1
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Fisher ML, Prantzalos ER, O'Donovan B, Anderson TL, Sahoo PK, Twiss JL, Ortinski PI, Turner JR. Dynamic effects of ventral hippocampal NRG3/ERBB4 signaling on nicotine withdrawal-induced responses. Neuropharmacology 2024; 247:109846. [PMID: 38211698 PMCID: PMC10923109 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Tobacco smoking remains a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with approximately a 5% success rate for smokers attempting to quit. High relapse rates have been linked to several genetic factors, indicating that the mechanistic relationship between genes and drugs of abuse is a valuable avenue for the development of novel smoking cessation therapies. For example, various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene for neuregulin 3 (NRG3) and its cognate receptor, the receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-4 (ERBB4), have been linked to nicotine addiction. Our lab has previously shown that ERBB4 plays a role in anxiety-like behavior during nicotine withdrawal (WD); however, the neuronal mechanisms and circuit-specific effects of NRG3-ERBB4 signaling during nicotine and WD are unknown. The present study utilizes genetic, biochemical, and functional approaches to examine the anxiety-related behavioral and functional role of NRG3-ERBB4 signaling, specifically in the ventral hippocampus (VH) of male and female mice. We report that 24hWD from nicotine is associated with altered synaptic expression of VH NRG3 and ERBB4, and genetic disruption of VH ErbB4 leads to an elimination of anxiety-like behaviors induced during 24hWD. Moreover, we observed attenuation of GABAergic transmission as well as alterations in Ca2+-dependent network activity in the ventral CA1 area of VH ErbB4 knock-down mice during 24hWD. Our findings further highlight contributions of the NRG3-ERBB4 signaling pathway to anxiety-related behaviors seen during nicotine WD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda L Fisher
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Emily R Prantzalos
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Bernadette O'Donovan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Tanner L Anderson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Pabitra K Sahoo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina College of Arts and Sciences, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Jeffery L Twiss
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina College of Arts and Sciences, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Pavel I Ortinski
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Jill R Turner
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, KY, USA.
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2
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Elder TR, Turner JR. Nicotine use disorder and Neuregulin 3: Opportunities for precision medicine. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2024; 99:387-404. [PMID: 38467488 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2023.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Nicotine use disorder remains a major public health emergency despite years of trumpeting the consequences of smoking. This is likely due to the complex interplay of genetics and nicotine exposure across the lifespan of these individuals. Genetics influence all aspects of life, including complex disorders such as nicotine use disorder. This review first highlights the critical neurocircuitry underlying nicotine dependence and withdrawal, and then describes the cellular signaling mechanisms involved. Finally, current genetic, genomic, and transcriptomic evidence for new drug development of smoking cessation aids is discussed, with a focus on the Neuregulin 3 Signaling Pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor R Elder
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, KY, United States
| | - Jill R Turner
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, KY, United States.
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3
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Terry AV, Jones K, Bertrand D. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Pharmacol Res 2023; 191:106764. [PMID: 37044234 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that are widely distributed both pre- and post-synaptically in the mammalian brain. By modulating cation flux across cell membranes, neuronal nAChRs regulate neuronal excitability and the release of a variety of neurotransmitters to influence multiple physiologic and behavioral processes including synaptic plasticity, motor function, attention, learning and memory. Abnormalities of neuronal nAChRs have been implicated in the pathophysiology of neurologic disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and Tourette´s syndrome, as well as psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. The potential role of nAChRs in a particular illness may be indicated by alterations in the expression of nAChRs in relevant brain regions, genetic variability in the genes encoding for nAChR subunit proteins, and/or clinical or preclinical observations where specific ligands showed a therapeutic effect. Over the past 25 years, extensive preclinical and some early clinical evidence suggested that ligands at nAChRs might have therapeutic potential for neurologic and psychiatric disorders. However, to date the only approved indications for nAChR ligands are smoking cessation and the treatment of dry eye disease. It has been argued that progress in nAChR drug discovery has been limited by translational gaps between the preclinical models and the human disease as well as unresolved questions regarding the pharmacological goal (i.e., agonism, antagonism or receptor desensitization) depending on the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin V Terry
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, 30912.
| | - Keri Jones
- Educational Innovation Institute, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, 30912
| | - Daniel Bertrand
- HiQScreen Sàrl, 6, rte de Compois, 1222 Vésenaz, Geneva, Switzerland
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4
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Mineur YS, Soares AR, Etherington IM, Abdulla ZI, Picciotto MR. Pathophysiology of nAChRs: limbic circuits and related disorders. Pharmacol Res 2023; 191:106745. [PMID: 37011774 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Human epidemiological studies have identified links between nicotine intake and stress disorders, including anxiety, depression and PTSD. Here we review the clinical evidence for activation and desensitization of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) relevant to affective disorders. We go on to describe clinical and preclinical pharmacological studies suggesting that nAChR function may be involved in the etiology of anxiety and depressive disorders, may be relevant targets for medication development, and may contribute to the antidepressant efficacy of non-nicotinic therapeutics. We then review what is known about nAChR function in a subset of limbic system areas (amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex), and how this contributes to stress-relevant behaviors in preclinical models that may be relevant to human affective disorders. Taken together, the preclinical and clinical literature point to a clear role for ACh signaling through nAChRs in regulation of behavioral responses to stress. Disruption of nAChR homeostasis is likely to contribute to the psychopathology observed in anxiety and depressive disorders. Targeting specific nAChRs may therefore be a strategy for medication development to treat these disorders or to augment the efficacy of current therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alexa R Soares
- Department of Psychiatry, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT 06508, USA
| | - Ian M Etherington
- Department of Psychiatry, USA; Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University School of Medicine, 34 Park Street, 3rd Floor Research, New Haven, CT 06508, USA
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5
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Fisher ML, Prantzalos ER, O'Donovan B, Anderson T, Sahoo PK, Twiss JL, Ortinski PI, Turner JR. Dynamic Effects of Ventral Hippocampal NRG3/ERBB4 Signaling on Nicotine Withdrawal-Induced Responses. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.17.524432. [PMID: 36711798 PMCID: PMC9882308 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.17.524432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Tobacco smoking remains a leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with a less than 5% success rate for smokers attempting to quit. High relapse rates have been linked to several genetic factors, indicating that the mechanistic relationship between genes and drugs of abuse is a valuable avenue for the development of novel smoking cessation therapies. For example, various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene for neuregulin 3 (NRG3) and its cognate receptor, the receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-4 (ERBB4), have been linked to nicotine addiction. Our lab has previously shown that ERBB4 plays a role in anxiety-like behavior during nicotine withdrawal (WD); however, the neuronal mechanisms and circuit-specific effects of NRG3-ERBB4 signaling during nicotine and WD are unknown. The present study utilizes genetic, biochemical, and functional approaches to examine the anxiety-related behavioral and functional role of NRG3-ERBB4 signaling, specifically in the ventral hippocampus (VH). We report that 24hWD from nicotine is associated with altered synaptic expression of VH NRG3 and ERBB4, and genetic disruption of VH ErbB4 leads to an elimination of anxiety-like behaviors induced during 24hWD. Moreover, we observed attenuation of GABAergic transmission as well as alterations in Ca2+-dependent network activity in the ventral CA1 area of VH ErbB4 knock-down mice during 24hWD. Our findings further highlight contributions of the NRG3-ERBB4 signaling pathway to anxiety-related behaviors seen during nicotine WD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda L Fisher
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Emily R Prantzalos
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Bernadette O'Donovan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tanner Anderson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Pabitra K Sahoo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina College of Arts and Sciences, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Jeffery L Twiss
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina College of Arts and Sciences, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Pavel I Ortinski
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Jill R Turner
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
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6
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Neurobiology and Mechanisms of Nicotine Addiction. Respir Med 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-24914-3_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
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7
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Keady J, Fisher M, Anderson E, LeMalenfant R, Turner J. Age-specific impacts of nicotine and withdrawal on hippocampal neuregulin signalling. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:4705-4719. [PMID: 35899607 PMCID: PMC9710301 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with 87% of smokers starting before the age of 18. Age of initiation is a major predictive factor for smoking frequency and successful smoking cessation. People who initiate smoking during adolescences are 2.33 times more likely to become heavy smokers and half as likely to quit compared with smokers who started during adulthood. Additionally, schizophrenia, a disease state linked to altered neurodevelopment during adolescence, is a major predictive factor for smoking status. Smoking rates among people suffering from schizophrenia are between 60% and 90%. Interestingly, the Neuregulin Signalling Pathway (NSP), which plays an important role in neurodevelopment, is implicated in both schizophrenia and nicotine use disorder. Specifically, SNPS in neuregulin 3 (Nrg3) and Erb-B2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 4 (ErbB4) have been associated with smoking cessation outcomes and schizophrenia. Here, we examine the effects of chronic nicotine (18 mg/kg/day) and 24-h withdrawal on NSP gene expression in the hippocampus of adult (20-week-old) and adolescent (4-week-old) mice. We show that withdrawal from chronic nicotine decreased the expression of Erbb4 mRNA in the hippocampus of the adult mice but increased the expression of cytosolic Erbb4 protein in adolescent mice. Nrg3 mRNA and protein expression was not altered by chronic nicotine or withdrawal in the adult or adolescent cohorts, but Nrg3 mRNA and synaptosomal protein expression was lower in the adult withdrawal group when compared with their adolescent counterparts. These results highlight the age-specific effects of nicotine withdrawal on the NSP and may contribute to the lower quit rate and higher cigarette consumption of smokers who initiation during adolescences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack Keady
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, Kentucky 40536–0596, USA
| | - Miranda Fisher
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, Kentucky 40536–0596, USA
| | - Erin Anderson
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Rachel LeMalenfant
- Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Jill Turner
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, Kentucky 40536–0596, USA
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8
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Featherstone RE, Gifford RL, Crown LM, Amirfathi F, Alaniz JP, Yi J, Tran A, Adomian D, Schwenk A, Melnychenko O, Duval C, Parekh K, Lee DJ, Siegel SJ. Early life social instability stress causes lasting cognitive decrement and elevated hippocampal stress-related gene expression. Exp Neurol 2022; 354:114099. [PMID: 35490720 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early life stress may have profound effects on brain health, yielding both short- and long-term cognitive or psychiatric impairment. Early life Social Instability Stress (SIS) in rodents has been used to model the effects of early chronic human stress. While many studies have assessed acute and short-term responses to this stressor, less attention has been paid to the lasting effects of early life stress in rodents. METHODS The current study utilized SIS in young mice to assess the impact of early life adversity over the lifespan. Mice were assessed in adulthood between the ages of 18 to 66 weeks for changes in behaviors associated with anxiety, affect, sociability, aggression, motivation, and recognition memory. Additionally, mice were assessed for changes in glucocorticoid level and hippocampal mRNA expression in a subset of genes that display alterations in humans following exposure to stress (CRHR1, CRHR2, FKBP5, SLC6A4). RESULTS Mice exposed to early SIS showed disrupted memory and increased hippocampal expression of FKBP5, CRHR2 and SLC6A4 mRNA compared to non-stressed mice. Importantly, there was a significant association between increased FKBP5 and CRHR2 with reduced recognition memory. Additionally, mice exposed to SIS showed increased responding on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement, indicating that reduction in memory performance was not mediated by decreased effort. CONCLUSIONS Ecologically-relevant social stress in mice causes long-term decrements in recognition memory, possibly mediated by persistent changes in moderators of the stress cascade. Additionally, animals exposed to early life stress showed increased motivation for reward, which may contribute to a host of hedonic seeking behaviors throughout life. These data suggest that SIS can be used to evaluate therapeutic interventions to attenuate or reverse lasting effects of early life adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Featherstone
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Raymond L Gifford
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Lindsey M Crown
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Felix Amirfathi
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Jon P Alaniz
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Janice Yi
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - AiVi Tran
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Derrick Adomian
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Andrew Schwenk
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Olya Melnychenko
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Christina Duval
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Krishna Parekh
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Darrin J Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America; Department of Neurosurgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1200 North State St., Suite 3300, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America
| | - Steven J Siegel
- Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States of America.
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9
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Touchette JC, Moen JK, Robinson JM, Lee AM. Enhancement of alcohol aversion by the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor drug sazetidine-A. Addict Biol 2021; 26:e12908. [PMID: 32329567 DOI: 10.1111/adb.12908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) has steadily increased in the United States over the last 30 years. Alcohol acts on multiple receptor systems including the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), which are known to mediate alcohol consumption and reward. We previously reported that the preclinical drug sazetidine-A, a nAChR agonist and desensitizer, reduces alcohol consumption without affecting nicotine consumption in C57BL/6J mice. Here, we found that sazetidine-A enhances the expression of alcohol aversion without affecting the expression or acquisition of conditioned alcohol reward in C57BL/6J mice. Microinjection of sazetidine-A into the ventral midbrain targeting the ventral tegmental area (VTA) reduced binge alcohol consumption, implicating this region in mediating the effects of sazetidine-A. Furthermore, the sazetidine-A-induced reduction in alcohol consumption was mediated by non-α4 containing nAChRs, as sazetidine-A reduced binge alcohol consumption in both α4 knock-out and wild-type mice. Finally, we found that in mice pretreated with sazetidine-A, alcohol induced Fos transcript in Th-, but not Gad2-expressing neurons in the VTA as measured by increased Fos transcript expression. In summary, we find that sazetidine-A enhances the expression of alcohol aversion, which may underlie the reduction in alcohol consumption induced by sazetidine-A. Elucidating the identity of non-α4 nAChRs in alcohol aversion mechanisms will provide a better understanding the complex role of nAChRs in alcohol addiction and potentially reveal novel drug targets to treat AUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Janna K. Moen
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - Jenna M. Robinson
- Department of Pharmacology University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - Anna M. Lee
- Department of Pharmacology University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
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10
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Ponzoni L, Braida D, Carboni L, Moretti M, Viani P, Clementi F, Zoli M, Gotti C, Sala M. Persistent cognitive and affective alterations at late withdrawal stages after long-term intermittent exposure to tobacco smoke or electronic cigarette vapour: Behavioural changes and their neurochemical correlates. Pharmacol Res 2020; 158:104941. [PMID: 32450347 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104941] [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: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Smoking cessation induces a withdrawal syndrome associated with anxiety, depression, and impaired neurocognitive functions, but much less is known about the withdrawal of e-cigarettes (e-CIG). We investigated in Balb/c mice the behavioural and neurochemical effects of withdrawal for up to 90 days after seven weeks' intermittent exposure to e-CIG vapour or cigarette smoke (CIG). The withdrawal of e-CIG and CIG induced early behavioural alterations such as spatial memory deficits (spatial object recognition task), increased anxiety (elevated plus maze test) and compulsive-like behaviour (marble burying test) that persisted for 60-90 days. Notably, attention-related (virtual object recognition task) and depression-like behaviours (tail suspension and sucrose preference tests) appeared only 15-30 days after withdrawal and persisted for as long as up to 90 days. At hippocampal level, the withdrawal-induced changes in the levels of AMPA receptor GluA1 and GluA2/3 subunits, PSD 95 protein, corticotropin-releasing factor (Crf) and Crf receptor 1 (CrfR1) mRNA were biphasic: AMPA receptor subunit and PSD95 protein levels initially remained unchanged and decreased after 60-90 days, whereas Crf/CrfR1 mRNA levels initially increased and then markedly decreased after 60 days. These late reductions correlated with the behavioural impairments, particularly the appearance of depression-like behaviours. Our findings show that major behavioural and neurochemical alterations persist or even first appear late after the withdrawal of chronic CIG smoke or e-CIG vapour exposure, and underline importance of conducting similar studies of humans, including e-CIG vapers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Ponzoni
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Fondazione Zardi-Gori, Milan, Italy; Dept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniela Braida
- Dept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Carboni
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Milena Moretti
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Dept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Viani
- Dept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Clementi
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Dept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Zoli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, Center for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (CfNN), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Cecilia Gotti
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Dept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Mariaelvina Sala
- CNR, Institute of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy; Dept. of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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11
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Laikowski MM, Reisdorfer F, Moura S. NAChR α4β2 Subtype and their Relation with Nicotine Addiction, Cognition, Depression and Hyperactivity Disorder. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:3792-3811. [PMID: 29637850 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666180410105135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuronal α4β2 nAChRs are receptors involved in the role of neurotransmitters regulation and release, and this ionic channel participates in biological process of memory, learning and attention. This work aims to review the structure and functioning of the α4β2 nAChR emphasizing its role in the treatment of associated diseases like nicotine addiction and underlying pathologies such as cognition, depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. METHODS The authors realized extensive bibliographic research using the descriptors "Nicotine Receptor α4β2" and "cognition", "depression", "attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder", besides cross-references of the selected articles and after analysis of references in the specific literature. RESULTS As results, it was that found 179 relevant articles presenting the main molecules with affinity to nAChR α4β2 related to the cited diseases. The α4β2 nAChR subtype is a remarkable therapeutic target since this is the most abundant receptor in the central nervous system. CONCLUSION In summary, this review presents perspectives on the pharmacology and therapeutic targeting of α4β2 nAChRs for the treatment of cognition and diseases like nicotine dependence, depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela M Laikowski
- Laboratory of Natural and Synthetics Products, University of Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
| | - Fávero Reisdorfer
- Laboratory of Drug Development and Quality Control, University Federal of Pampa, Brazil
| | - Sidnei Moura
- Laboratory of Natural and Synthetics Products, University of Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Brazil
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12
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Rezvani AH, Wells C, Slade S, Xiao Y, Kellar KJ, Levin ED. Oral sazetidine-A, a selective α4β2* nicotinic receptor desensitizing agent, reduces nicotine self-administration in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2019; 179:109-112. [PMID: 30794849 PMCID: PMC6570822 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2019.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Sazetidine-A selectively desensitizes α4β2 nicotinic receptors and also has partial agonist effects. We have shown that subcutaneous acute and repeated injections as well as chronic infusions of sazetidine-A significantly reduce intravenous (IV) nicotine self-administration in rats. To further investigate the promise of sazetidine-A as a smoking cessation aid, it is important to determine sazetidine-A effects with oral administration and the time-effect function for its action on nicotine self-administration. Young adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer IV nicotine at the benchmark dose of 0.03 mg/kg/infusion dose in an operant FR1 schedule in 45-min sessions. After five sessions of training, they were tested for the effects of acute oral doses of sazetidine-A (0, 0.3, 1 and 3 mg/kg) given 30 min before testing. To determine the time-effect function, these rats were administered 0 or 3 mg/kg of sazetidine-A 1, 2, 4 or 23 h before the onset of testing. Our previous study showed that with subcutaneous injections, only 3 mg/kg of sazetidine-A significantly reduced nicotine self-administration, however, with oral administration of sazetidine-A lower dose of 1 mg/kg was also effective in reducing nicotine intake. A similar effect was seen in the time-effect study with 3 mg/kg of oral sazetidine-A causing a significant reduction in nicotine self-administration across all the time points of 1, 2, 4 or 23 h after oral administration. These results advance the development of sazetidine-A as a possible aid for smoking cessation by showing effectiveness with oral administration and persistence of the effect over the course of a day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir H Rezvani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, USA
| | - Corinne Wells
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, USA
| | - Susan Slade
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, USA
| | - Yingxian Xiao
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Kenneth J Kellar
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, USA
| | - Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, USA.
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13
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Zaccarelli-Magalhães J, Sandini TM, de Abreu GR, Petrocelli BM, Moreira N, Reis-Silva TM, Lebrun I, Flório JC, Ricci EL, Fukushima AR, Faria Waziry PA, de Souza Spinosa H. Prolonged exposure of rats to varenicline increases anxiety and alters serotonergic system, but has no effect on memory. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2019; 181:1-8. [PMID: 30946884 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Varenicline is a drug used for smoking addiction cessation treatment and acts as a partial agonist of nicotinic cholinergic receptors. Recent clinical trial data support use of varenicline for treatment of conditions/addictions that are not related to smoking cessation. Considering the importance of this issue and the need for new studies on its effects, especially on behavior, more studies using animal models are necessary. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of prolonged exposure to varenicline in anxiety-like behavior and memory, as well as in cerebral neurochemistry of rats. Male rats received three different doses of varenicline: 0.03 (therapeutic dose for humans), 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg orally (gavage) for 30 days. Animal behavior was analyzed through open field, elevated plus maze, light/dark box, social interaction, Barnes maze and novel object recognition tests. Neurotransmitter levels and their metabolites in different brain structures (hippocampus, striatum and frontal cortex) were measured. Results showed that prolonged exposure of rats to varenicline: 1) did not interfere in motor activity, but caused an anxiogenic effect on elevated plus maze, light/dark box and social interaction testes; 2) did not alter memory; and 3) promoted alterations on serotoninergic system in the striatum and frontal cortex. In conclusion, compilation of the data indicates that prolonged exposure of rats to varenicline promoted anxiogenic effects and alteration in serotonergic system, which corroborated behavioral findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Zaccarelli-Magalhães
- Graduate Program of Experimental and Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Thaisa Meira Sandini
- Graduate Program of Toxicology and Toxicological Analysis, School of Pharmaceutical Science, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Lineu Prestes, 580, 05508-000 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Gabriel Ramos de Abreu
- Graduate Program of Experimental and Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, Brazil; Health Science Institute, Presbiterian Mackenzie University, Rua da Consolação, 930, 01302-907 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bianca Maria Petrocelli
- Health Science Institute, Presbiterian Mackenzie University, Rua da Consolação, 930, 01302-907 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Natalia Moreira
- Graduate Program of Experimental and Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Thiago Moirinho Reis-Silva
- Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Melo de Morais, 1721, 05508-030 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Ivo Lebrun
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute, 05503-900 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Jorge Camilo Flório
- Graduate Program of Experimental and Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Esther Lopes Ricci
- Health Science Institute, Presbiterian Mackenzie University, Rua da Consolação, 930, 01302-907 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - André Rinaldi Fukushima
- Graduate Program of Experimental and Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, Brazil; São Bento's College, Largo de São Bento s/no, 01029-010 São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Paula A Faria Waziry
- Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, 3200 S. University Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33328, United States of America.
| | - Helenice de Souza Spinosa
- Graduate Program of Experimental and Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva, 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, Brazil.
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14
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Terry AV, Callahan PM. Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Ligands, Cognitive Function, and Preclinical Approaches to Drug Discovery. Nicotine Tob Res 2019; 21:383-394. [PMID: 30137518 PMCID: PMC6379039 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/nty166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Interest in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) ligands as potential therapeutic agents for cognitive disorders began more than 30 years ago when it was first demonstrated that the tobacco alkaloid nicotine could improve cognitive function in nicotine-deprived smokers as well as nonsmokers. Numerous animal and human studies now indicate that nicotine and a variety of nAChR ligands have the potential to improve multiple domains of cognition including attention, spatial learning, working memory, recognition memory, and executive function. The purpose of this review is to (1) discuss several pharmacologic strategies that have been developed to enhance nAChR activity (eg, agonist, partial agonist, and positive allosteric modulator) and improve cognitive function, (2) provide a brief overview of some of the more common rodent behavioral tasks with established translational validity that have been used to evaluate nAChR ligands for effects on cognitive function, and (3) briefly discuss some of the topics of debate regarding the development of optimal therapeutic strategies using nAChR ligands. Because of their densities in the mammalian brain and the amount of literature available, the review primarily focuses on ligands of the high-affinity α4β2* nAChR ("*" indicates the possible presence of additional subunits in the complex) and the low-affinity α7 nAChR. The behavioral task discussion focuses on representative methods that have been designed to model specific domains of cognition that are relevant to human neuropsychiatric disorders and often evaluated in human clinical trials. IMPLICATIONS The preclinical literature continues to grow in support of the development of nAChR ligands for a variety of illnesses that affect humans. However, to date, no new nAChR ligand has been approved for any condition other than nicotine dependence. As discussed in this review, the studies conducted to date provide the impetus for continuing efforts to develop new nAChR strategies (ie, beyond simple agonist and partial agonist approaches) as well as to refine current behavioral strategies and create new animal models to address translational gaps in the drug discovery process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvin V Terry
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA
- Small Animal Behavior Core Laboratory, Augusta University, Augusta, GA
| | - Patrick M Callahan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA
- Small Animal Behavior Core Laboratory, Augusta University, Augusta, GA
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15
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Levin ED, Rezvani AH, Wells C, Slade S, Yenugonda VM, Liu Y, Brown ML, Xiao Y, Kellar KJ. α4β2 Nicotinic receptor desensitizing compounds can decrease self-administration of cocaine and methamphetamine in rats. Eur J Pharmacol 2019; 845:1-7. [PMID: 30529197 PMCID: PMC6353686 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2018.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Sazetidine-A [6-(5(((S)-azetidine-2-yl)methoxy)pyridine-3-yl)hex-5-yn-1-ol] is a selective α4β2 nicotinic receptor desensitizing agent and partial agonist. Sazetidine-A has been shown in our previous studies to significantly reduce nicotine and alcohol self-administration in rats. The question arises whether sazetidine-A would reduce self-administration of other addictive drugs as well. Nicotinic receptors on the dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area play an important role in controlling the activity of these neurons and release of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, which is critical mechanism for reinforcing value of drugs of abuse. Previously, we showed that the nonspecific nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine significantly reduces cocaine self-administration in rats. In this study, we acutely administered systemically sazetidine-A and two other selective α4β2 nicotinic receptor-desensitizing agents, VMY-2-95 and YL-2-203, to young adult female Sprague-Dawley rats and determined their effects on IV self-administration of cocaine and methamphetamine. Cocaine self-administration was significantly reduced by 0.3 mg/kg of sazetidine-A. In another set of rats, sazetidine-A (3 mg/kg) significantly reduced methamphetamine self-administration. VMY-2-95 significantly reduced both cocaine and methamphetamine self-administration with threshold effective doses of 3 and 0.3 mg/kg, respectively. In contrast, YL-2-203 did not significantly reduce cocaine self-administration at the same dose range and actually significantly increased cocaine self-administration at the 1 mg/kg dose. YL-2-203 (3 mg/kg) did significantly decrease methamphetamine self-administration. Sazetidine-A and VMY-2-95 are promising candidates to develop as new treatments to help addicts successfully overcome a variety of addictions including tobacco, alcohol as well as the stimulant drugs cocaine and methamphetamine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
| | - Amir H Rezvani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Corinne Wells
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Susan Slade
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Venkata M Yenugonda
- Department of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics, John Wayne Cancer Institute, 2200 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA
| | - Yong Liu
- Drug Discovery Program and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington DC 20057, USA
| | - Milton L Brown
- Drug Discovery Program and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington DC 20057, USA
| | - Yingxian Xiao
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington DC 20057, USA
| | - Kenneth J Kellar
- Drug Discovery Program and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington DC 20057, USA
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16
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Differential effects of α4β2 nicotinic receptor antagonists and partial-agonists on contextual fear extinction in male C57BL/6 mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2018; 235:1211-1219. [PMID: 29383396 PMCID: PMC5871575 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4837-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Numerous studies have attributed the psychopathology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to maladaptive behavioral responses such as an inability to extinguish fear. While exposure therapies are mostly effective in treating these disorders by enhancing extinction learning, relapse of PTSD symptoms is common. Although several studies indicated a role for cholinergic transmission and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in anxiety and stress disorder symptomatology, very little is known about the specific contribution of nAChRs to fear extinction OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we examined the effects of inhibition and desensitization of α4β2 nAChRs via a full antagonist (Dihydro-beta-erythroidine (DhβE)) and two α4β2 nAChR partial-agonists (varenicline and sazetidine-A) on contextual fear extinction, locomotor activity, and spontaneous recovery of contextual fear in mice. METHODS We trained and tested the subjects in a contextual fear extinction as well as an open field paradigm and spontaneous recovery following injections of DhβE, varenicline, and sazetidine-A. RESULTS Our results demonstrated that lower doses of DhβE (1 mg/kg) and sazetidine-A (0.01 mg/kg) enhanced contextual fear extinction whereas higher doses of varenicline (0.1 mg/kg) and sazetidine-A (0.1 mg/kg) resulted in impaired contextual fear extinction. However, the higher dose of sazetidine-A (0.1 mg/kg) decreased locomotor activity, which may contribute to increased freezing response observed during fear extinction. Finally, we found that the low dose of DhβE, but not sazetidine-A, also decreased spontaneous recovery of contextual fear following fear extinction. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these results suggest that inhibition and desensitization of α4β2 nAChRs enhance extinction of contextual fear memories. This suggests that modulation of α4β2 nAChRs may be employed as an alternative pharmacological strategy to aid exposure therapies associated with PTSD by augmenting contextual fear extinction processes.
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17
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Arvaniti M, Polli FS, Kohlmeier KA, Thomsen MS, Andreasen JT. Loss of Lypd6 leads to reduced anxiety-like behaviour and enhanced responses to nicotine. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 82:86-94. [PMID: 29195920 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 11/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine consumption through smoking affects anxious states in humans. However, the precise role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) circuitry in the regulation of anxiety remains elusive. The Lynx protein Lypd6 is highly enriched in synaptic loci and has been previously identified as an endogenous inhibitor of neuronal nAChR function in vitro. Here, we investigate the effect of Lypd6 in anxiety-related behaviour and examine the molecular underpinnings of its function in the brain. We employ the marble burying (MB) and elevated zero maze (EZM) tests in Lypd6 knock-out (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice and find that loss of Lypd6 leads to decreased digging behaviour in the MB test and increased time spent in the open area in the EZM test. Moreover, we demonstrate that acute nicotine administration reduces digging in the MB test in both KO and WT mice and further accentuates the inherent genotype difference. Using in vitro electrophysiology in dorsal raphe nuclei (DRN) neurons from Lypd6 KO mice, we show that nicotine-evoked whole-cell currents are enhanced in the absence of Lypd6. Collectively, these data are the first to indicate the involvement of Lypd6 in circuits associated with anxiety and suggest that a possible underlying neurobiological mechanism is the modulation of cholinergic responses in the DRN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Arvaniti
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Filip S Polli
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristi A Kohlmeier
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten S Thomsen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; H. Lundbeck A/S, Department of Synaptic Transmission In Vitro, Valby, Denmark
| | - Jesper T Andreasen
- Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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18
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D’Souza GX, Waldvogel HJ. Targeting the Cholinergic System to Develop a Novel Therapy for Huntington's Disease. J Huntingtons Dis 2017; 5:333-342. [PMID: 27983560 PMCID: PMC5181681 DOI: 10.3233/jhd-160200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we outline the role of the cholinergic system in Huntington’s disease, and briefly describe the dysfunction of cholinergic transmission, cholinergic neurons, cholinergic receptors and cholinergic survival factors observed in post-mortem human brains and animal models of Huntington’s disease. We postulate how the dysfunctional cholinergic system can be targeted to develop novel therapies for Huntington’s disease, and discuss the beneficial effects of cholinergic therapies in pre-clinical and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Henry J. Waldvogel
- Correspondence to: Associate Professor Henry J. Waldvogel, Centre for Brain Research and Department of Anatomy and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. Tel.: +64 9 923 6051; E-mail:
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19
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Wall TR, Henderson BJ, Voren G, Wageman CR, Deshpande P, Cohen BN, Grady SR, Marks MJ, Yohannes D, Kenny PJ, Bencherif M, Lester HA. TC299423, a Novel Agonist for Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:641. [PMID: 29033834 PMCID: PMC5626944 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
(E)-5-(Pyrimidin-5-yl)-1,2,3,4,7,8-hexahydroazocine (TC299423) is a novel agonist for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). We examined its efficacy, affinity, and potency for α6β2∗ (α6β2-containing), α4β2∗, and α3β4∗ nAChRs, using [125I]-epibatidine binding, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, synaptosomal 86Rb+ efflux, [3H]-dopamine release, and [3H]-acetylcholine release. TC299423 displayed an EC50 of 30–60 nM for α6β2∗ nAChRs in patch-clamp recordings and [3H]-dopamine release assays. Its potency for α6β2∗ in these assays was 2.5-fold greater than that for α4β2∗, and much greater than that for α3β4∗-mediated [3H]-acetylcholine release. We observed no major off-target binding on 70 diverse molecular targets. TC299423 was bioavailable after intraperitoneal or oral administration. Locomotor assays, measured with gain-of-function, mutant α6 (α6L9′S) nAChR mice, show that TC299423 elicits α6β2∗ nAChR-mediated responses at low doses. Conditioned place preference assays show that low-dose TC299423 also produces significant reward in α6L9′S mice, and modest reward in WT mice, through a mechanism that probably involves α6(non-α4)β2∗ nAChRs. However, TC299423 did not suppress nicotine self-administration in rats, indicating that it did not block nicotine reinforcement in the dosage range that was tested. In a hot-plate test, TC299423 evoked antinociceptive responses in mice similar to those of nicotine. TC299423 and nicotine similarly inhibited mouse marble burying as a measure of anxiolytic effects. Taken together, our data suggest that TC299423 will be a useful small-molecule agonist for future in vitro and in vivo studies of nAChR function and physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teagan R Wall
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Brandon J Henderson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States
| | - George Voren
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Charles R Wageman
- Institute of Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Purnima Deshpande
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Bruce N Cohen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Sharon R Grady
- Institute of Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Michael J Marks
- Institute of Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | | | - Paul J Kenny
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Henry A Lester
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
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20
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DeDominicis KE, Sahibzada N, Olson TT, Xiao Y, Wolfe BB, Kellar KJ, Yasuda RP. The ( α4) 3( β2) 2 Stoichiometry of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Predominates in the Rat Motor Cortex. Mol Pharmacol 2017; 92:327-337. [PMID: 28698187 DOI: 10.1124/mol.116.106880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is important in central nervous system physiology and in mediating several of the pharmacological effects of nicotine on cognition, attention, and affective states. It is also the likely receptor that mediates nicotine addiction. This receptor assembles in two distinct stoichiometries: (α4)2(β2)3 and (α4)3(β2)2, which are referred to as high-sensitivity (HS) and low-sensitivity (LS) nAChRs, respectively, based on a difference in the potency of acetylcholine to activate them. The physiologic and pharmacological differences between these two receptor subtypes have been described in heterologous expression systems. However, the presence of each stoichiometry in native tissue currently remains unknown. In this study, different ratios of rat α4 and β2 subunit cDNA were transfected into human embryonic kidney 293 cells to create a novel model system of HS and LS α4β2 nAChRs expressed in a mammalian cell line. The HS and LS nAChRs were characterized through pharmacological and biochemical methods. Isolation of surface proteins revealed higher amounts of α4 or β2 subunits in the LS or HS nAChR populations, respectively. In addition, sazetidine-A displayed different efficacies in activating these two receptor stoichiometries. Using this model system, a neurophysiological "two-concentration" acetylcholine or carbachol paradigm was developed and validated to determine α4/β2 subunit stoichiometry. This paradigm was then used in layers I-IV of slices of the rat motor cortex to determine the percent contribution of HS and LS α4β2 receptors in this brain region. We report that the majority of α4β2 nAChRs in this brain region possess a stoichiometry of the (α4)3(β2)2 LS subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E DeDominicis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Niaz Sahibzada
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Thao T Olson
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Yingxian Xiao
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Barry B Wolfe
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Kenneth J Kellar
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Robert P Yasuda
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
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21
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Distinct Roles of CREB Within the Ventral and Dorsal Hippocampus in Mediating Nicotine Withdrawal Phenotypes. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:1599-1609. [PMID: 27848935 PMCID: PMC5518892 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Revised: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Addiction to nicotine and the inability to quit smoking are influenced by genetic factors, emphasizing the importance of understanding how genes and drugs of abuse mechanistically impact each other. One well-characterized protein responsible for regulating both response to drugs and gene expression is the transcription factor CREB (cAMP-responsive element binding protein). Previous work indicates that hippocampal-specific alterations in CREB signaling and synaptic plasticity may underlie certain nicotine withdrawal phenotypes. However, the structure of the hippocampus possesses dorsal and ventral subregions, each differing in behavioral, anatomic and gene expression characteristics. This study examines the effects of CREB deletion specifically in the ventral or dorsal hippocampus of animals chronically treated with saline, nicotine, or undergoing 24 h withdrawal. After region-specific viral injections of AAV-GFP or AAV-CRE in CREBloxP/loxP animals, behavioral testing measured anxiety levels, using the Novelty-Induced Hypophagia test, and cognition, using a contextual fear conditioning paradigm. Deletion of CREB in the ventral, but not dorsal, hippocampus resulted in amelioration of nicotine withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior in the Novelty-Induced Hypophagia test. In contrast, CREB deletion in the dorsal hippocampus resulted in learning and memory deficits in fear conditioning, whereas CREB deletion in the ventral hippocampus showed an enhancement in learning. Gene expression analysis showed differential treatment- and region-dependent alterations of several CREB target genes that are well-known markers of neuroplasticity within the hippocampus. Collectively, these data provide persuasive evidence towards the distinct roles of CREB within the dorsal and ventral hippocampus separately in mediating select nicotine withdrawal phenotypes.
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22
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The X-Linked Intellectual Disability Protein IL1RAPL1 Regulates Dendrite Complexity. J Neurosci 2017; 37:6606-6627. [PMID: 28576939 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3775-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations and deletions of the interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein like 1 (IL1RAPL1) gene, located on the X chromosome, are associated with intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). IL1RAPL1 protein is located at the postsynaptic compartment of excitatory synapses and plays a role in synapse formation and stabilization. Here, using primary neuronal cultures and Il1rapl1-KO mice, we characterized the role of IL1RAPL1 in regulating dendrite morphology. In Il1rapl1-KO mice we identified an increased number of dendrite branching points in CA1 and CA2 hippocampal neurons associated to hippocampal cognitive impairment. Similarly, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons from a patient carrying a null mutation of the IL1RAPL1 gene had more dendrites. In hippocampal neurons, the overexpression of full-length IL1RAPL1 and mutants lacking part of C-terminal domains leads to simplified neuronal arborization. This effect is abolished when we overexpressed mutants lacking part of N-terminal domains, indicating that the IL1RAPL1 extracellular domain is required for regulating dendrite development. We also demonstrate that PTPδ interaction is not required for this activity, while IL1RAPL1 mediates the activity of IL-1β on dendrite morphology. Our data reveal a novel specific function for IL1RAPL1 in regulating dendrite morphology that can help clarify how changes in IL1RAPL1-regulated pathways can lead to cognitive disorders in humans.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Abnormalities in the architecture of dendrites have been observed in a variety of neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Here we show that the X-linked intellectual disability protein interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein like 1 (IL1RAPL1) regulates dendrite morphology of mice hippocampal neurons and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons from a patient carrying a null mutation of IL1RAPL1 gene. We also found that the extracellular domain of IL1RAPL1 is required for this effect, independently of the interaction with PTPδ, but IL1RAPL1 mediates the activity of IL-1β on dendrite morphology. Our data reveal a novel specific function for IL1RAPL1 in regulating dendrite morphology that can help clarify how changes in IL1RAPL1-regulated pathways can lead to cognitive disorders in humans.
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McGregor AL, D'Souza G, Kim D, Tingle MD. Varenicline improves motor and cognitive deficits and decreases depressive-like behaviour in late-stage YAC128 mice. Neuropharmacology 2017; 116:233-246. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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McCloskey MC, Young TJ, Anderson SM. Research Article: The influence of acetylcholinesterase on anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in fluoxetine-treated male mice. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1893/bios-d-15-00013.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tyler J. Young
- Department of Biology, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA 15650
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Dezfuli G, Kellar KJ, Dretchen KL, Tizabi Y, Sahibzada N, Gillis RA. Evidence for the role of β2* nAChR desensitization in regulating body weight in obese mice. Neuropharmacology 2016; 110:165-174. [PMID: 27444741 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Revised: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine's effect on food intake and body weight has been well documented; however, the relevant receptors underlying these effects have not been firmly established. The purpose of the present study was to: (1) identify the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype involved in food intake and body weight; (2) establish whether food intake and body weight reduction produced by nicotinic drugs are due to activation or desensitization of nAChRs; and, (3) assess the role of the melanocortin system in nicotinic drug effects on food intake and body weight. To identify the nAChR, we tested the effect of sazetidine-A (SAZ-A), a relatively selective ligand of β2-containing nAChRs, on food intake and body weight in obese mice. SAZ-A (3 mg/kg; SC) administered twice-daily significantly decreased food intake and body weight. To assess whether these effects involved desensitization, SAZ-A was administered to non-obese mice via osmotic pump, which, due to its slow sustained drug delivery method, causes prolonged desensitization. SAZ-A via osmotic pump delivery significantly decreased the gain in body weight and reduced food intake. In contrast, body weight was unaffected by SAZ-A in β2(-/-) mice or in mice lacking the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R). These results indicate that β2 containing nAChRs are essential to SAZ-A's inhibitory effect on body weight and food intake and engage the melanocortin system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghazaul Dezfuli
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Kenneth J Kellar
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Kenneth L Dretchen
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Yousef Tizabi
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Niaz Sahibzada
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., USA.
| | - Richard A Gillis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C., USA.
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Talele TT. The "Cyclopropyl Fragment" is a Versatile Player that Frequently Appears in Preclinical/Clinical Drug Molecules. J Med Chem 2016; 59:8712-8756. [PMID: 27299736 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 554] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Recently, there has been an increasing use of the cyclopropyl ring in drug development to transition drug candidates from the preclinical to clinical stage. Important features of the cyclopropane ring are, the (1) coplanarity of the three carbon atoms, (2) relatively shorter (1.51 Å) C-C bonds, (3) enhanced π-character of C-C bonds, and (4) C-H bonds are shorter and stronger than those in alkanes. The present review will focus on the contributions that a cyclopropyl ring makes to the properties of drugs containing it. Consequently, the cyclopropyl ring addresses multiple roadblocks that can occur during drug discovery such as (a) enhancing potency, (b) reducing off-target effects,
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanaji T Talele
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John's University , 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, New York 11439, United States
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27
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Fosnocht AQ, Briand LA. Substance use modulates stress reactivity: Behavioral and physiological outcomes. Physiol Behav 2016; 166:32-42. [PMID: 26907955 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2015] [Revised: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Drug addiction is a major public health concern in the United States costing taxpayers billions in health care costs, lost productivity and law enforcement. However, the availability of effective treatment options remains limited. The development of novel therapeutics will not be possible without a better understanding of the addicted brain. Studies in both clinical and preclinical models indicate that chronic drug use leads to alterations in the body and brain's response to stress. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may shed light on the ability of stress to increase vulnerability to relapse. Further, within both the HPA axis and limbic brain regions, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is critically involved in the brain's response to stress. Alterations in both central and peripheral CRF activity seen following chronic drug use provide a mechanism by which substance use can alter stress reactivity, thus mediating addictive phenotypes. While many reviews have focused on how stress alters drug-mediated changes in physiology and behavior, the goal of this review is to focus on how substance use alters responses to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa A Briand
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, United States.
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Stewart AM, Grossman L, Collier AD, Echevarria DJ, Kalueff AV. Anxiogenic-like effects of chronic nicotine exposure in zebrafish. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2015; 139 Pt B:112-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2015.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Ponzoni L, Moretti M, Sala M, Fasoli F, Mucchietto V, Lucini V, Cannazza G, Gallesi G, Castellana CN, Clementi F, Zoli M, Gotti C, Braida D. Different physiological and behavioural effects of e-cigarette vapour and cigarette smoke in mice. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 25:1775-86. [PMID: 26141510 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2015.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Revised: 05/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Nicotine is the primary addictive substance in tobacco smoke and electronic cigarette (e-cig) vapour. Methodological limitations have made it difficult to compare the role of the nicotine and non-nicotine constituents of tobacco smoke. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of traditional cigarette smoke and e-cig vapour containing the same amount of nicotine in male BALB/c mice exposed to the smoke of 21 cigarettes or e-cig vapour containing 16.8 mg of nicotine delivered by means of a mechanical ventilator for three 30-min sessions/day for seven weeks. One hour after the last session, half of the animals were sacrificed for neurochemical analysis, and the others underwent mecamylamine-precipitated or spontaneous withdrawal for the purposes of behavioural analysis. Chronic intermittent non-contingent, second-hand exposure to cigarette smoke or e-cig vapour led to similar brain cotinine and nicotine levels, similar urine cotinine levels and the similar up-regulation of α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in different brain areas, but had different effects on body weight, food intake, and the signs of mecamylamine-precipitated and spontaneous withdrawal episodic memory and emotional responses. The findings of this study demonstrate for the first time that e-cig vapour induces addiction-related neurochemical, physiological and behavioural alterations. The fact that inhaled cigarette smoke and e-cig vapour have partially different dependence-related effects indicates that compounds other than nicotine contribute to tobacco dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ponzoni
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - M Moretti
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Neuroscienze, Milan, Italy
| | - M Sala
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Neuroscienze, Milan, Italy
| | - F Fasoli
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Neuroscienze, Milan, Italy
| | - V Mucchietto
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Neuroscienze, Milan, Italy
| | - V Lucini
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - G Cannazza
- Dipartimenti di Scienze della Vita, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - G Gallesi
- Scienze Biomediche, Metaboliche e Neuroscienze, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - C N Castellana
- Dipartimento di Medicina di Laboratorio e Anatomia Patologica, A.O.U. Policlinico, Modena, Italy
| | - F Clementi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Neuroscienze, Milan, Italy
| | - M Zoli
- Medicina Diagnostica, Clinica e Sanità Pubblica, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - C Gotti
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Neuroscienze, Milan, Italy.
| | - D Braida
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e Medicina Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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Kutlu MG, Parikh V, Gould TJ. Nicotine Addiction and Psychiatric Disorders. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 124:171-208. [PMID: 26472530 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Even though smoking rates have long been on the decline, nicotine addiction still affects 20% of the US population today. Moreover, nicotine dependence shows high comorbidity with many mental illnesses including, but are not limited to, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, and depression. The reason for the high rates of smoking in patients with mental illnesses may relate to attempts to self-medicate with nicotine. While nicotine may alleviate the symptoms of mental disorders, nicotine abstinence has been shown to worsen the symptoms of these disorders. In this chapter, we review the studies from animal and human research examining the bidirectional relationship between nicotine and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, and depression as well as studies examining the roles of specific subunits of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the interaction between nicotine and these mental illnesses. The results of these studies suggest that activation, desensitization, and upregulation of nAChRs modulate the effects of nicotine on mental illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vinay Parikh
- Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Forcelli PA, Turner JR, Lee BG, Olson TT, Xie T, Xiao Y, Blendy JA, Kellar KJ. Anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of the methadone metabolite 2-ethyl-5-methyl-3,3-diphenyl-1-pyrroline (EMDP). Neuropharmacology 2015; 101:46-56. [PMID: 26365569 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Revised: 08/03/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The enhancement of GABAergic and monoaminergic neurotransmission has been the mainstay of pharmacotherapy and the focus of drug-discovery for anxiety and depressive disorders for several decades. However, the significant limitations of drugs used for these disorders underscores the need for novel therapeutic targets. Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) may represent one such target. For example, mecamylamine, a non-competitive antagonist of nAChRs, displays positive effects in preclinical tests for anxiolytic and antidepressant activity in rodents. In addition, nicotine elicits similar effects in rodent models, possibly by receptor desensitization. Previous studies (Xiao et al., 2001) have identified two metabolites of methadone, EMDP (2-ethyl-5-methyl-3,3-diphenyl-1-pyrroline) and EDDP (2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine), which are considered to be inactive at opiate receptors, as relatively potent noncompetitive channel blockers of rat α3β4 nAChRs. Here, we show that these compounds are likewise highly effective blockers of human α3β4 and α4β2 nAChRs. Moreover, we show that they display relatively low affinity for opiate binding sites labeled by [(3)H]-naloxone. We then evaluated these compounds in rats and mice in preclinical behavioral models predictive of potential anxiolytic and antidepressant efficacy. We found that EMDP, but not EDDP, displayed robust effects predictive of anxiolytic and antidepressant efficacy without significant effects on locomotor activity. Moreover, EMDP at behaviorally active doses, unlike mecamylamine, did not produce eyelid ptosis, suggesting it may produce fewer autonomic side effects than mecamylamine. Thus, the methadone metabolite EMDP may represent a novel therapeutic avenue for the treatment of some affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick A Forcelli
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Jill R Turner
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Bridgin G Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Thao T Olson
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Teresa Xie
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Yingxian Xiao
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
| | - Julie A Blendy
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Kenneth J Kellar
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC
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Featherstone RE, Siegel SJ. The Role of Nicotine in Schizophrenia. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2015; 124:23-78. [PMID: 26472525 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2015.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia is associated with by severe disruptions in thought, cognition, emotion, and behavior. Patients show a marked increase in rates of smoking and nicotine dependence relative to nonaffected individuals, a finding commonly ascribed to the potential ameliorative effects of nicotine on symptom severity and cognitive impairment. Indeed, many studies have demonstrated improvement in patients following the administration of nicotine. Such findings have led to an increased emphasis on the development of therapeutic agents to target the nicotinic system as well as increasing the impetus to understand the genetic basis for nicotinic dysfunction in schizophrenia. The goal of this review article is to provide a critical summary of evidence for the role of the nicotinic system in schizophrenia. The first part will review the role of nicotine in normalization of primary dysfunctions and endophenotypical changes found in schizophrenia. The second part will provide a summary of genetic evidence linking polymorphisms in nicotinic receptor genes to smoking and schizophrenia. The third part will summarize attempts to treat schizophrenia using agents specifically targeting nicotinic and nicotinic receptor subtypes. Although currently available antipsychotic treatments are generally able to manage some aspects of schizophrenia (e.g., positive symptoms) they fail to address several other critically effected aspects of the disease. As such, the search for novel mechanisms to treat this disease is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Featherstone
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
| | - Steven J Siegel
- Translational Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Nicotinic ligands as multifunctional agents for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Biochem Pharmacol 2015; 97:388-398. [PMID: 26231940 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2015.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The challenges associated with developing more effective treatments for neurologic and psychiatric illness such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia are considerable. Both the symptoms and the pathophysiology of these conditions are complex and poorly understood and the clinical presentations across different patients can be very heterogeneous. Moreover, it has become apparent that the reductionist approach to drug discovery for these illnesses that has dominated the field for decades (i.e., the development of highly selective compounds or other treatment modalities focused on a very specific pathophysiologic target) has not been widely successful. Accordingly, a variety of new strategies have emerged including the development of "multitarget-directed ligands" (MTDLs), the development and/or identification of compounds that exhibit "multifunctional" activity (e.g., pro-cognitive plus neuroprotective, pro-cognitive plus antipsychotic activity), "repurposing" strategies for existing compounds that have other clinical indications, and novel "adjunctive" treatment strategies that might enhance the efficacy of the currently available treatments. Interestingly, a variety of ligands at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) appear to have the potential to fulfill one or more of these desirable properties (i.e., multifunctional, repurposing, or adjunctive treatment potential). The purpose of this review (while not all-inclusive) is to provide an overview of a variety of nAChR ligands that demonstrate potential in these categories, particularly, "multifunctional" properties. Due to their densities in the mammalian brain and the amount of literature available, the review will focus on ligands of the high affinity α4β2 nAChR and the low affinity α7 nAChR.
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Marks MJ, O'Neill HC, Wynalda-Camozzi KM, Ortiz NC, Simmons EE, Short CA, Butt CM, McIntosh JM, Grady SR. Chronic treatment with varenicline changes expression of four nAChR binding sites in mice. Neuropharmacology 2015; 99:142-55. [PMID: 26192545 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Chronic treatment with nicotine is known to increase the α4β2-nAChR sites in brain, to decrease α6β2-nAChR sites and to have minimal effect on α3β4-and α7-nAChR populations. Varenicline is now used as a smoking cessation treatment, with and without continued smoking or nicotine replacement therapy. Varenicline, like nicotine, upregulates the α4β2-nAChR sites; however, it is not known whether varenicline treatment changes expression of the other nAChR subtypes. METHODS Using a mouse model, chronic treatments (10 days) with varenicline (0.12 mg/kg/h) and/or nicotine (1 mg/kg/hr), alone or in combination, were compared for plasma and brain levels of drugs, tolerance to subsequent acute nicotine and expression of four subtypes of nAChR using autoradiography. RESULTS The upregulation of α4β2-nAChR sites elicited by chronic varenicline was very similar to that elicited by chronic nicotine. Treatment with both drugs somewhat increased up-regulation, indicating that these doses were not quite at maximum effect. Similar down-regulation was seen for α6β2-nAChR sites. Varenicline significantly increased both α3β4-and α7-nAChR sites while nicotine had less effect on these sites. The drug combination was similar to varenicline alone for α3β4-nAChR sites, while for α7 sites the drug combination was less effective than varenicline alone. Varenicline had small but significant effects on tolerance to acute nicotine. CONCLUSIONS Effects of varenicline in vivo may not be limited to the α4β2*-nAChR subtype. In addition, smoking cessation treatment with varenicline may not allow receptor numbers to be restored to baseline and may, in addition, change expression of other receptor subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Marks
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA; Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Heidi C O'Neill
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | | | - Nick C Ortiz
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Emily E Simmons
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Caitlin A Short
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | | | - J Michael McIntosh
- Departments of Biology and Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - Sharon R Grady
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
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Cole RD, Poole RL, Guzman DM, Gould TJ, Parikh V. Contributions of β2 subunit-containing nAChRs to chronic nicotine-induced alterations in cognitive flexibility in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015; 232:1207-17. [PMID: 25281224 PMCID: PMC4361240 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3754-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 09/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Deficits in executive functions underlie compulsive drug use, and understanding how nicotine influences these cognitive processes may provide important information on neurobiological substrates of nicotine addiction. Accumulating evidence suggests that β2 subunit-containing nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) are involved in the reinforcing process of nicotine addiction. Whether these nAChRs also contributes to the detrimental effects of chronic nicotine on flexible decision-making is not known. OBJECTIVES In the present study, the effects of chronic nicotine were assessed in mice with partial or complete deletion of the β2 subunit-containing nAChR gene (β2+/- or β2-/-) performing an operant cognitive flexibility task. RESULTS Visual discrimination learning was not affected in saline-treated β2 nAChR mutants as compared to the wild-type (β2+/+) mice; yet, chronic nicotine facilitated acquisition of visual discrimination in all genotypes. The acquisition of new egocentric response strategy set-shifting remained similar in all genotypes, and there was no effect of treatment. Chronic nicotine treatment impaired reversal learning in β2+/+ mice by increasing response perseveration to the previously rewarded stimulus. Moreover, the acquisition of inverted stimulus-reward contingencies did not differ between β2+/+ and β2-/- mice exposed to chronic nicotine. Interestingly, nicotine-induced reversal learning deficits were not observed in β2+/- mice. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, these findings suggest that β2 subunit-containing nAChRs are not critical for visual discrimination learning and extra dimensional rule shift. However, sustained activation of these nAChRs with nicotine may interfere with inhibitory control processes influencing affective shifts in stimulus-reward contingencies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Vinay Parikh
- Corresponding author: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122. Phone: 215-204-1572,
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Anderson SM, Brunzell DH. Anxiolytic-like and anxiogenic-like effects of nicotine are regulated via diverse action at β2*nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Br J Pharmacol 2015; 172:2864-77. [PMID: 25625469 DOI: 10.1111/bph.13090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Nicotine dose-dependently activates or preferentially desensitizes β2 subunit containing nicotinic ACh receptors (β2*nAChRs). Genetic and pharmacological manipulations assessed effects of stimulation versus inhibition of β2*nAChRs on nicotine-associated anxiety-like phenotype. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Using a range of doses of nicotine in β2*nAChR subunit null mutant mice (β2KO; backcrossed to C57BL/6J) and their wild-type (WT) littermates, administration of the selective β2*nAChR agonist, 5I-A85380, and the selective β2*nAChR antagonist dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE), we determined the behavioural effects of stimulation and inhibition of β2*nAChRs in the light-dark and elevated plus maze (EPM) assays. KEY RESULTS Low-dose i.p. nicotine (0.05 mg·kg(-) 1) supported anxiolysis-like behaviour independent of genotype whereas the highest dose (0.5 mg·kg(-1) ) promoted anxiogenic-like phenotype in WT mice, but was blunted in β2KO mice for the measure of latency. Administration of 5I-A85380 had similar dose-dependent effects in C57BL/6J WT mice; 0.001 mg·kg(-1) 5I-A85380 reduced anxiety on an EPM, whereas 0.032 mg·kg(-1) 5I-A85380 promoted anxiogenic-like behaviour in both the light-dark and EPM assays. DHβE pretreatment blocked anxiogenic-like effects of 0.5 mg·kg(-1) nicotine. Similarly to DHβE, pretreatment with low-dose 0.05 mg·kg(-1) nicotine did not accumulate with 0.5 mg·kg(-1) nicotine, but rather blocked anxiogenic-like effects of high-dose nicotine in the light-dark and EPM assays. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS These studies provide direct evidence that low-dose nicotine inhibits nAChRs and demonstrate that inhibition or stimulation of β2*nAChRs supports the corresponding anxiolytic-like or anxiogenic-like effects of nicotine. Inhibition of β2*nAChRs may relieve anxiety in smokers and non-smokers alike.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Anderson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - D H Brunzell
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
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Lee BG, Anastasia A, Hempstead BL, Lee FS, Blendy JA. Effects of the BDNF Val66Met Polymorphism on Anxiety-Like Behavior Following Nicotine Withdrawal in Mice. Nicotine Tob Res 2015; 17:1428-35. [PMID: 25744957 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntv047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 02/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Nicotine withdrawal is characterized by both affective and cognitive symptoms. Identifying genetic polymorphisms that could affect the symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal are important in predicting withdrawal sensitivity and identifying personalized cessation therapies. In the current study we used a mouse model of a non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism in the translated region of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene that substitutes a valine (Val) for a methionine (Met) amino acid (Val66Met) to examine the relationship between the Val66Met single nucleotide polymorphism and nicotine dependence. METHODS This study measured proBDNF and the BDNF prodomain levels following nicotine and nicotine withdrawal and examined a mouse model of a common polymorphism in this protein (BDNF(Met/Met)) in three behavioral paradigms: novelty-induced hypophagia, marble burying, and the open-field test. RESULTS Using the BDNF knock-in mouse containing the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism we found: (1) blunted anxiety-like behavior in BDNF(Met/Met) mice following withdrawal in three behavioral paradigms: novelty-induced hypophagia, marble burying, and the open-field test; (2) the anxiolytic effects of chronic nicotine are absent in BDNF(Met/Met) mice; and (3) an increase in BDNF prodomain in BDNF(Met/Met) mice following nicotine withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS Our study is the first to examine the effect of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on the affective symptoms of withdrawal from nicotine in mice. In these mice, a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the translated region of the BDNF gene can result in a blunted withdrawal, as measured by decreased anxiety-like behavior. The significant increase in the BDNF prodomain in BDNF(Met/Met) mice following nicotine cessation suggests a possible role of this ligand in the circuitry remodeling after withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridgin G Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Agustin Anastasia
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY
| | - Barbara L Hempstead
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY
| | - Francis S Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY
| | - Julie A Blendy
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA;
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Brunzell DH, Stafford AM, Dixon CI. Nicotinic receptor contributions to smoking: insights from human studies and animal models. CURRENT ADDICTION REPORTS 2015; 2:33-46. [PMID: 26301171 DOI: 10.1007/s40429-015-0042-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
It is becoming increasingly evident that a variety of factors contribute to smoking behavior. Nicotine is a constituent of tobacco smoke that exerts its psychoactive effects via binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in brain. Human genetic studies have identified polymorphisms in nAChR genes, which predict vulnerability to risk for tobacco dependence. In vitro studies and animal models have identified the functional relevance of specific polymorphisms. Together with animal behavioral models, which parse behaviors believed to contribute to tobacco use in humans, these studies demonstrate that nicotine action at a diversity of nAChRs is important for expression of independent behavioral phenotypes, which support smoking behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darlene H Brunzell
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
| | - Alexandra M Stafford
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
| | - Claire I Dixon
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
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Abstract
Nicotine dependence is a chronic, relapsing disorder with complex biological mechanisms underlying the motivational basis for this behavior. Although more than 70 % of current smokers express a desire to quit, most relapse within one year, underscoring the need for novel treatments. A key focus of translational research models addressing nicotine dependence has been on cross-validation of human and animal models in order to improve the predictive value of medication screening paradigms. In this chapter, we review several lines of research highlighting the utility of cross-validation models in elucidating the biological underpinnings of nicotine reward and reinforcement, identifying factors which may influence individual response to treatment, and facilitating rapid translation of findings to practice.
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Onajole OK, Eaton JB, Lukas RJ, Brunner D, Thiede L, Caldarone BJ, Kozikowski AP. Enantiopure Cyclopropane-Bearing Pyridyldiazabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes as Selective α4β2-nAChR Ligands. ACS Med Chem Lett 2014; 5:1196-201. [PMID: 25408831 DOI: 10.1021/ml500129k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2014] [Accepted: 09/29/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
We report the synthesis and characterization of a series of enantiopure 5-cyclopropane-bearing pyridyldiazabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes that display low nanomolar binding affinities and act as functional agonists at α4β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtype. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed that incorporation of a cyclopropane-containing side chain at the 5-position of the pyridine ring provides ligands with improved subtype selectivity for nAChR β2 subunit-containing nAChR subtypes (β2*-nAChRs) over β4*-nAChRs compared to the parent compound 4. Compound 15 exhibited subnanomolar binding affinity for α4β2- and α4β2*-nAChRs with negligible interaction. Functional assays confirm selectivity for α4β2-nAChRs. Furthermore, using the SmartCube assay system, this ligand showed antidepressant, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic features, while mouse forced-swim assay further confirm the antidepressant-like property of 15.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluseye K. Onajole
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
| | - J. Brek Eaton
- Division
of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, United States
| | - Ronald J. Lukas
- Division
of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, United States
| | - Dani Brunner
- PsychoGenics, Inc., 765 Old Saw Mill
River Road, Tarrytown, New
York 10591, United States
| | - Lucinda Thiede
- PsychoGenics, Inc., 765 Old Saw Mill
River Road, Tarrytown, New
York 10591, United States
| | - Barbara J. Caldarone
- NeuroBehavior
Laboratory, Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center and Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Alan P. Kozikowski
- Department
of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
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41
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Faster, better, stronger: towards new antidepressant therapeutic strategies. Eur J Pharmacol 2014; 753:32-50. [PMID: 25092200 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2014.07.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Revised: 05/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Major depression is a highly prevalent disorder and is predicted to be the second leading cause of disease burden by 2020. Although many antidepressant drugs are currently available, they are far from optimal. Approximately 50% of patients do not respond to initial first line antidepressant treatment, while approximately one third fail to achieve remission following several pharmacological interventions. Furthermore, several weeks or months of treatment are often required before clinical improvement, if any, is reported. Moreover, most of the commonly used antidepressants have been primarily designed to increase synaptic availability of serotonin and/or noradrenaline and although they are of therapeutic benefit to many patients, it is clear that other therapeutic targets are required if we are going to improve the response and remission rates. It is clear that more effective, rapid-acting antidepressants with novel mechanisms of action are required. The purpose of this review is to outline the current strategies that are being taken in both preclinical and clinical settings for identifying superior antidepressant drugs. The realisation that ketamine has rapid antidepressant-like effects in treatment resistant patients has reenergised the field. Further, developing an understanding of the mechanisms underlying the rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant patients by drugs such as ketamine may uncover novel therapeutic targets that can be exploited to meet the Olympian challenge of developing faster, better and stronger antidepressant drugs.
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42
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Yu LF, Zhang HK, Caldarone BJ, Eaton JB, Lukas RJ, Kozikowski AP. Recent developments in novel antidepressants targeting α4β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. J Med Chem 2014; 57:8204-23. [PMID: 24901260 PMCID: PMC4207546 DOI: 10.1021/jm401937a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
(nAChRs) have been investigated
for developing drugs that can potentially treat various central nervous
system disorders. Considerable evidence supports the hypothesis that
modulation of the cholinergic system through activation and/or desensitization/inactivation
of nAChR holds promise for the development of new antidepressants.
The introductory portion of this Miniperspective discusses the basic
pharmacology that underpins the involvement of α4β2-nAChRs
in depression, along with the structural features that are essential
to ligand recognition by the α4β2-nAChRs. The remainder
of this Miniperspective analyzes reported nicotinic ligands in terms
of drug design considerations and their potency and selectivity, with
a particular focus on compounds exhibiting antidepressant-like effects
in preclinical or clinical studies. This Miniperspective aims to provide
an in-depth analysis of the potential for using nicotinic ligands
in the treatment of depression, which may hold some promise in addressing
an unmet clinical need by providing relief from depressive symptoms
in refractory patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Fang Yu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago , 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois 60612, United States
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Turner JR, Ray R, Lee B, Everett L, Xiang J, Jepson C, Kaestner KH, Lerman C, Blendy JA. Evidence from mouse and man for a role of neuregulin 3 in nicotine dependence. Mol Psychiatry 2014; 19:801-10. [PMID: 23999525 PMCID: PMC3877725 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2013.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Revised: 07/12/2013] [Accepted: 07/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Addiction to nicotine and the ability to quit smoking are influenced by genetic factors. We used functional genomic approaches (chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and whole-genome sequencing) to identify cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) targets following chronic nicotine administration and withdrawal (WD) in rodents. We found that chronic nicotine and WD differentially modulate CREB binding to the gene for neuregulin 3 (NRG3). Quantitative analysis of saline, nicotine and nicotine WD in two biological replicates corroborate this finding, with NRG3 increases in both mRNA and protein following WD from chronic nicotine treatment. To translate these data for human relevance, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across NRG3 were examined for association with prospective smoking cessation among smokers of European ancestry treated with transdermal nicotine in two independent cohorts. Individual SNP and haplotype analysis support the association of NRG3 SNPs and smoking cessation success. NRG3 is a neural-enriched member of the epidermal growth factor family, and a specific ligand for the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB4, which is also upregulated following nicotine treatment and WD. Mice with significantly reduced levels of NRG3 or pharmacological inhibition of ErbB4 show similar reductions in anxiety following nicotine WD compared with control animals, suggesting a role for NRG3 in nicotine dependence. Although the function of the SNP in NRG3 in humans is not known, these data suggest that Nrg3/ErbB4 signaling may be an important factor in nicotine dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill R. Turner
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Riju Ray
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Bridgin Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Logan Everett
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Jing Xiang
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Christopher Jepson
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Klaus H. Kaestner
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Caryn Lerman
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Julie A. Blendy
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Bürgi JJ, Awale M, Boss SD, Schaer T, Marger F, Viveros-Paredes JM, Bertrand S, Gertsch J, Bertrand D, Reymond JL. Discovery of potent positive allosteric modulators of the α3β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by a chemical space walk in ChEMBL. ACS Chem Neurosci 2014; 5:346-59. [PMID: 24593915 DOI: 10.1021/cn4002297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
While a plethora of ligands are known for the well studied α7 and α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), only very few ligands address the related α3β2 nAChR expressed in the central nervous system and at the neuromuscular junction. Starting with the public database ChEMBL organized in the chemical space of Molecular Quantum Numbers (MQN, a series of 42 integer value descriptors of molecular structure), a visual survey of nearest neighbors of the α7 nAChR partial agonist N-(3R)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl-4-chlorobenzamide (PNU-282,987) pointed to N-(2-halobenzyl)-3-aminoquinuclidines as possible nAChR modulators. This simple "chemical space walk" was performed using a web-browser available at www.gdb.unibe.ch . Electrophysiological recordings revealed that these ligands represent a new and to date most potent class of positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the α3β2 nAChR, which also exert significant effects in vivo. The present discovery highlights the value of surveying chemical space neighbors of known drugs within public databases to uncover new pharmacology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justus J. Bürgi
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, NCCR TransCure, University of Berne, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Berne, Switzerland
| | - Mahendra Awale
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, NCCR TransCure, University of Berne, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Berne, Switzerland
| | - Silvan D. Boss
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, NCCR TransCure, University of Berne, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Berne, Switzerland
| | - Tifany Schaer
- HiQScreen, 6 rte de Compois, 1222 Vésenaz, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Fabrice Marger
- HiQScreen, 6 rte de Compois, 1222 Vésenaz, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Juan M. Viveros-Paredes
- Departamento
de Farmacobiología CUCEI, Universidad de Guadalajara, 44430 Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
| | - Sonia Bertrand
- HiQScreen, 6 rte de Compois, 1222 Vésenaz, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Gertsch
- Institute
of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Berne, Bühlstrasse 28, 3012 Berne, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Bertrand
- HiQScreen, 6 rte de Compois, 1222 Vésenaz, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Louis Reymond
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, NCCR TransCure, University of Berne, Freiestrasse 3, 3012 Berne, Switzerland
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Hussmann GP, DeDominicis KE, Turner JR, Yasuda RP, Klehm J, Forcelli PA, Xiao Y, Richardson JR, Sahibzada N, Wolfe BB, Lindstrom J, Blendy JA, Kellar KJ. Chronic sazetidine-A maintains anxiolytic effects and slower weight gain following chronic nicotine without maintaining increased density of nicotinic receptors in rodent brain. J Neurochem 2014; 129:721-31. [PMID: 24422997 PMCID: PMC3999245 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.12653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2013] [Revised: 12/17/2013] [Accepted: 12/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Chronic nicotine administration increases the density of brain α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), which may contribute to nicotine addiction by exacerbating withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking cessation. Varenicline, a smoking cessation drug, also increases these receptors in rodent brain. The maintenance of this increase by varenicline as well as nicotine replacement may contribute to the high rate of relapse during the first year after smoking cessation. Recently, we found that sazetidine-A (saz-A), a potent partial agonist that desensitizes α4β2* nAChRs, does not increase the density of these receptors in brain at doses that decrease nicotine self-administration, increase attention in rats, and produce anxiolytic effects in mice. Here, we investigated whether chronic saz-A and varenicline maintain the density of nAChRs after their up-regulation by nicotine. In addition, we examined the effects of these drugs on a measure of anxiety in mice and weight gain in rats. After increasing nAChRs in the rodent brain with chronic nicotine, replacing nicotine with chronic varenicline maintained the increased nAChR binding, as well as the α4β2 subunit proteins measured by western blots. In contrast, replacing nicotine treatments with chronic saz-A resulted in the return of the density of nAChRs to the levels seen in saline controls. Nicotine, saz-A and varenicline each demonstrated anxiolytic effects in mice, but only saz-A and nicotine attenuated the gain of weight over a 6-week period in rats. These findings suggest that apart from its modest anxiolytic and weight control effects, saz-A, or drugs like it, may be useful in achieving long-term abstinence from smoking.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Patrick Hussmann
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Kristen E. DeDominicis
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Jill R. Turner
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Robert P. Yasuda
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Jacquelyn Klehm
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Patrick A. Forcelli
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Yingxian Xiao
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Janell R. Richardson
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Niaz Sahibzada
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Barry B. Wolfe
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Jon Lindstrom
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Julie A. Blendy
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Kenneth J. Kellar
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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46
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Yohn NL, Turner JR, Blendy JA. Activation of α4β2*/α6β2* nicotinic receptors alleviates anxiety during nicotine withdrawal without upregulating nicotinic receptors. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2014; 349:348-54. [PMID: 24627467 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.113.211706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Although nicotine mediates its effects through several nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes, it remains to be determined which nAChR subtypes directly mediate heightened anxiety during withdrawal. Relative success in abstinence has been found with the nAChR partial agonist varenicline (Chantix; Pfizer, Groton, CT); however, treatment with this drug fails to alleviate anxiety in individuals during nicotine withdrawal. Therefore, it is hypothesized that success can be found by the repurposing of other nAChR partial agonists for cessation therapies that target anxiety. It is noteworthy that the selective partial agonists for α4β2, ABT-089 [2-methyl-3-[2(S)-pyrrolidinylmethoxy]pyridine], and α7, ABT-107 [5-(6-[(3R)-1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yloxy] pyridazin-3-yl)-1H-indole] (AbbVie, North Chicago, IL), have not been evaluated as possible therapeutics for nicotine cessation. Therefore, we examined the effect of ABT-089 and ABT-107 on anxiety during withdrawal from nicotine in the novelty-induced hypophagia (NIH) paradigm. We found that short-term administration of ABT-089 and ABT-107 alleviate anxiety-like behavior during withdrawal from nicotine while long-term administration of ABT-089 but not ABT-107 reduces anxiety-like behavior during withdrawal. After behavioral testing, brains were harvested and β2-containing nAChRs were measured using [(3)H]epibaditine. ABT-089 and ABT-107 do not upregulate nAChRs, which is in contrast to the upregulation of nAChRs observed after nicotine. Furthermore, ABT-089 is anxiogenic in nicotine naive animals, suggesting that the effects on anxiety are specifically related to the nicotine-dependent state. Together, these studies identify additional nAChR partial agonists that may aid in the rational development of smoking cessation aids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole L Yohn
- Department of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Yu LF, Brek Eaton J, Zhang HK, Sabath E, Hanania T, Li GN, van Breemen RB, Whiteaker P, Liu Q, Wu J, Chang YC, Lukas RJ, Brunner D, Kozikowski AP. The potent and selective α4β2*/α6*-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist 2-[5-[5-((S)Azetidin-2-ylmethoxy)-3-pyridinyl]-3-isoxazolyl]ethanol demonstrates antidepressive-like behavior in animal models and a favorable ADME-tox profile. Pharmacol Res Perspect 2014; 2:e00026. [PMID: 25505580 PMCID: PMC4184702 DOI: 10.1002/prp2.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2013] [Revised: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Preclinical and clinical studies demonstrated that the inhibition of cholinergic supersensitivity through nicotinic antagonists and partial agonists can be used successfully to treat depressed patients, especially those who are poor responders to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In our effort to develop novel antidepressant drugs, LF-3-88 was identified as a potent nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) partial agonist with subnanomolar to nanomolar affinities for β2-containing nAChRs (α2β2, α3β2, α4β2, and α4β2*) and superior selectivity away from α3β4 - (K i > 10(4) nmol/L) and α7-nAChRs (K i > 10(4) nmol/L) as well as 51 other central nervous system (CNS)-related neurotransmitter receptors and transporters. Functional activities at different nAChR subtypes were characterized utilizing (86)Rb(+) ion efflux assays, two-electrode voltage-clamp (TEVC) recording in oocytes, and whole-cell current recording measurements. In mouse models, administration of LF-3-88 resulted in antidepressive-like behavioral signatures 15 min post injection in the SmartCube® test (5 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.; about 45-min session), decreased immobility in the forced swim test (1-3 mg/kg, i.p.; 1-10 mg/kg, p.o.; 30 min pretreatment, 6-min trial), and decreased latency to approach food in the novelty-suppressed feeding test after 29 days chronic administration once daily (5 mg/kg but not 10 mg/kg, p.o.; 15-min trial). In addition, LF-3-88 exhibited a favorable profile in pharmacokinetic/ADME-Tox (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) assays. This compound was also shown to cause no mortality in wild-type Balb/CJ mice when tested at 300 mg/kg. These results further support the potential of potent and selective nicotinic partial agonists for use in the treatment of depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Fang Yu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60612 ; Institute of Drug Design and Development, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, East China Normal University 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - J Brek Eaton
- Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85013
| | - Han-Kun Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60612 ; Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Emily Sabath
- PsychoGenics, Inc. 765 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591
| | - Taleen Hanania
- PsychoGenics, Inc. 765 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591
| | - Guan-Nan Li
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60612
| | - Richard B van Breemen
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60612
| | - Paul Whiteaker
- Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85013
| | - Qiang Liu
- Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85013 ; Division of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85013
| | - Jie Wu
- Division of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85013
| | - Yong-Chang Chang
- Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85013
| | - Ronald J Lukas
- Division of Neurobiology, Barrow Neurological Institute 350 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona, 85013
| | - Dani Brunner
- PsychoGenics, Inc. 765 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York, 10591 ; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, NYSPI 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, New York, 10032
| | - Alan P Kozikowski
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, University of Illinois at Chicago 833 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60612
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48
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Dissociation of tolerance and nicotine withdrawal-associated deficits in contextual fear. Brain Res 2014; 1559:1-10. [PMID: 24594018 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.02.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2014] [Revised: 02/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/22/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Nicotine addiction is associated with the development of tolerance and the emergence of withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of chronic nicotine administration. Changes in cognition, including deficits in learning, are one of the most common withdrawal symptoms reported by smokers. However, the neural substrates of tolerance to the effects of nicotine on learning and the substrates of withdrawal deficits in learning are unknown, and in fact it is unclear whether a common mechanism is involved in both. The present study tested the hypothesis that tolerance and withdrawal are separate processes and that nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) upregulation underlies changes in learning associated with withdrawal but not tolerance. C57BL/6 male mice were administered a dose of nicotine (3, 6.3, 12, or 24 mg/kg/d) chronically for varying days and tested for the onset of tolerance to the effects of nicotine on learning. Follow up experiments examined the number of days of chronic nicotine treatment required to produce withdrawal deficits in learning and a significant increase in [(3)H] epibatidine binding in the hippocampus indicative of receptor upregulation. The results indicate that tolerance onset was influenced by dose of chronic nicotine, that tolerance occurred before withdrawal deficits in learning emerged, and that nAChR upregulation in the dorsal hippocampus was associated with withdrawal but not tolerance. This suggests that for the effects of nicotine on learning, tolerance and withdrawal involve different substrates. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for development of therapeutics that target symptoms of nicotine addiction and for theories of addiction.
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49
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Storage S, Mandelkern MA, Phuong J, Kozman M, Neary MK, Brody AL. A positive relationship between harm avoidance and brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptor availability. Psychiatry Res 2013; 214:415-21. [PMID: 24148908 PMCID: PMC3851586 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2012] [Revised: 06/22/2013] [Accepted: 07/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Prior research indicates that disturbance of cholinergic neurotransmission reduces anxiety, leading to the hypothesis that people with heightened cholinergic function have a greater tendency toward anxiety-like and/or harm-avoidant behavior. We sought to determine if people with elevated levels of harm avoidance (HA), a dimension of temperament from the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), have high α4β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) availability. Healthy adults (n=105; 47 non-smokers and 58 smokers) underwent bolus-plus-continuous infusion positron emission tomography (PET) scanning using the radiotracer 2-[18F]fluoro-3-(2(S)azetidinylmethoxy) pyridine (abbreviated as 2-FA). During the uptake period of 2-FA, participants completed the TCI. The central study analysis revealed a significant association between total HA and mean nAChR availability, with higher total HA scores being linked with greater nAChR availability. In examining HA subscales, both 'Fear of Uncertainty' and 'Fatigability' were significant, based on higher levels of these characteristics being associated with greater nAChR availabilities. This study adds to a growing body of knowledge concerning the biological basis of personality and may prove useful in understanding the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders (such as anxiety disorders) that have similar characteristics to HA. Study findings may indicate that heightened cholinergic neurotransmission is associated with increased anxiety-like traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Storage
- UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA,Department of Research, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mark A. Mandelkern
- Department of Research, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA,Department of Physics, University of California at Irvine, California, USA
| | - Jonathan Phuong
- Department of Research, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Maggie Kozman
- Department of Research, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Meaghan K. Neary
- Department of Research, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Arthur L. Brody
- UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA,Department of Research, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA,Department of Psychiatry, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, USA,Corresponding author at: UCLA Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences 300 UCLA Medical Plaza, Suite 2200 Los Angeles, CA 90095. Tel.: +310 268 4778; fax: +310 206 2802.
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50
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Campling BG, Kuryatov A, Lindstrom J. Acute activation, desensitization and smoldering activation of human acetylcholine receptors. PLoS One 2013; 8:e79653. [PMID: 24244538 PMCID: PMC3828267 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2013] [Accepted: 10/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The behavioral effects of nicotine and other nicotinic agonists are mediated by AChRs in the brain. The relative contribution of acute activation versus chronic desensitization of AChRs is unknown. Sustained “smoldering activation” occurs over a range of agonist concentrations at which activated and desensitized AChRs are present in equilibrium. We used a fluorescent dye sensitive to changes in membrane potential to examine the effects of acute activation and chronic desensitization by nicotinic AChR agonists on cell lines expressing human α4β2, α3β4 and α7 AChRs. We examined the effects of acute and prolonged application of nicotine and the partial agonists varenicline, cytisine and sazetidine-A on these AChRs. The range of concentrations over which nicotine causes smoldering activation of α4β2 AChRs was centered at 0.13 µM, a level found in smokers. However, nicotine produced smoldering activation of α3β4 and α7 AChRs at concentrations well above levels found in smokers. The α4β2 expressing cell line contains a mixture of two stoichiometries, namely (α4β2)2β2 and (α4β2)2α4. The (α4β2)2β2 stoichiometry is more sensitive to activation by nicotine. Sazetidine-A activates and desensitizes only this stoichiometry. Varenicline, cytisine and sazetidine-A were partial agonists on this mixture of α4β2 AChRs, but full agonists on α3β4 and α7 AChRs. It has been reported that cytisine and varenicline are most efficacious on the (α4β2)2α4 stoichiometry. In this study, we distinguish the dual effects of activation and desensitization of AChRs by these nicotinic agonists and define the range of concentrations over which smoldering activation can be sustained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara G. Campling
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alexander Kuryatov
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jon Lindstrom
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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