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Gao J, Zhang C, Xu H, Zhang T, Wang H, Wang Y, Wang X. Dissecting the Role of the Hydroxyl Moiety at C14 in (+)-Opioid-Based TLR4 Antagonists via Wet-Lab Experiments and Molecular Dynamics Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2024. [PMID: 38921627 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is pivotal as an innate immune receptor, playing a critical role in mediating neuropathic pain and drug addiction through its regulation of the neuroinflammatory response. The nonclassical (+)-opioid isomers represent a unique subset of TLR4 antagonists known for their effective blood-brain barrier permeability. Despite growing interest in the structure-activity relationship of these (+)-opioid-based TLR4 antagonists, the specific impact of heteroatoms on their TLR4 antagonistic activities has not been fully explored. This study investigated the influence of the hydroxyl group at C14 in six (+)-opioid TLR4 antagonists (1-6) using wet-lab experiments and in silico simulations. The corresponding C14-deoxy derivatives (7-12) were synthesized, and upon comparison with their corresponding counterparts (1-6), it was discovered that their TLR4 antagonistic activities were significantly diminished. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the (+)-opioid TLR4 antagonists (1-6) possessed more negative binding free energies to the TLR4 coreceptor MD2, which was responsible for ligand recognition. This was primarily attributed to the formation of a hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl group at the C-14 position of the antagonists (1-6) and the R90 residue of MD2 during the binding process. Such an interaction facilitated the entry and subsequent binding of these molecules within the MD2 cavity. In contrast, the C14-deoxy derivatives (7-12), lacking the hydroxyl group at the C-14 position, missed this crucial hydrogen bond interaction with the R90 residue of MD2, leading to their egression from the MD2 cavity during simulations. This study underscores the significant role of the C14 hydroxyl moiety in enhancing the effectiveness of (+)-opioid TLR4 antagonists, which provides insightful guidance for designing future (+)-isomer opioid-derived TLR4 antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwei Gao
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Cong Zhang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Hangyu Xu
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China
| | - Tianshu Zhang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Hongshuang Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China
| | - Yibo Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, Jilin, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, Anhui, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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Gao J, Lin C, Zhang C, Zhang X, Wang Y, Xu H, Zhang T, Li H, Wang H, Wang X. Exploring the Function of (+)-Naltrexone Precursors: Their Activity as TLR4 Antagonists and Potential in Treating Morphine Addiction. J Med Chem 2024; 67:3127-3143. [PMID: 38306598 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
Disruptions in the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway are linked to chronic inflammation, neuropathic pain, and drug addiction. (+)-Naltrexone, an opioid-derived TLR4 antagonist with a (+)-isomer configuration, does not interact with classical opioid receptors and has moderate blood-brain barrier permeability. Herein, we developed a concise 10-step synthesis for (+)-naltrexone and explored its precursors, (+)-14-hydroxycodeinone (1) and (+)-14-hydroxymorphinone (3). These precursors exhibited TLR4 antagonistic activities 100 times stronger than (+)-naltrexone, particularly inhibiting the TLR4-TRIF pathway. In vivo studies showed that these precursors effectively reduced behavioral effects of morphine, like sensitization and conditioned place preference by suppressing microglial activation and TNF-α expression in the medial prefrontal cortex and ventral tegmental area. Additionally, 3 displayed a longer half-life and higher oral bioavailability than 1. Overall, this research optimized (+)-naltrexone synthesis and identified its precursors as potent TLR4 antagonists, offering potential treatments for morphine addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwei Gao
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Cong Lin
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
| | - Cong Zhang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Xiaozheng Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Birth Defect and Cell Regeneration, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, China
| | - Yibo Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
| | - Hangyu Xu
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
| | - Tianshu Zhang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Haohong Li
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-Machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China
| | - Hongshuang Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China
- School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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