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Rehrauer KJ, Cunningham CW. IUPHAR Review - Bivalent and bifunctional opioid receptor ligands as novel analgesics. Pharmacol Res 2023; 197:106966. [PMID: 37865129 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Though efficacious in managing chronic, severe pain, opioid analgesics are accompanied by significant adverse effects including constipation, tolerance, dependence, and respiratory depression. The life-threatening risks associated with µ opioid receptor agonist-based analgesics challenges their use in clinic. A rational approach to combatting these adverse effects is to develop agents that incorporate activity at a second pharmacologic target in addition to µ opioid receptor activation. The promise of such bivalent or bifunctional ligands is the development of an analgesic with an improved side effect profile. In this review, we highlight ongoing efforts in the development of bivalent and bifunctional analgesics that combine µ agonism with efficacy at κ and δ opioid receptors, the nociceptin opioid peptide (NOP) receptor, σ receptors, and cannabinoid receptors. Several examples of bifunctional analgesics in preclinical and clinical development are highlighted, as are strategies being employed toward the rational design of novel agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J Rehrauer
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, WI 53092, USA
| | - Christopher W Cunningham
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, WI 53092, USA; CUW Center for Structure-Based Drug Discovery and Development, Concordia University Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon, WI 53092, USA.
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2
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Nelson TS, Santos DFS, Prasoon P, Gralinski M, Allen HN, Taylor BK. Endogenous μ-opioid-Neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor synergy silences chronic postoperative pain in mice. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgad261. [PMID: 37649580 PMCID: PMC10465188 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Tissue injury creates a delicate balance between latent pain sensitization (LS) and compensatory endogenous analgesia. Inhibitory G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) interactions that oppose LS, including μ-opioid receptor (MOR) or neuropeptide Y Y1 receptor (Y1R) activity, persist in the spinal cord dorsal horn (DH) for months, even after the resolution of normal pain thresholds. Here, we demonstrate that following recovery from surgical incision, a potent endogenous analgesic synergy between MOR and Y1R activity persists within DH interneurons to reduce the intensity and duration of latent postoperative hypersensitivity and ongoing pain. Failure of such endogenous GPCR signaling to maintain LS in remission may underlie the transition from acute to chronic pain states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler S Nelson
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Center for Neuroscience, Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, Pittsburgh Project to end Opioid Misuse, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Diogo F S Santos
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Center for Neuroscience, Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, Pittsburgh Project to end Opioid Misuse, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Pranav Prasoon
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Center for Neuroscience, Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, Pittsburgh Project to end Opioid Misuse, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Margaret Gralinski
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Center for Neuroscience, Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, Pittsburgh Project to end Opioid Misuse, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Heather N Allen
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Center for Neuroscience, Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, Pittsburgh Project to end Opioid Misuse, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Bradley K Taylor
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Center for Neuroscience, Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, Pittsburgh Project to end Opioid Misuse, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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3
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Varga B, Streicher JM, Majumdar S. Strategies towards safer opioid analgesics-A review of old and upcoming targets. Br J Pharmacol 2023; 180:975-993. [PMID: 34826881 PMCID: PMC9133275 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Opioids continue to be of use for the treatment of pain. Most clinically used analgesics target the μ opioid receptor whose activation results in adverse effects like respiratory depression, addiction and abuse liability. Various approaches have been used by the field to separate receptor-mediated analgesic actions from adverse effects. These include biased agonism, opioids targeting multiple receptors, allosteric modulators, heteromers and splice variants of the μ receptor. This review will focus on the current status of the field and some upcoming targets of interest that may lead to a safer next generation of analgesics. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Advances in Opioid Pharmacology at the Time of the Opioid Epidemic. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v180.7/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balazs Varga
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St Louis and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - John M. Streicher
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Susruta Majumdar
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St Louis and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
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Griffith JI, Kim M, Bruce DJ, Peterson CD, Kitto KF, Mohammad AS, Rathi S, Fairbanks CA, Wilcox GL, Elmquist WF. Central Nervous System Distribution of an Opioid Agonist Combination with Synergistic Activity. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2022; 380:34-46. [PMID: 34663676 PMCID: PMC8969136 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.121.000821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Novel combinations of specific opioid agonists like loperamide and oxymorphindole targeting the µ- and δ-opioid receptors, respectively, have shown increased potency with minimized opioid-associated risks. However, whether their interaction is pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic in nature has not been determined. This study quantitatively determined whether these drugs have a pharmacokinetic interaction that alters systemic disposition or central nervous system (CNS) distribution. We performed intravenous and oral in vivo pharmacokinetic assessments of both drugs after discrete dosing and administration in combination to determine whether the combination had any effect on systemic pharmacokinetic parameters or CNS exposure. Drugs were administered at 5 or 10 mg/kg i.v. or 30 mg/kg orally to institute for cancer research (ICR) mice and 5 mg/kg i.v. to Friend leukemia virus strain B mice of the following genotypes: wild-type, breast cancer resistance protein (Bcrp-/- ) (Bcrp knockout), Mdr1a/b-/- [P-glycoprotein (P-gp) knockout], and Bcrp-/- Mdr1a/b-/- (triple knockout). In the combination, clearance of oxymorphindole (OMI) was reduced by approximately half, and the plasma area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) increased. Consequently, brain and spinal cord AUCs for OMI in the combination also increased proportionately. Both loperamide and OMI are P-gp substrates, but administration of the two drugs in combination does not alter efflux transport at the CNS barriers. Because OMI alone shows appreciable brain penetration but little therapeutic efficacy on its own, and because loperamide's CNS distribution is unchanged in the combination, the mechanism of action for the increased potency of the combination is most likely pharmacodynamic and most likely occurs at receptors in the peripheral nervous system. This combination has favorable characteristics for future development. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Opioids have yet to be replaced as the most effective treatments for moderate-to-severe pain and chronic pain, but their side effects are dangerous. Combinations of opioids with peripheral activity, such as loperamide and oxymorphindole, would be valuable in that they are effective at much lower doses and have reduced risks for dangerous side effects because the µ-opioid receptor agonist is largely excluded from the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica I Griffith
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Minjee Kim
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Daniel J Bruce
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Cristina D Peterson
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Kelley F Kitto
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Afroz S Mohammad
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Sneha Rathi
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Carolyn A Fairbanks
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - George L Wilcox
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - William F Elmquist
- Brain Barriers Research Center (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmaceutics (J.I.G., M.K., A.S.M., S.R., C.A.F., W.F.E.), Department of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.), Department of Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., C.A.F., G.L.W.), and Department of Dermatology (G.L.W.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Elmquist Laboratory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Keresztes A, Olson K, Nguyen P, Lopez-Pier MA, Hecksel R, Barker NK, Liu Z, Hruby V, Konhilas J, Langlais PR, Streicher JM. Antagonism of the mu-delta opioid receptor heterodimer enhances opioid antinociception by activating Src and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II signaling. Pain 2022; 163:146-158. [PMID: 34252907 PMCID: PMC8688156 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT The opioid receptors are important regulators of pain, reward, and addiction. Limited evidence suggests the mu and delta opioid receptors form a heterodimer (MDOR), which may act as a negative feedback brake on opioid-induced analgesia. However, evidence for the MDOR in vivo is indirect and limited, and there are few selective tools available. We recently published the first MDOR-selective antagonist, D24M, allowing us to test the role of the MDOR in mice. We thus cotreated CD-1 mice with D24M and opioids in tail flick, paw incision, and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy pain models. D24M treatment enhanced oxymorphone antinociception in all models by 54.7% to 628%. This enhancement could not be replicated with the mu and delta selective antagonists CTAP, naltrindole, and naloxonazine, and D24M had a mild transient effect in the rotarod test, suggesting this increase is selective to the MDOR. However, D24M had no effect on morphine or buprenorphine, suggesting that only specific opioids interact with the MDOR. To find a mechanism, we performed phosphoproteomic analysis on brainstems of mice. We found that the kinases Src and CaMKII were repressed by oxymorphone, which was restored by D24M. We were able to confirm the role of Src and CaMKII in D24M-enhanced antinociception using small molecule inhibitors (KN93 and Src-I1). Together, these results provide direct in vivo evidence that the MDOR acts as an opioid negative feedback brake, which occurs through the repression of Src and CaMKII signal transduction. These results further suggest that MDOR antagonism could be a means to improve clinical opioid therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Attila Keresztes
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | - Keith Olson
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | - Paul Nguyen
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | | | - Ryan Hecksel
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | - Natalie K. Barker
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | - Zekun Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | - Victor Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | - John Konhilas
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | - Paul R. Langlais
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
| | - John M. Streicher
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA
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6
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He XJ, Patel J, Weiss CE, Ma X, Bloodgood BL, Banghart MR. Convergent, functionally independent signaling by mu and delta opioid receptors in hippocampal parvalbumin interneurons. eLife 2021; 10:69746. [PMID: 34787079 PMCID: PMC8716102 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional interactions between G protein-coupled receptors are poised to enhance neuronal sensitivity to neuromodulators and therapeutic drugs. Mu and Delta opioid receptors (MORs and DORs) can interact when overexpressed in the same cells, but whether co-expression of endogenous MORs and DORs in neurons leads to functional interactions is unclear. Here, in mice, we show that both MORs and DORs inhibit parvalbumin-expressing basket cells (PV-BCs) in hippocampal CA1 through partially occlusive signaling pathways that terminate on somato-dendritic potassium channels and presynaptic calcium channels. Using photoactivatable opioid neuropeptides, we find that DORs dominate the response to enkephalin in terms of both ligand-sensitivity and kinetics, which may be due to relatively low expression levels of MOR. Opioid-activated potassium channels do not show heterologous desensitization, indicating that MORs and DORs signal independently. In a direct test for heteromeric functional interactions, the DOR antagonist TIPP-Psi does not alter the kinetics or potency of either the potassium channel or synaptic responses to photorelease of the MOR agonist DAMGO. Thus, aside from largely redundant and convergent signaling, MORs and DORs do not functionally interact in PV-BCs in a way that impacts somato-dendritic potassium currents or synaptic transmission. These findings imply that crosstalk between MORs and DORs, either in the form of physical interactions or synergistic intracellular signaling, is not a preordained outcome of co-expression in neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Jenny He
- Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
| | - Janki Patel
- University of California San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Connor E Weiss
- University of California San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Xiang Ma
- University of California San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Brenda L Bloodgood
- Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, United States
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Antinociceptive synergism upon the joint use of methadone and Phα1β in a model of cancer-related pain in C57BL/6J mice. Life Sci 2021; 278:119582. [PMID: 33961856 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2021.119582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Opioids are the first-line treatment for cancer pain. Incomplete pain relief and the high rate of adverse effects of these compounds bring a need to combine them with other drugs acting on different targets. AIMS We here evaluate the antinociceptive interaction and adverse events of methadone combined with recombinant Phα1β, an analgesic toxin from Phoneutria nigriventer. MAIN METHODS Melanoma was produced by intraplantar inoculation of B16-F10 cells into the right paw. von Frey filaments measured the paw-withdrawal threshold after administration of methadone, Phα1β, and their combination. The degree of interaction was evaluated using isobolographic analysis. Spontaneous performance and forced motor performance were assessed with the open-field and rotarod tests, respectively. Intestinal function was evaluated by the distance traveled by charcoal and opioid tolerance was induced by daily morphine injections. KEY FINDINGS Co-administration of Phα1β with methadone synergistically reverses the melanoma-induced mechanical hypersensitivity. No motor alterations were observed but mild alterations on intestinal function after treatment with the combination that was also capable of restoring morphine analgesia in the tail-flick test after an opioid-induced tolerance. SIGNIFICANCE Combinatorial treatment with Phα1β and methadone produces synergistic analgesic potentiation with potential implications to pain treatment even under opioid tolerance conditions.
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Uhelski ML, Bruce D, Speltz R, Wilcox GL, Simone DA. Topical Application of Loperamide/Oxymorphindole, Mu and Delta Opioid Receptor Agonists, Reduces Sensitization of C-fiber Nociceptors that Possess Na V1.8. Neuroscience 2020; 446:102-112. [PMID: 32858141 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
It was recently shown that local injection, systemic administration or topical application of the peripherally-restricted mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist loperamide (Lo) and the delta-opioid receptor (DOR) agonist oxymorphindole (OMI) synergized to produce highly potent anti-hyperalgesia that was dependent on both MOR and DOR located in the periphery. We assessed peripheral mechanisms by which this Lo/OMI combination produces analgesia in mice expressing the light-sensitive protein channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2) in neurons that express NaV1.8 voltage-gated sodium channels. These mice (NaV1.8-ChR2+) enabled us to selectively target and record electrophysiological activity from these neurons (the majority of which are nociceptive) using blue light stimulation of the hind paw. We assessed the effect of Lo/OMI on nociceptor activity in both naïve mice and mice treated with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) to induce chronic inflammation of the hind paw. Teased fiber recording of tibial nerve fibers innervating the plantar hind paw revealed that the Lo/OMI combination reduced responses to light stimulation in naïve mice and attenuated spontaneous activity (SA) as well as responses to light and mechanical stimuli in CFA-treated mice. These results show that Lo/OMI reduces activity of C-fiber nociceptors that express NaV1.8 and corroborate recent behavioral studies demonstrating the potent analgesic effects of this drug combination. Because of its peripheral site of action, Lo/OMI might produce effective analgesia without the side effects associated with activation of opioid receptors in the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L Uhelski
- Department of Diagnostic & Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Daniel Bruce
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Rebecca Speltz
- Department of Diagnostic & Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - George L Wilcox
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Donald A Simone
- Department of Diagnostic & Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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9
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Tang B, Liu D, Chen L, Liu Y. NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor MCC950 attenuates primary dysmenorrhea in mice via the NF-κB/COX-2/PG pathway. JOURNAL OF INFLAMMATION-LONDON 2020; 17:22. [PMID: 32595419 PMCID: PMC7315492 DOI: 10.1186/s12950-020-00251-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) constitutes a common gynecological disease among young women. The NLRP3 inflammasome may be activated and expressed in PD, but the mechanistic link between NLRP3 inflammasome activation and PD is still unclear. Methods To investigate the potential role of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the pathogenesis of PD, 30 female Kunming mice without pregnancy were used for experiments. The PD mouse model was constructed by 11 days of successive co-treatment with estradiol and oxytocin. MCC950, a potent and specific small-molecule inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, was used to treat PD mice. The disease level was assessed by the writhing response and hot water tail-flick test. The levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2α) in the uterine tissues of mice were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of protein and cytokines, including NLRP3, cysteine aspartic acid-specific protease 1 (caspase-1), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65, phospho-NF-κB p65, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were revealed by western blot analysis. Results MCC950 greatly ameliorated the writhing response induced by the combination of oxytocin and estradiol, with an increasing length of tail-flick latency. MCC950 also significantly decreased the levels of PGF2α and PGE2, and the expressions of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18, phospho-NF-κB p65, NF-κB p65, and COX-2 in the uterus. Conclusions MCC950 markedly alleviated the pain and pathological damage in PD mice by inhibiting NLRP3 activation. The underlying mechanism may be related to hypoactive uterine inflammation via suppression of NLRP3 activation and the NF-κB/COX-2/PG pathway in uteruses of PD mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Tang
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, No.300 Xueshi Road, Changsa, China.,Hanpu Science & Education District, Hunan province, Changsha, 410208 China
| | - Dan Liu
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, No.300 Xueshi Road, Changsa, China
| | - Lingyu Chen
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, No.300 Xueshi Road, Changsa, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Physiology, Medical School, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, No.300 Xueshi Road, Changsa, China
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10
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Tiwari V, He SQ, Huang Q, Liang L, Yang F, Chen Z, Tiwari V, Fujita W, Devi LA, Dong X, Guan Y, Raja SN. Activation of µ-δ opioid receptor heteromers inhibits neuropathic pain behavior in rodents. Pain 2020; 161:842-855. [PMID: 31815916 PMCID: PMC7085422 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Several reports support the idea that µ- and δ-opioid receptors (ORs) may exist as heterodimers in brain regions involved in pain signaling. The unique pharmacology of these heteromers may present a novel analgesic target. However, the role of µ-δ heteromers in sensory neurons involved in pain and opioid analgesia remains unclear, particularly during neuropathic pain. We examined the effects of spinal nerve injury on µ-δ heteromer expression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and the effects of a µ-δ heteromer-targeting agonist, CYM51010, on neuropathic pain behavior in rats and mice. An L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) in rats significantly decreased µ-δ heteromer expression in L5 DRG but increased heteromer levels in uninjured L4 DRG. Importantly, in SNL rats, subcutaneous injection of CYM51010 inhibited mechanical hypersensitivity in a dose-related manner (EC50: 1.09 mg/kg) and also reversed heat hyperalgesia and attenuated ongoing pain (2 mg/kg, subcutaneously). HEK-293T cell surface-labeled with µ- and δ-ORs internalized both receptors after exposure to CYM51010. By contrast, in cells transfected with µ-OR alone, CYM51010 was significantly less effective at inducing receptor internalization. Electrophysiologic studies showed that CYM51010 inhibited the C-component and windup phenomenon in spinal wide dynamic range neurons of SNL rats. The pain inhibitory effects of CYM51010 persisted in morphine-tolerant rats but was markedly attenuated in µ-OR knockout mice. Our studies show that spinal nerve injury may increase µ-δ heterodimerization in uninjured DRG neurons, and that µ-δ heteromers may be a potential therapeutic target for relieving neuropathic pain, even under conditions of morphine tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinod Tiwari
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Shao-Qiu He
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Qian Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Lingli Liang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Fei Yang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Zhiyong Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Vineeta Tiwari
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Wakako Fujita
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Lakshmi A. Devi
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Xinzhong Dong
- The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Center for Sensory Biology, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Yun Guan
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Srinivasa N. Raja
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
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11
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Bruce DJ, Peterson CD, Kitto KF, Akgün E, Lazzaroni S, Portoghese PS, Fairbanks CA, Wilcox GL. Combination of a δ-opioid Receptor Agonist and Loperamide Produces Peripherally-mediated Analgesic Synergy in Mice. Anesthesiology 2020; 131:649-663. [PMID: 31343460 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000002840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The long-term use of opioids for analgesia carries significant risk for tolerance, addiction, and diversion. These adverse effects are largely mediated by μ-opioid receptors in the central nervous system. Based on the authors' previous observation that morphine and δ-opioid receptor agonists synergize in spinal cord in a protein kinase Cε-dependent manner, they predicted that this μ-opioid receptor-δ-opioid receptor synergy would take place in the central terminals of nociceptive afferent fibers and generalize to their peripheral terminals. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that loperamide, a highly efficacious μ-opioid receptor agonist that is excluded from the central nervous system, and oxymorphindole, a δ-opioid receptor agonist that was shown to synergize with morphine spinally, would synergistically reverse complete Freund's adjuvant-induced hyperalgesia. METHODS Using the Hargreaves assay for thermal nociception, the von Frey assay for mechanical nociception and the complete Freund's adjuvant-induced model of inflammatory pain, we tested the antinociceptive and antihyperalgesic effect of loperamide, oxymorphindole, or the loperamide-oxymorphindole combination. Animals (Institute for Cancer Research [ICR] CD1 strain mice; n = 511) received drug by systemic injection, intraplantar injection to the injured paw, or a transdermal solution on the injured paw. Dose-response curves for each route of administration and each nociceptive test were generated, and analgesic synergy was assessed by isobolographic analysis. RESULTS In naïve animals, the loperamide-oxymorphindole combination ED50 value was 10 times lower than the theoretical additive ED50 value whether given systemically or locally. In inflamed animals, the combination was 150 times more potent systemically, and 84 times more potent locally. All combinations showed statistically significant synergy when compared to the theoretical additive values, as verified by isobolographic analysis. The antihyperalgesia was ablated by a peripherally-restricted opioid antagonist. CONCLUSIONS From these data we conclude that the loperamide-oxymorphindole combination synergistically reverses complete Freund's adjuvant-induced inflammatory hyperalgesia. The authors also conclude that this interaction is mediated by opioid receptors located in the peripheral nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Bruce
- From the Departments of Pharmacology (D.J.B., C.A.F., G.L.W.) Neuroscience (C.D.P., K.F.K., S.L., C.A.F., G.L.W.) Pharmaceutics (C.A.F.) Dermatology (G.L.W.) Medicinal Chemistry (E.A., P.S.P.), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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12
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Olson KM, Keresztes A, Tashiro JK, Daconta LV, Hruby VJ, Streicher JM. Synthesis and Evaluation of a Novel Bivalent Selective Antagonist for the Mu-Delta Opioid Receptor Heterodimer that Reduces Morphine Withdrawal in Mice. J Med Chem 2018; 61:6075-6086. [PMID: 29939746 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A major limitation in the study of the mu-delta opioid receptor heterodimer (MDOR) is that few selective pharmacological tools exist and no heteromer-selective antagonists. We thus designed a series of variable-length (15-41 atoms) bivalent linked peptides with selective but moderate/low-affinity pharmacophores for the mu and delta opioid receptors. We observed a U-shaped MDOR potency/affinity profile in vitro, with the 24-atom spacer length (D24M) producing the highest MDOR potency/affinity (<1 nM) and selectivity (≥89-fold). We further evaluated D24M in mice and observed that D24M dose-dependently antagonized tail flick antinociception produced by the MDOR agonists CYM51010 and Deltorphin-II, without antagonizing the monomer agonists DAMGO and DSLET. We also observed that D24M sharply reduced withdrawal behavior in models of acute and chronic morphine dependence. These findings suggest that D24M is a first-in-class high-potency MDOR-selective antagonist both in vitro and in vivo.
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13
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Wang D, Tawfik VL, Corder G, Low SA, François A, Basbaum AI, Scherrer G. Functional Divergence of Delta and Mu Opioid Receptor Organization in CNS Pain Circuits. Neuron 2018; 98:90-108.e5. [PMID: 29576387 PMCID: PMC5896237 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cellular interactions between delta and mu opioid receptors (DORs and MORs), including heteromerization, are thought to regulate opioid analgesia. However, the identity of the nociceptive neurons in which such interactions could occur in vivo remains elusive. Here we show that DOR-MOR co-expression is limited to small populations of excitatory interneurons and projection neurons in the spinal cord dorsal horn and unexpectedly predominates in ventral horn motor circuits. Similarly, DOR-MOR co-expression is rare in parabrachial, amygdalar, and cortical brain regions processing nociceptive information. We further demonstrate that in the discrete DOR-MOR co-expressing nociceptive neurons, the two receptors internalize and function independently. Finally, conditional knockout experiments revealed that DORs selectively regulate mechanical pain by controlling the excitability of somatostatin-positive dorsal horn interneurons. Collectively, our results illuminate the functional organization of DORs and MORs in CNS pain circuits and reappraise the importance of DOR-MOR cellular interactions for developing novel opioid analgesics.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Anterior Horn Cells/chemistry
- Anterior Horn Cells/metabolism
- Anterior Horn Cells/pathology
- Central Nervous System/chemistry
- Central Nervous System/metabolism
- Central Nervous System/pathology
- Male
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Nerve Net/chemistry
- Nerve Net/metabolism
- Nerve Net/pathology
- Pain/metabolism
- Pain/pathology
- Pain Measurement/methods
- Posterior Horn Cells/chemistry
- Posterior Horn Cells/metabolism
- Posterior Horn Cells/pathology
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/genetics
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Vivianne L Tawfik
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Gregory Corder
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Sarah A Low
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Amaury François
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Allan I Basbaum
- Department of Anatomy, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Grégory Scherrer
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; Stanford Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; New York Stem Cell Foundation - Robertson Investigator, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
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14
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Nie B, Zhang S, Huang Z, Huang J, Chen X, Zheng Y, Bai X, Zeng W, Ouyang H. Synergistic Interaction Between Dexmedetomidine and Ulinastatin Against Vincristine-Induced Neuropathic Pain in Rats. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2017; 18:1354-1364. [PMID: 28690001 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2017.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrotubulin chemotherapeutic agents such as vincristine (VCR), often induce peripheral neuropathic pain. It is usually permanent and seriously harmful to cancer patients' quality of life and can result in the hampering of clinical treatments. Currently, there is no definitive therapy, and many of the drugs approved for the treatment of other neuropathic pain have shown little or no analgesic effect. It is therefore vital to find new and novel therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from chemotherapeutic agent-induced neuropathic pain to improve patients' quality of life. This study shows that intrathecal injections of dexmedetomidine (DEX), or intraperitoneally administered ulinastatin (UTI) significantly reduces Sprague Dawley rats' mechanical allodynia induced by VCR via upregulation of interleukin-10 expression and activating the α2-adrenergic receptor in dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Moreover, when combined there is a synergistic interaction between DEX and UTI, which acts against VCR-induced neuropathic pain. This synergistic interaction between DEX and UTI may be partly attributed to a common analgesic pathway in which the upregulation of interleukin -10 plays an important role via activating α2-adrenergic receptor in rat dorsal root ganglion. The combined use of DEX and UTI does not affect the rat's blood pressure, heart rate, sedation, motor score, spatial learning, or memory function. All of these show that the combined use of DEX and UTI is an effective method in relieving VCR-induced neuropathic pain in rats. PERSPECTIVE This article documents the synergistic interaction between 2 widely used drugs, DEX and UTI, against VCR-induced neuropathic pain. The results provide a potential target and novel drug administrated method for the clinical treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilin Nie
- Department of Anesthesiology, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, China; Department of Anesthesiology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Subo Zhang
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhuxi Huang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingxiu Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaodi Chen
- Department of Anesthesiology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yaochao Zheng
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaohui Bai
- Department of Anesthesiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weian Zeng
- Department of Anesthesiology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Handong Ouyang
- Department of Anesthesiology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
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15
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Abstract
This paper is the thirty-eighth consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2015 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, drug abuse and alcohol, 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, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
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16
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Alongkronrusmee D, Chiang T, van Rijn RM. Involvement of delta opioid receptors in alcohol withdrawal-induced mechanical allodynia in male C57BL/6 mice. Drug Alcohol Depend 2016; 167:190-8. [PMID: 27567436 PMCID: PMC5325684 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2016.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As a legal drug, alcohol is commonly abused and it is estimated that 17 million adults in the United States suffer from alcohol use disorder. Heavy alcoholics can experience withdrawal symptoms including anxiety and mechanical allodynia that can facilitate relapse. The molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not well understood, which stifles development of new therapeutics. Here we investigate whether delta opioid receptors (DORs) play an active role in alcohol withdrawal-induced mechanical allodynia (AWiMA) and if DOR agonists may provide analgesic relief from AWiMA. METHODS To study AWiMA, adult male wild-type and DOR knockout C57BL/6 mice were exposed to alcohol by a voluntary drinking model or oral gavage exposure model, which we developed and validated here. We also used the DOR-selective agonist TAN-67 and antagonist naltrindole to examine the involvement of DORs in AWiMA, which was measured using a von Frey model of mechanical allodynia. RESULTS We created a robust model of alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety and mechanical allodynia by orally gavaging mice with 3g/kg alcohol for three weeks. AWiMA was exacerbated and prolonged in DOR knockout mice as well as by pharmacological blockade of DORs compared to control mice. However, analgesia induced by TAN-67 was attenuated during withdrawal in alcohol-gavaged mice. CONCLUSIONS DORs appear to play a protective role in the establishment of AWiMA. Our current results indicate that DORs could be targeted to prevent or reduce the development of AWiMA during alcohol use; however, DORs may be a less suitable target to treat AWiMA during active withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doungkamol Alongkronrusmee
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
| | - Terrance Chiang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
| | - Richard M. van Rijn
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907,Corresponding author: Richard M. van Rijn;
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17
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Vicente-Sanchez A, Segura L, Pradhan AA. The delta opioid receptor tool box. Neuroscience 2016; 338:145-159. [PMID: 27349452 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Revised: 05/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the delta opioid receptor has attracted increasing interest as a target for the treatment of chronic pain and emotional disorders. Due to their therapeutic potential, numerous tools have been developed to study the delta opioid receptor from both a molecular and a functional perspective. This review summarizes the most commonly available tools, with an emphasis on their use and limitations. Here, we describe (1) the cell-based assays used to study the delta opioid receptor. (2) The features of several delta opioid receptor ligands, including peptide and non-peptide drugs. (3) The existing approaches to detect delta opioid receptors in fixed tissue, and debates that surround these techniques. (4) Behavioral assays used to study the in vivo effects of delta opioid receptor agonists; including locomotor stimulation and convulsions that are induced by some ligands, but not others. (5) The characterization of genetically modified mice used specifically to study the delta opioid receptor. Overall, this review aims to provide a guideline for the use of these tools with the final goal of increasing our understanding of delta opioid receptor physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Segura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States
| | - Amynah A Pradhan
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, United States.
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18
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Chabot-Doré AJ, Schuster DJ, Stone LS, Wilcox GL. Analgesic synergy between opioid and α2 -adrenoceptors. Br J Pharmacol 2014; 172:388-402. [PMID: 24641506 DOI: 10.1111/bph.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2013] [Revised: 03/08/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Opioid and α2 -adrenoceptor agonists are potent analgesic drugs and their analgesic effects can synergize when co-administered. These supra-additive interactions are potentially beneficial clinically; by increasing efficacy and/or reducing the total drug required to produce sufficient pain relief, undesired side effects can be minimized. However, combination therapies of opioids and α2 -adrenoceptor agonists remain underutilized clinically, in spite of a large body of preclinical evidence describing their synergistic interaction. One possible obstacle to the translation of preclinical findings to clinical applications is a lack of understanding of the mechanisms underlying the synergistic interactions between these two drug classes. In this review, we provide a detailed overview of the interactions between different opioid and α2 -adrenoceptor agonist combinations in preclinical studies. These studies have identified the spinal cord as an important site of action of synergistic interactions, provided insights into which receptors mediate these interactions and explored downstream signalling events enabling synergy. It is now well documented that the activation of both μ and δ opioid receptors can produce synergy with α2 -adrenoceptor agonists and that α2 -adrenoceptor agonists can mediate synergy through either the α2A or the α2C adrenoceptor subtypes. Current hypotheses surrounding the cellular mechanisms mediating opioid-adrenoceptor synergy, including PKC signalling and receptor oligomerization, and the evidence supporting them are presented. Finally, the implications of these findings for clinical applications and drug discovery are discussed. LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on Opioids: New Pathways to Functional Selectivity. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2015.172.issue-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- A-J Chabot-Doré
- Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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