nabulsi N, Zheng MQ, Lin SF, Ropchan J, Urban N, Grassetti A, Chang D, Salling M, Foltin R, Carson RE, Huang Y. Kappa-opioid receptors, dynorphin, and cocaine addiction: a positron emission tomography study. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:1720-1727. [PMID: 31026862 PMCID: PMC6785004 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0398-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Revised: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Animal studies indicate that the kappa-opioid receptor/dynorphin system plays an important role in cocaine binges and stress-induced relapse. Our goal was to investigate changes in kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) availability in the human brain using positron emission tomography (PET), before and after a cocaine binge. We also investigated the correlation between KOR and stress-induced cocaine self-administration. PET imaging was performed with the KOR selective agonist [11C]GR103545. Subjects with cocaine-use disorder (CUD) underwent PET scans and performed two types of cocaine self-administration sessions in the laboratory as follows: (1) choice sessions following a cold pressor test, to induce stress, and (2) binge dosing of cocaine. This allowed us investigate the following: (1) the association between KOR binding and a laboratory model of stress-induced relapse and (2) the change in KOR binding following a 3-day cocaine binge, which is thought to represent a change in endogenous dynorphin. A group of matched healthy controls was included to investigate between group differences in KOR availability. A significant association between [11C]GR103545 binding and cocaine self-administration was seen: greater KOR availability was associated with more choices for cocaine. In addition, the 3-day cocaine binge significantly reduced [11C]GR103545 binding by 18% in the striatum and 14% across brain regions. No difference in [11C]GR103545 binding was found between the CUD subjects and matched controls. In the context of previous studies, these findings add to the growing evidence that pharmacotherapies targeting the KOR have the potential to significantly impact treatment development for cocaine-use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Martinez
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Mark Slifstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - David Matuskey
- Yale PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nabeel Nabulsi
- Yale PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ming-Qiang Zheng
- Yale PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Shu-Fei Lin
- Yale PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jim Ropchan
- Yale PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nina Urban
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Alexander Grassetti
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dinnisa Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael Salling
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard Foltin
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Richard E Carson
- Yale PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yiyun Huang
- Yale PET Center, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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18
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Cunningham CW, Elballa WM, Vold SU. Bifunctional opioid receptor ligands as novel analgesics. Neuropharmacology 2019; 151:195-207. [PMID: 30858102 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Prolonged treatment of chronic severe pain with opioid analgesics is frought with problematic adverse effects including tolerance, dependence, and life-threatening respiratory depression. Though these effects are mediated predominately through preferential activation of μ opioid peptide (μOP) receptors, there is an emerging appreciation that actions at κOP and δOP receptors contribute to the observed pharmacologic and behavioral profile of μOP receptor agonists and may be targeted simultaneously to afford improved analgesic effects. Recent developments have also identified the related nociceptin opioid peptide (NOP) receptor as a key modulator of the effects of μOP receptor signaling. We review here the available literature describing OP neurotransmitter systems and highlight recent drug and probe design strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Waleed M Elballa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, WI, USA.
| | - Stephanie U Vold
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, WI, USA.
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19
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Wang S. Historical Review: Opiate Addiction and Opioid Receptors. Cell Transplant 2019; 28:233-238. [PMID: 30419763 PMCID: PMC6425114 DOI: 10.1177/0963689718811060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUDs), defined as a collection of symptoms including tolerance and withdrawal, are chronic illnesses characterized by relapse and remission. In the United States, billions of dollars have been lost due to SUDs. In the past 30 years, effective medications and behavioral interventions have played a major role in preventing relapse and facilitating longer periods of abstinence. From the late 1990s to the present, the opioid epidemic or opioid crisis in the United States has raised public awareness of SUDs. Methadone, buprenorphine, and naloxone have proven their effectiveness in treating addicted individuals, and each of them has different effects on different opioid receptors. Methadone and buprenorphine target mu opioid receptors (MORs) in the brain to treat opioid dependence by reducing withdrawal and craving, whereas naloxone is an opioid antagonist used to treat opioid overdose. Mu, kappa, and delta are opioid receptor subtypes with common analgesic effects, and each also has unique effects and distribution in the brain. MORs in distinct brain regions, such as the nucleus accumbens and basolateral amygdala, trigger the euphoria and incentive properties of rewarding stimuli. Kappa opioid receptors can trigger anti-reward effects and produce dysphoric effects. Delta opioid receptors can induce anxiolytic effects. Though effective medications are available, relapse is still common due to neurobiological changes in brain pathways and tolerance of opioid receptors with repeated abuse of substances. In this article, I summarize the biological mechanisms of opioid dependence and opioid receptors and review previous articles about medications used to treat SUDs and their clinical effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaocheng Wang
- Tsaotun Psychiatric Center, Ministry of Health and Welfare
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20
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21
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Allosteric modulation model of the mu opioid receptor by herkinorin, a potent not alkaloidal agonist. J Comput Aided Mol Des 2017; 31:467-482. [PMID: 28364251 DOI: 10.1007/s10822-017-0016-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Modulation of opioid receptors is the primary choice for pain management and structural information studies have gained new horizons with the recently available X-ray crystal structures. Herkinorin is one of the most remarkable salvinorin A derivative with high affinity for the mu opioid receptor, moderate selectivity and lack of nitrogen atoms on its structure. Surprisingly, binding models for herkinorin are lacking. In this work, we explore binding models of herkinorin using automated docking, molecular dynamics simulations, free energy calculations and available experimental information. Our herkinorin D-ICM-1 binding model predicted a binding free energy of -11.52 ± 1.14 kcal mol-1 by alchemical free energy estimations, which is close to the experimental values -10.91 ± 0.2 and -10.80 ± 0.05 kcal mol-1 and is in agreement with experimental structural information. Specifically, D-ICM-1 molecular dynamics simulations showed a water-mediated interaction between D-ICM-1 and the amino acid H2976.52, this interaction coincides with the co-crystallized ligands. Another relevant interaction, with N1272.63, allowed to rationalize herkinorin's selectivity to mu over delta opioid receptors. Our suggested binding model for herkinorin is in agreement with this and additional experimental data. The most remarkable observation derived from our D-ICM-1 model is that herkinorin reaches an allosteric sodium ion binding site near N1503.35. Key interactions in that region appear relevant for the lack of β-arrestin recruitment by herkinorin. This interaction is key for downstream signaling pathways involved in the development of side effects, such as tolerance. Future SAR studies and medicinal chemistry efforts will benefit from the structural information presented in this work.
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Xu GG, Zolotarskaya OY, Williams DA, Yuan Y, Selley DE, Dewey WL, Akbarali HI, Yang H, Zhang Y. Nanoconjugated NAP as a Potent and Periphery Selective Mu Opioid Receptor Modulator To Treat Opioid-Induced Constipation. ACS Med Chem Lett 2017; 8:78-83. [PMID: 28105279 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.6b00382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioids are the mainstay for cancer and noncancer pain management. However, their use is often associated with multiple adverse effects. Among them, the most common and persistent one is probably opioid-induced constipation (OIC). Periphery selective opioid antagonists may alleviate the symptoms of OIC without compromising the analgesic effects of opioids. Recently our laboratories have identified one novel lead compound, 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6β-[(4'-pyridyl)acetamido]morphinan (NAP), as a peripherally selective mu opioid receptor ligand carrying subnanomolar affinity to the mu opioid receptor and over 100-folds of selectivity over both the delta and kappa opioid receptors, with reasonable oral availability and half-life, and potential to treat OIC. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems are now widely considered due to their technological advantages such as good stability, high carrier capacity, low therapeutic side effects, etc. Herein we report nanoparticle supported NAP as a potential candidate for OIC treatment with improved peripheral selectivity over the original lead compound NAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoyan G. Xu
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh
Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Olga Yu. Zolotarskaya
- Department
of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 West Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23284, United States
| | - Dwight A. Williams
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh
Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
- Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Yunyun Yuan
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh
Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Dana E. Selley
- Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - William L. Dewey
- Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Hamid I. Akbarali
- Department
of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Hu Yang
- Department
of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 West Main Street, Richmond, Virginia 23284, United States
- Department
of Pharmaceutics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 N 12th
Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
- Massey
Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E Leigh
Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
- Massey
Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
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Multitarget opioid ligands in pain relief: New players in an old game. Eur J Med Chem 2015; 108:211-228. [PMID: 26656913 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2015.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2014] [Revised: 02/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Still nowadays pain is one of the most common disabling conditions and yet it remains too often unsolved. Analgesic opioid drugs, and mainly MOR agonists such as morphine, are broadly employed for pain management. MOR activation, however, has been seen to cause not only analgesia but also undesired side effects. A potential pain treatment option is represented by the simultaneous targeting of different opioid receptors. In fact, ligands possessing multitarget capabilities led to an improved pharmacological fingerprint. This review focuses on the examination of multitarget opioid ligands which have been distinguished in peptide and non-peptide and further listed as bivalent and bifunctional ligands. Moreover, the potential of these compounds, both as analgesic drugs and pharmacological tools to explore heteromer receptors, has been stressed.
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24
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Kumar A, Liu NJ, Madia PA, Gintzler AR. Contribution of Endogenous Spinal Endomorphin 2 to Intrathecal Opioid Antinociception in Rats Is Agonist Dependent and Sexually Dimorphic. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2015; 16:1200-10. [PMID: 26342648 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2015.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Revised: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Interactions between exogenous and endogenous opioids are not commonly investigated as a basis for sexually dimorphic opioid analgesia. We investigated the influence of spinal endomorphin 2 (EM2), an endogenous mu-opioid receptor (MOR) ligand, on the spinal antinociception produced by intrathecally administered opioids. Activation of spinal MORs facilitated spinal EM2 release. This effect was sexually dimorphic, occurring in males but not in females. Although activational effects of testosterone were required for opioid facilitation of spinal EM2 release in males, the absence of this facilitation in females did not result from either insufficient levels of testosterone or mitigating effects of estrogens. Strikingly, in males, the contribution of spinal EM2 to the analgesia produced by intrathecally applied MOR agonists depended on their analgesic efficacy relative to that of EM2. Spinal EM2 released by the higher efficacy MOR agonist sufentanil diminished sufentanil's analgesic effect, whereas EM2 released by the lower efficacy morphine had the opposite effect on spinal morphine antinociception. Understanding antithetical contributions of endogenous EM2 to intrathecal opioid antinociception not only enlightens the selection of opioid medications for pain management but also helps to explain variable sex dependence of the antinociception produced by different opioids, facilitating the acceptance of sexually dimorphic antinociception as a basic tenet. PERSPECTIVE The male-specific MOR-coupled enhancement of spinal EM2 release implies a parallel ability to harness endogenous EM2 antinociception. The inferred diminished ability of females to utilize the spinal EM2 antinociceptive system could contribute to their greater frequency and severity of chronic pain syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Kumar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Nai-Jiang Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Priyanka A Madia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Alan R Gintzler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Brooklyn, New York.
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25
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Hamed A, Szyndler J, Taracha E, Turzyńska D, Sobolewska A, Lehner M, Krząścik P, Daszczuk P. κ-opioid receptor as a key mediator in the regulation of appetitive 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:1941-55. [PMID: 25466704 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3824-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2013] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Acute administration of high doses of morphine reduced 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Although morphine meets the classical criteria for inducing 50-kHz USVs (it causes place preference and induces dopamine release in nucleus accumbens), it also inhibits appetitive vocalizations. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were to (i) study the pharmacological impact of κ-opioid (KOR) and μ-opioid receptor (MOR) ligands on the emission of 50-kHz USVs triggered by social interaction after long-term isolation and (ii) analyze the concentrations of the main neurotransmitters in reward-related structures (ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)). METHODS In an attempt to define the effects of opioid-receptor activation on the reward system, we used a social interaction test (after 21 days isolation). HPLC analysis was used to determine the monoamine and amino acid concentrations in reward-related structures. RESULTS U-50488 (10.0 mg/kg), morphine (5.0 and 1.0 mg/kg), and naltrexone (5.0 mg/kg) decreased, and nor-BNI (10.0 mg/kg) increased 50-kHz USVs. Acute pretreatment with nor-BNI or naltrexone reduced the 50-kHz suppression induced via morphine. The biochemical data showed several variations between groups regarding dopamine concentrations, serotonin, and their metabolites; these data may suggest that the levels of emitted ultrasound in the 50-kHz band are inversely proportional to the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA)/3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) ratio in the VTA. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate an important role for KOR in the regulation of 50-kHz USV emissions and suggest that KOR activation may be a key mediator in the regulation of reward responses. Changes in the balance between serotonin and dopamine concentrations in the VTA may be a key predictor for 50-kHz USV emission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Hamed
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, Warsaw, 02-957, Poland,
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26
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Strickland JC, Rush CR, Stoops WW. Mu opioid mediated discriminative-stimulus effects of tramadol: an individual subjects analysis. J Exp Anal Behav 2015; 103:361-74. [PMID: 25664525 DOI: 10.1002/jeab.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Drug discrimination procedures use dose-dependent generalization, substitution, and pretreatment with selective agonists and antagonists to evaluate receptor systems mediating interoceptive effects of drugs. Despite the extensive use of these techniques in the nonhuman animal literature, few studies have used human participants. Specifically, human studies have not routinely used antagonist administration as a pharmacological tool to elucidate the mechanisms mediating the discriminative stimulus effects of drugs. This study evaluated the discriminative-stimulus effects of tramadol, an atypical analgesic with monoamine and mu opioid activity. Three human participants first learned to discriminate 100 mg tramadol from placebo. A range of tramadol doses (25 to 150 mg) and hydromorphone (4 mg) with and without naltrexone pretreatment (50 mg) were then administered to participants after they acquired the discrimination. Tramadol produced dose-dependent increases in drug-appropriate responding and hydromorphone partially or fully substituted for tramadol in all participants. These effects were attenuated by naltrexone. Individual participant records indicated a relationship between mu opioid activity (i.e., miosis) and drug discrimination performance. Our findings indicate that mu opioid activity may mediate the discriminative-stimulus effects of tramadol in humans. The correspondence of generalization, substitution, and pretreatment findings with the animal literature supports the neuropharmacological specificity of the drug discrimination procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin C Strickland
- DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
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27
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Altarifi AA, Yuan Y, Zhang Y, Selley DE, Negus SS. Effects of the novel, selective and low-efficacy mu opioid receptor ligand NAQ on intracranial self-stimulation in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:815-24. [PMID: 25178814 PMCID: PMC4310756 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3719-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Low-efficacy mu opioid receptor agonists may be useful for some clinical indications, but clinically available low-efficacy mu agonists also have low selectivity for mu vs. kappa opioid receptors. NAQ (17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14ß-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6α-[(3'-isoquinolyl)acetamido]morphinan) is a novel opioid receptor ligand with low-efficacy at mu receptors and greater mu-receptor selectivity than existing low-efficacy agonists. OBJECTIVES This study examined behavioral effects of NAQ in rats using an intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) procedure that has been used previously to examine other opioids. NAQ effects were examined before, during, and after chronic morphine treatment, and effects of NAQ were compared to effects of nalbuphine and naltrexone. METHODS Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to respond for electrical brain stimulation delivered via electrodes implanted in the medial forebrain bundle. A range of brain stimulation frequencies maintained a wide range of baseline ICSS rates. Effects of NAQ (0.32-10 mg/kg), nalbuphine (1.0 mg/kg), and naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg) were determined before morphine treatment and during treatment with 3.2 and 18 mg/kg/day morphine. NAQ effects were also redetermined beginning 2 weeks after termination of morphine treatment. RESULTS NAQ produced weak ICSS facilitation in morphine-naïve rats but more robust ICSS facilitation during and after morphine treatment and also reversed morphine withdrawal-associated depression of ICSS. These effects were similar to effects of nalbuphine. CONCLUSIONS These results agree with the in vitro characterization of NAQ as a low-efficacy mu agonist. Opioid exposure may enhance abuse-related effects of NAQ, but NAQ may also serve as a low-efficacy and relatively safe option for treatment of opioid withdrawal or dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad A. Altarifi
- Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA, USA
| | - Yunyun Yuan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA, USA
| | - Dana E. Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA, USA
| | - S. Stevens Negus
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA, USA
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28
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Lee CWS, Ho IK. Pharmacological Profiles of Oligomerized μ-Opioid Receptors. Cells 2013; 2:689-714. [PMID: 24709876 PMCID: PMC3972655 DOI: 10.3390/cells2040689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Revised: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioids are widely prescribed pain relievers with multiple side effects and potential complications. They produce analgesia via G-protein-protein coupled receptors: μ-, δ-, κ-opioid and opioid receptor-like 1 receptors. Bivalent ligands targeted to the oligomerized opioid receptors might be the key to developing analgesics without undesired side effects and obtaining effective treatment for opioid addicts. In this review we will update the biological effects of μ-opioids on homo- or hetero-oligomerized μ-opioid receptor and discuss potential mechanisms through which bivalent ligands exert beneficial effects, including adenylate cyclase regulation and receptor-mediated signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Wei-Sheng Lee
- Center for Drug Abuse and Addiction, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
| | - Ing-Kang Ho
- Center for Drug Abuse and Addiction, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.
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29
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A novel bivalent HIV-1 entry inhibitor reveals fundamental differences in CCR5-μ-opioid receptor interactions between human astroglia and microglia. AIDS 2013; 27:2181-90. [PMID: 23751259 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0b013e3283639804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We explored whether the opiate, morphine, affects the actions of maraviroc, as well as a recently synthesized bivalent derivative of maraviroc linked to an opioid antagonist, naltrexone, on HIV-1 entry in primary human glia. METHODS HIV-1 entry was monitored in glia transiently transfected with an LTR construct containing a luciferase reporter gene under control of a promoter for the HIV-1 transactivator protein Tat. The effect of maraviroc and the bivalent ligand with or without morphine on CCR5 surface expression and cytokine release was also explored. RESULTS Maraviroc inhibits HIV-1 entry into glial cells, whereas morphine negates the effects of maraviroc leading to a significant increase in viral entry. We also demonstrate that the maraviroc-containing bivalent ligand better inhibits R5-tropic viral entry in astrocytes than microglia compared to maraviroc when coadministered with morphine. Importantly, the inhibitory effects of the bivalent compound in astrocytes were not compromised by morphine. Exposure to maraviroc decreased the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and restricted HIV-1-dependent increases in CCR5 expression in both astrocytes and microglia, whereas exposure to the bivalent had a similar effect in astrocytes but not in microglia. The CCR5-μ-opioid receptor (MOR) stoichiometric ratio varied among the two cell types with CCR5 expressed at much higher levels than MOR in microglia, which could explain the effectiveness of the bivalent ligand in astrocytes compared to microglia. CONCLUSION A novel bivalent compound reveals fundamental differences in CCR5-MOR interactions and HIV-1 infectivity among glia, and has unique therapeutic potential in opiate abuse-HIV interactive comorbidity.
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30
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Higgs J, Wasowski C, Loscalzo LM, Marder M. In vitro binding affinities of a series of flavonoids for μ-opioid receptors. Antinociceptive effect of the synthetic flavonoid 3,3-dibromoflavanone in mice. Neuropharmacology 2013; 72:9-19. [PMID: 23624290 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2013.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Revised: 03/06/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The pharmacotherapy for the treatment of pain is an active area of investigation. There are effective drugs to treat this problem, but there is also a need to find alternative treatments free of undesirable side effects. In the present work the capacity of a series of flavonoids to bind to the μ opioid receptor was evaluated. The most active compound, 3,3-dibromoflavanone (31), a synthetic flavonoid, presented a significant inhibition of the binding of the selective μ opioid ligand [(3)H]DAMGO, with a Ki of 0.846 ± 0.263 μM. Flavanone 31 was further synthesized using a simple and cheap procedure with good yield. Its in vivo effects in mice, after acute treatments, were studied using antinociceptive and behavioral assays. It showed no sedative, anxiolytic, motor incoordination effects or inhibition of the gastrointestinal transit in mice at the doses tested. It evidenced antinociceptive activity on the acetic acid-induced nociception, hot plate and formalin tests (at 10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg). The results showed that the 5-HT2 receptor and the adrenoceptors seem unlikely to be involved in its antinociceptive effects. Naltrexone, a nonselective opioid receptors antagonist, totally blocked compound 31 antinociceptive effects on the hot plate test, but naltrindole (δ opioid antagonist) and nor-binaltorphimine (κ opioid antagonist) did not. These findings demonstrated that 3,3-dibromoflavanone (31), at doses that did not interfere with the motor performance, exerted clear dose dependent antinociception when assessed in the chemical and thermal models of nociception in mice and it seems that its action is related to the activation of the μ opioid receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefina Higgs
- Instituto de Química y Fisicoquímica Biológicas, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 956 (C1113AAD), 1113 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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31
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Yuan Y, Elbegdorj O, Chen J, Akubathini SK, Zhang F, Stevens DL, Beletskaya IO, Scoggins KL, Zhang Z, Gerk PM, Selley DE, Akbarali HI, Dewey WL, Zhang Y. Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6β-[(4'-pyridyl)carboxamido]morphinan derivatives as peripheral selective μ opioid receptor Agents. J Med Chem 2012; 55:10118-29. [PMID: 23116124 DOI: 10.1021/jm301247n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral selective μ opioid receptor (MOR) antagonists could alleviate the symptoms of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) without compromising the analgesic effect of opioids. However, a variety of adverse effects were associated with them, partially due to their relatively low MOR selectivity. NAP, a 6β-N-4'-pyridyl substituted naltrexamine derivative, was identified previously as a potent and highly selective MOR antagonist mainly acting within the peripheral nervous system. The noticeable diarrhea associated with it prompted the design and synthesis of its analogues in order to study its structure-activity relationship. Among them, compound 8 showed improved pharmacological profiles compared to the original lead, acting mainly at peripheral while increasing the intestinal motility in morphine-pelleted mice (ED(50) = 0.03 mg/kg). The slight decrease of the ED(50) compared to the original lead was well compensated by the unobserved adverse effect. Hence, this compound seems to be a more promising lead to develop novel therapeutic agents toward OIC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyun Yuan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University , 800 East Leigh Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, United States
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32
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Abstract
Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist that has been shown to be effective for maintaining abstinence in alcohol-dependent persons. It is particularly effective in a subset of persons who suffer from high craving, as it reduces craving for alcohol. Family history has been shown to be a predictor of treatment response and, indeed, allelic variation in the mu opioid receptor gene predicts treatment response to naltrexone. The therapeutic effects of naltrexone are mediated by blockade of central mu opioid receptors. The site of action is under investigation but evidence supports a role of mu opioid receptors in the central nucleus of the amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and ventral tegmental area in the therapeutic actions of naltrexone for alcohol dependence. This article reviews the role of the endogenous opioid system in addictive diseases, especially alcoholism and discusses the pharmacological basis for the use of naltrexone in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
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33
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Kreek MJ, Levran O, Reed B, Schlussman SD, Zhou Y, Butelman ER. Opiate addiction and cocaine addiction: underlying molecular neurobiology and genetics. J Clin Invest 2012; 122:3387-93. [PMID: 23023708 DOI: 10.1172/jci60390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Addictive diseases, including addiction to heroin, prescription opioids, or cocaine, pose massive personal and public health costs. Addictions are chronic relapsing diseases of the brain caused by drug-induced direct effects and persisting neuroadaptations at the epigenetic, mRNA, neuropeptide, neurotransmitter, or protein levels. These neuroadaptations, which can be specific to drug type, and their resultant behaviors are modified by various internal and external environmental factors, including stress responsivity, addict mindset, and social setting. Specific gene variants, including variants encoding pharmacological target proteins or genes mediating neuroadaptations, also modify vulnerability at particular stages of addiction. Greater understanding of these interacting factors through laboratory-based and translational studies have the potential to optimize early interventions for the therapy of chronic addictive diseases and to reduce the burden of relapse. Here, we review the molecular neurobiology and genetics of opiate addiction, including heroin and prescription opioids, and cocaine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Jeanne Kreek
- Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, USA.
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34
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Yuan Y, Arnatt CK, Li G, Haney KM, Ding D, Jacob JC, Selley DE, Zhang Y. Design and synthesis of a bivalent ligand to explore the putative heterodimerization of the mu opioid receptor and the chemokine receptor CCR5. Org Biomol Chem 2012; 10:2633-46. [PMID: 22354464 DOI: 10.1039/c2ob06801j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The bivalent ligand approach has been utilized not only to study the underlying mechanism of G protein-coupled receptors dimerization and/or oligomerization, but also to enhance ligand affinity and/or selectivity for potential treatment of a variety of diseases by targeting this process. Substance abuse and addiction have made both the prevention and the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection more difficult to tackle. Morphine, a mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, can accelerate HIV infection through up-regulating the expression of the chemokine receptor CCR5, a well-known co-receptor for HIV invasion to the host cells and this has been extensively studied. Meanwhile, two research groups have described the putative MOR-CCR5 heterodimers in their independent studies. The purpose of this paper is to report the design and synthesis of a bivalent ligand to explore the biological and pharmacological process of the putative MOR-CCR5 dimerization phenomenon. The developed bivalent ligand thus contains two distinct pharmacophores linked through a spacer; ideally one of which will interact with the MOR and the other with the CCR5. Naltrexone and Maraviroc were selected as the pharmacophores to generate such a bivalent probe. The overall reaction route to prepare this bivalent ligand was convergent and efficient, and involved sixteen steps with moderate to good yields. The preliminary biological characterization showed that the bivalent compound 1 retained the pharmacological characteristics of both pharmacophores towards the MOR and the CCR5 respectively with relatively lower binding affinity, which tentatively validated our original molecular design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyun Yuan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
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35
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Yuan Y, Elbegdorj O, Chen J, Akubathini SK, Beletskaya IO, Selley DE, Zhang Y. Structure selectivity relationship studies of 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6β-[(4'-pyridyl)carboxamido]morphinan derivatives toward the development of the mu opioid receptor antagonists. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2011; 21:5625-9. [PMID: 21788135 PMCID: PMC3171173 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2011.06.135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2011] [Revised: 06/07/2011] [Accepted: 06/10/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Mu opioid receptor antagonists have been applied to target a variety of diseases clinically. The current study is designed to explore the structure selectivity relationship (SSR) of 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6β-[(4'-pyridyl)carboxamido]morphinan (NAP), a lead compound identified as a selective mu opioid receptor antagonist based on the previous study. Among a series of NAP derivatives synthesized, compounds 6 (NMP) and 9 (NGP) maintained comparable binding affinity, selectivity and efficacy to the lead compound. Particularly, the mu opioid receptor selectivity over kappa opioid receptor of NGP was considerably enhanced compared to that of NAP. Overall, the preliminary SSR supported our original hypothesis that an alternate 'address' domain may exist in the mu opioid receptor, which favors the ligands carrying a hydrogen bond acceptor and an aromatic system to selectively recognize the mu opioid receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyun Yuan
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298
| | - Orgil Elbegdorj
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298
| | - Jianyang Chen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298
| | - Shashidhar K. Akubathini
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298
| | - Irina O. Beletskaya
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298
| | - Dana E. Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biotech I, 800 E. Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23298
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36
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Abstract
Twin and triplet drugs are defined as compounds that contain respectively two and three pharmacophore components exerting pharmacological effects in a molecule. The twin drug bearing the same pharmacophores is a "symmetrical twin drug", whereas that possessing different pharmacophores is a "nonsymmetrical twin drug." In general, the symmetrical twin drug is expected to produce more potent and/or selective pharmacological effects, whereas the nonsymmetrical twin drug is anticipated to show both pharmacological activities stemming from the individual pharmacophores (dual action). On the other hand, nonsymmetrical triplet drugs, which have two of the same pharmacophores and one different moiety, are expected to elicit both increased pharmacological action and dual action. The two identical portions could bind the same receptor sites simultaneously while the third portion could bind a different receptor site or enzyme. This review will mainly focus on the twin and triplet drugs with an evaluation of their in vivo pharmacological effects, and will also include a description of their pharmacology and synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideaki Fujii
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
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37
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Zhang B, Zhang T, Sromek AW, Scrimale T, Bidlack JM, Neumeyer JL. Synthesis and binding affinity of novel mono- and bivalent morphinan ligands for κ, μ, and δ opioid receptors. Bioorg Med Chem 2011; 19:2808-16. [PMID: 21482470 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2011.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2010] [Revised: 03/16/2011] [Accepted: 03/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A novel series of homo- and heterodimeric ligands containing κ/μ agonist and μ agonist/antagonist pharmacophores joined by a 10-carbon ester linker chain were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro binding affinity at κ, μ, and δ opioid receptors, and their functional activities were determined at κ and μ receptors in [(35)S]GTPγS functional assays. Most of these compounds had high binding affinity at μ and κ receptors (K(i) values less than 1nM). Compound 15b, which contains butorphan (1) at one end of linking chain and butorphanol (5) at the other end, was the most potent ligand in this series with binding affinity K(i) values of 0.089nM at the μ receptor and 0.073nM at the κ receptor. All of the morphinan-derived ligands were found to be partial κ and μ agonists; ATPM-derived ligands 12 and 11 were found to be full κ agonists and partial μ agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhang
- Alcohol & Drug Abuse Research Center, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478-9106, USA
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38
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Balboni G, Salvadori S, Marczak ED, Knapp BI, Bidlack JM, Lazarus LH, Peng X, Si YG, Neumeyer JL. Opioid bifunctional ligands from morphine and the opioid pharmacophore Dmt-Tic. Eur J Med Chem 2010; 46:799-803. [PMID: 21216504 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2010.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2010] [Revised: 10/28/2010] [Accepted: 12/01/2010] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Bifunctional ligands containing an ester linkage between morphine and the δ-selective pharmacophore Dmt-Tic were synthesized, and their binding affinity and functional bioactivity at the μ, δ and κ opioid receptors determined. Bifunctional ligands containing or not a spacer of β-alanine between the two pharmacophores lose the μ agonism deriving from morphine becoming partial μ agonists 4 or μ antagonists 5. Partial κ agonism is evidenced only for compound 4. Finally, both compounds showed potent δ antagonism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianfranco Balboni
- Department of Toxicology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, I-09124 Cagliari, Italy.
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39
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Meens MJPMT, Compeer MG, Hackeng TM, van Zandvoort MA, Janssen BJA, De Mey JGR. Stimuli of sensory-motor nerves terminate arterial contractile effects of endothelin-1 by CGRP and dissociation of ET-1/ET(A)-receptor complexes. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10917. [PMID: 20532232 PMCID: PMC2879375 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2010] [Accepted: 04/30/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a long-acting paracrine mediator, is implicated in cardiovascular diseases but clinical trials with ET-receptor antagonists were not successful in some areas. We tested whether the quasi-irreversible receptor-binding of ET-1 (i) limits reversing effects of the antagonists and (ii) can be selectively dissociated by an endogenous counterbalancing mechanism. Methodology/Principal findings In isolated rat mesenteric resistance arteries, ETA-antagonists, endothelium-derived relaxing factors and synthetic vasodilators transiently reduced contractile effects of ET-1 but did not prevent persistent effects of the peptide. Stimuli of peri-vascular vasodilator sensory-motor nerves such as capsaicin not only reduced but also terminated long-lasting effects of ET-1. This was prevented by CGRP-receptor antagonists and was mimicked by exogenous calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Using 2-photon laser scanning microscopy in vital intact arteries, capsaicin and CGRP, but not ETA-antagonism, were observed to promote dissociation of pre-existing ET-1/ETA-receptor complexes. Conclusions Irreversible binding and activation of ETA-receptors by ET-1 (i) occur at an antagonist-insensitive site of the receptor and (ii) are selectively terminated by endogenously released CGRP. Hence, natural stimuli of sensory-motor nerves that stimulate release of endogenous CGRP can be considered for therapy of diseases involving ET-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merlijn J. P. M. T. Meens
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Matthijs G. Compeer
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Tilman M. Hackeng
- Department of Biochemistry, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc A. van Zandvoort
- Department of Biomedical Technology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ben J. A. Janssen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jo G. R. De Mey
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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40
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Hupp CD, Neumeyer JL. Rapid access to morphinones: removal of 4, 5-ether bridge with Pd-catalyzed triflate reduction. Tetrahedron Lett 2010; 51:2359-2361. [PMID: 20495617 DOI: 10.1016/j.tetlet.2010.02.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
A new synthetic method for the removal of the 4, 5-bridged ether moiety of several opioids has been developed. This process offers a faster, simpler synthetic route to obtain the morphinone scaffold in high yields without the need for protection of the ketone moiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D Hupp
- Medicinal Chemistry Program, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478
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41
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Decker M, Fulton BS, Zhang B, Knapp BI, Bidlack JM, Neumeyer JL. Univalent and bivalent ligands of butorphan: characteristics of the linking chain determine the affinity and potency of such opioid ligands. J Med Chem 2009; 52:7389-96. [PMID: 19634902 DOI: 10.1021/jm900379p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bivalent morphinan compounds containing ester linkers were synthesized and their binding affinities at the mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors determined. Addition of methyl groups adjacent to the hydrolytically labile ester linkage increased stability while only partially affecting binding affinity. The resulting bivalent ligands with optimized spacer length and structure show potent binding profiles with the most potent compound (4b), having K(i) values of 0.47 nM for both the mu and kappa opioid receptors, and 4a, having K(i) values of 0.95 and 0.62 nM for the mu and kappa receptors, respectively. Both 4a and 4b were partial agonists at the kappa and micro receptors in the [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Decker
- Alcohol & Drug Abuse Research Center, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, Massachusetts 02478-9106, USA.
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42
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van Rijn RM, Whistler JL, Waldhoer M. Opioid-receptor-heteromer-specific trafficking and pharmacology. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2009; 10:73-9. [PMID: 19846340 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2009.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2009] [Revised: 09/16/2009] [Accepted: 09/17/2009] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Homomerization and heteromerization of 7 transmembrane spanning (7TM)/G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been an important field of study. Whereas initial studies were performed in artificial cell systems, recent publications are shifting the focus to the in vivo relevance of heteromerization. This is especially apparent for the field of opioid receptors. Drugs have been identified that selectively target opioid heteromers of the delta-opioid receptor with the kappa and the mu-opioid receptors that influence nociception and ethanol consumption, respectively. In addition, in several cases, the specific physiological response produced by the heteromer may be directly attributed to a difference in receptor trafficking properties of the heteromers compared with their homomeric counterparts. This review attempts to highlight some of the latest developments with regard to opioid receptor heteromer trafficking and pharmacology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M van Rijn
- Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, University of California San Francisco, Department of Neurology, Emeryville, CA 94608, USA
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43
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Marczak ED, Jinsmaa Y, Myers PH, Blankenship T, Wilson R, Balboni G, Salvadori S, Lazarus LH. Orally administered H-Dmt-Tic-Lys-NH-CH2-Ph (MZ-2), a potent mu/delta-opioid receptor antagonist, regulates obese-related factors in mice. Eur J Pharmacol 2009; 616:115-21. [PMID: 19576206 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2009.06.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2009] [Revised: 06/10/2009] [Accepted: 06/17/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Orally active dual mu-/delta-opioid receptor antagonist, H-Dmt-Tic-Lys-NH-CH(2)-Ph (MZ-2) was applied to study body weight gain, fat content, bone mineral density, serum insulin, cholesterol and glucose levels in female ob/ob (B6.V-Lep<ob>/J homozygous) and lean wild mice with or without voluntary exercise on wheels for three weeks, and during a two week post-treatment period under the same conditions. MZ-2 (10mg/kg/day, p.o.) exhibited the following actions: (1) reduced body weight gain in sedentary obese mice that persisted beyond the treatment period without effect on lean mice; (2) stimulated voluntary running on exercise wheels of both groups of mice; (3) decreased fat content, enhanced bone mineral density (BMD), and decreased serum insulin and glucose levels in obese mice; and (4) MZ-2 (30 microM) increased BMD in human osteoblast cells (MG-63) comparable to naltrexone, while morphine inhibited mineral nodule formation. Thus, MZ-2 has potential application in the clinical management of obesity, insulin and glucose levels, and the amelioration of osteoporosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa D Marczak
- Medicinal Chemistry Group, Laboratory of Pharmacology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
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Dietis N, Guerrini R, Calo G, Salvadori S, Rowbotham D, Lambert D. Simultaneous targeting of multiple opioid receptors: a strategy to improve side-effect profile. Br J Anaesth 2009; 103:38-49. [DOI: 10.1093/bja/aep129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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45
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Schiller PW. Bi- or multifunctional opioid peptide drugs. Life Sci 2009; 86:598-603. [PMID: 19285088 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2009.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2008] [Revised: 02/12/2009] [Accepted: 02/25/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Strategies for the design of bi- or multifunctional drugs are reviewed. A distinction is made between bifunctional drugs interacting in a monovalent fashion with two targets and ligands containing two distinct pharmacophores binding in a bivalent mode to the two binding sites in a receptor heterodimer. Arguments are presented to indicate that some of the so-called "bivalent" ligands reported in the literature are unlikely to simultaneously interact with two binding sites. Aspects related to the development of bi- or multifunctional drugs are illustrated with examples from the field of opioid analgesics. The drug-like properties of the tetrapeptide Dmt(1)[DALDA] with triple action as a micro opioid agonist, norepinephrine uptake inhibitor and releaser of endogenous opioid peptides to produce potent spinal analgesia are reviewed. Rationales for the development of opioid peptides with mixed agonist/antagonist profiles as analgesics with reduced side effects are presented. Progress in the development of mixed micro opioid agonist/delta opioid antagonists with low propensity to produce tolerance and physical dependence is reviewed. Efforts to develop bifunctional peptides containing a micro opioid agonist and a cholecystokinin antagonist or an NK1 receptor antagonist as analgesics expected to produce less tolerance and dependence are also reviewed. A strategy to improve the drug-like properties of bifunctional opioid peptide analgesics is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter W Schiller
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Peptide Research, Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, 110 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2W 1R7.
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Abstract
This paper is the thirtieth consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2007 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior, and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia; stress and social status; tolerance and dependence; learning and memory; eating and drinking; alcohol and drugs of abuse; sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology; mental illness and mood; seizures and neurologic disorders; electrical-related activity and neurophysiology; general activity and locomotion; gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions; cardiovascular responses; respiration and thermoregulation; and immunological responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Bodnar
- Department of Psychology and Neuropsychology Doctoral Sub-Program, Queens College, City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd.,Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
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Fulton BS, Knapp BI, Bidlack JM, Neumeyer JL. Synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of hydrophobic esters and ethers of butorphanol at opioid receptors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2008; 18:4474-6. [PMID: 18674902 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2008.07.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2008] [Revised: 07/11/2008] [Accepted: 07/14/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We synthesized several hydrophobic esters and ethers of butorphanol and assessed their affinities at opioid receptors in CHO cell membranes. Tested compounds displayed moderate to high affinities to the mu and kappa receptors. The findings accord with previous evidence of a lipophilic binding pocket in the opioid receptors that can be accessed to afford good binding affinity without the need for a phenolic hydrogen-bond donor group. The most potent (K(i)=61 pM at mu and 48 pM at kappa) novel agent was (-)-N-cyclobutylmethylmorphinan-3-yl-14-ol phenoxyacetate (4d).
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian S Fulton
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA
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