Pharmacological Characterization of Toludesvenlafaxine as a Triple Reuptake Inhibitor

Synthesis and biological evaluation of multimodal monoaminergic arylpiperazine derivatives with potential antidepressant profile

Depression is a common psychiatric disorder with an estimated global prevalence of 4.4 %. Here, we designed a series of new multimodal monoaminergic arylpiperazine derivatives using a pharmacophore hybrid approach and synthesized them for the treatment of depression. Molecular docking was employed to elucidate the differences in activity and selectivity of the corresponding compounds on SERT, NET, and DAT. In vitro experiments demonstrated that compound A3 has a relatively balanced multi-target activity profile with SERT reuptake inhibition (IC50 = 12 nM), NET reuptake inhibition (IC50 = 78 nM), DAT reuptake inhibition (IC50 = 135 nM), and 5-HT1AR agonism (EC50 = 34 nM). Pharmacokinetic experiments revealed that A3 exhibited excellent bioavailability and low clearance in mice. Subsequent behavioral experiments further confirmed its significant antidepressant effects. These results further highlight the rationality of our design strategy.

PET/CT study of dopamine transporter (DAT) binding with the triple reuptake inhibitor toludesvenlafaxine in rats and humans

PURPOSE

Toludesvenlafaxine is a recently developed antidepressant that belongs to the triple reuptake inhibitor class. Despite the in vitro evidence that toludesvenlafaxine inhibits the reuptake of serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA), there is no in vivo evidence that toludesvenlafaxine binds to DAT and increases DA level, a mechanism thought to contribute to its favorable clinical performance.

METHODS

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) was used to examine the DAT binding capacity in healthy rats and human subjects and microdialysis was used to examine the striatal DA level in rats. [18F]FECNT and [11C]CFT were used as PET/CT radioactive tracer for rat and human studies, respectively.

RESULTS

In rats, 9 mg/kg of toludesvenlafaxine hydrochloride (i.v.) followed by an infusion of 3 mg/kg via minipump led to the binding rate to striatum DAT at 3.7 - 32.41% and to hypothalamus DAT at 5.91 - 17.52% during the 45 min scanning period. 32 mg/kg oral administration with toludesvenlafaxine hydrochloride significantly increased the striatal DA level with the AUC0 - 180 min increased by 63.9%. In healthy volunteers, 160 mg daily toludesvenlafaxine hydrochloride sustained-release tablets for 4 days led to an average occupancy rates of DAT at 8.04% ± 7.75% and 8.09% ± 7.00%, respectively, in basal ganglion 6 h and 10 h postdose.

CONCLUSION

These results represent the first to confirm the binding of toludesvenlafaxine to DAT in both rats and humans using PET/CT, and its elevation of brain DA level, which may help understand the unique pharmacological and functional effects of triple reuptake inhibitors such as toludesvenlafaxine.

CLINICALTRIALS

GOV IDENTIFIERS

NCT05905120. Registered 14 June 2023. (retrospectively registered).

Adverse effects of 21 antidepressants on sleep during acute-phase treatment in major depressive disorder: a systemic review and dose-effect network meta-analysis

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Sleep-related adverse effects during acute treatment with antidepressants undermine adherence and impede remission. We aimed to address subtypes of sleep-related adverse effects and depict the relationship between dose and sleep-related adverse events.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science for double-blind randomized controlled trials of depression published before April 30th, 2023. Eligible studies reporting sleep-related adverse effects during short-term monotherapy were included. The odds ratios (ORs) for sleep-related adverse effects were addressed with network meta-analysis. A Bayesian approach was used to depict the dose-effect relationship. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the τ2 and I2 statistics. Sensitivity analyses were performed without studies featuring high risk of bias.

RESULTS

Studies with 64 696 patients were examined from 216 trials. Compared to placebo, 13 antidepressants showed higher ORs for somnolence, of which fluvoxamine (OR = 6.32; 95% CI: 3.56 to 11.21) ranked the top. Eleven had higher risks for insomnia, reboxetine ranked the top (OR = 3.47; 95% CI: 2.77 to 4.36). The dose-effect relationships curves between somnolence or insomnia and dose included linear shape, inverted U-shape, and other shapes. There was no significant heterogeneity among individual studies. The quality of evidence for results in network meta-analyses was rated as very low to moderate by Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS

Most antidepressants had higher risks for insomnia or somnolence than placebo. The diverse relationship curves between somnolence or insomnia and dose of antidepressants can guide clinicians to adjust the doses. These findings suggest clinicians pay more attention to sleep-related adverse effects during acute treatment with antidepressants.

A phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to verify the efficacy and safety of ansofaxine (LY03005) for major depressive disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent form of depression and is becoming a great challenge for public health and medical practice. Although first-line antidepressants offer therapeutic benefits, about 35% of depressed patients are not adequately treated, creating a substantial unmet medical need. A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 clinical trial was conducted in patients with MDD in China to assess the efficacy and safety of ansofaxine (LY03005), a potential triple reuptake inhibitor of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Eligible 588 MDD patients were included and randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 8-week treatment with ansofaxine 80 mg/day(n = 187), ansofaxine 160 mg/day(n = 186), or placebo(n = 185). The primary efficacy endpoint was the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score change from baseline to the end of the study. Safety indexes included adverse events, vital signs, physical examination, laboratory tests, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), and evaluation of suicide tendency and sexual function. Significant differences were found in mean changes in MADRS total score at week 8 in the two ansofaxine groups (80 mg, -20.0; 160 mg, -19.9) vs. placebo (-14.6; p < 0.0001). All doses of ansofaxine were generally well-tolerated. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were reported by 137 (74.46%) patients in ansofaxine 80 mg group, 144 (78.26%) patients in ansofaxine 160 mg and 125 (67.93%) patients in the placebo group. The incidence of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) was 59.2% (109 patients), 65.22% (120 patients) in the 80, 160 mg ansofaxine groups, and 45.11% (83 patients) in the placebo group. The initial results of this trial indicate that ansofaxine at both the 80 mg/day and 160 mg/day was effective and safe in adult patients with MDD. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04853407.

Efficacy, Tolerability, and Safety of Toludesvenlafaxine for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder-A Narrative Review

The estimated rate of treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (TRD) remains higher than 30%, even after the discovery of multiple classes of antidepressants in the last 7 decades. Toludesvenlafaxine (ansofaxine, LY03005, or LPM570065) is a first-in-class triple monoaminergic reuptake inhibitor (TRI) that has reached clinical use. The objective of this narrative review was to summarize clinical and preclinical evidence about the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of toludesvenlafaxine. Based on the results of 17 reports retrieved in the literature, the safety and tolerability profiles of toludesvenlafaxine were good in all clinical trials, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were well described in the phase 1 trials. The efficacy of toludesvenlafaxine was demonstrated in one phase 2 and one phase 3 trial, both on primary and secondary outcomes. In conclusion, this review highlights the favorable clinical results of toludesvenlafaxine in only two short-term trials that enrolled patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) (efficacy and tolerability were good for up to eight weeks), indicating the need for more good quality, larger-sample, and longer-term trials. Exploring new antidepressants, such as TRI, can be considered a priority for clinical research due to the high rates of TRD, but also due to the significant percentages of relapse in patients with MDD.

The effect of triple reuptake inhibitor toludesvenlafaxine on neurological function in cerebral ischemic rats

Purpose: The aim is to investigate the effect of toludesvenlafaxine (Tdv), a reuptake inhibitor of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine, on the neurological function in cerebral ischemic rats and the underlying mechanisms. Material and Methods: Middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) model was induced in rats and the neuroprotective effects of Tdv were evaluated by infarct size, Garcia test, and beam walking test. Neuronal apoptosis in the peri-infarct area was observed by TUNEL staining. And the apoptosis-related proteins were evaluated with Western blotting. The role of CREB pathway in effect of Tdv was also investigated using Western blotting and immunofluorescence. Results: In the MCAO/R model, administration of Tdv reduced the infarct size, promoted neural functional recovery, decreased the expression of Bax and Caspase-3, and increased the expression of Bcl-2 and BDNF. In addition, Tdv reduced neuronal apoptosis in the peri-infarct area. Tdv increased the expression of phosphorylated CREB. The application of the specific CREB inhibitor, compound 666-15, could reverse the anti-ischemic cerebral injury of Tdv in MCAO/R rats. Conclusion: Tdv ameliorated cerebral ischemic injury through reducing neuronal apoptosis and increasing the expression of BDNF via the activation of CREB pathway.

Discovery and Development of Monoamine Transporter Ligands

Monoamine transporters (MATs) are targets of a wide range of compounds that have been developed as therapeutic treatments for various neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as depression, ADHD, neuropathic pain, anxiety disorders, stimulant use disorders, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease. The MAT family is comprised of three main members - the dopamine transporter (DAT), the norepinephrine transporter (NET), and the serotonin transporter (SERT). These transporters are through reuptake responsible for the clearance of their respective monoamine substrates from the extracellular space. The determination of X-ray crystal structures of MATs and their homologues bound with various substrates and ligands has resulted in a surge of structure-function-based studies of MATs to understand the molecular basis of transport function and the mechanism of various ligands that ultimately result in their behavioral effects. This review focusses on recent examples of ligand-based structure-activity relationship studies trying to overcome some of the challenges associated with previously developed MAT inhibitors. These studies have led to the discovery of unique and novel structurally diverse MAT ligands including allosteric modulators. These novel molecular scaffolds serve as leads for designing more effective therapeutic interventions by modulating the activities of MATs and ultimately their associated neurotransmission and behavioral effects.

Orgasm and Related Disorders Depend on Neural Inhibition Combined With Neural Excitation

INTRODUCTION

Prevalent models of sexual desire, arousal and orgasm postulate that they result from an excitatory process, whereas disorders of sexual desire, arousal and orgasm result from an inhibitory process based on psychosocial, pharmacological, medical, and other factors. But neuronal excitation and active neuronal inhibition normally interact at variable intensities, concurrently and continuously. We propose herein that in conjunction with neuronal excitation, neuronal inhibition enables the generation of the intense, non-aversive pleasure of orgasm. When this interaction breaks down, pathology can result, as in disorders of sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm, and in anhedonia and pain. For perspective, we review some fundamental behavioral and (neuro-) physiological functions of neuronal excitation and inhibition in normal and pathological processes.

OBJECTIVES

To review evidence that the variable balance between neuronal excitation and active neuronal inhibition at different intensities can account for orgasm and its disorders.

METHODS

We selected studies from searches on PubMed, Google Scholar, Dialnet, and SciELO for terms including orgasm, neuronal development, Wallerian degeneration, prenatal stress, parental behavior, sensorimotor, neuronal excitation, neuronal inhibition, sensory deprivation, anhedonia, orgasmic disorder, hypoactive sexual desire disorder, persistent genital arousal disorder, sexual pain.

RESULTS

We provide evidence that the intensity of neuronal inhibition dynamically covaries concurrently with the intensity of neuronal excitation. Differences in these relative intensities can facilitate the understanding of orgasm and disorders of orgasm.

CONCLUSION

Neuronal excitation and neuronal inhibition are normal, continuously active processes of the nervous system that are necessary for survival of neurons and the organism. The ability of genital sensory stimulation to induce concurrent neuronal inhibition enables the stimulation to attain the pleasurable, non-aversive, high intensity of excitation characteristic of orgasm. Excessive or deficient levels of neuronal inhibition relative to neuronal excitation may account for disorders of sexual desire, arousal and orgasm.

Epigenetic Mechanism of 5-HT/NE/DA Triple Reuptake Inhibitor on Adult Depression Susceptibility in Early Stress Mice

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a chronic, remitting and debilitating disease and the etiology of MDD is highly complicated that involves genetic and environmental interactions. Despite many pharmacotherapeutic options, many patients remain poorly treated and the development of effective treatments remains a high priority in the field. LPM570065 is a potent 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) triple reuptake inhibitor and both preclinical and clinical results demonstrate significant efficacy against MDD. This study extends previous findings to examine the effects and underlying mechanisms of LPM570065 on stress vulnerability using a "two-hit" stress mouse model. The "two-hit" stress model used adult mice that had experienced early life maternal separation (MS) stress for social defeat stress (SDS) and then they were evaluated in three behavioral assays: sucrose preference test, tail suspension test and forced swimming test. For the mechanistic studies, methylation-specific differentially expressed genes in mouse hippocampal tissue and ventral tegmental area (VTA) were analyzed by whole-genome transcriptome analysis along with next-generation bisulfite sequencing analysis, followed by RT-PCR and pyrophosphate sequencing to confirm gene expression and methylation. LPM570065 significantly reversed depressive-like behaviors in the mice in the sucrose preference test, the tail suspension test, and the forced swimming test. Morphologically, LPM570065 increased the density of dendritic spines in hippocampal CA1 neurons. Hypermethylation and downregulation of oxytocin receptor (Oxtr) in the hippocampal tissues along with increased protein expression of Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a in mice that experienced the "two-hit" stress compared to those that only experienced adulthood social defeat stress, and LPM570065 could reverse these changes. Combined, these results suggest that methylation specificity of the gene Oxtr in the hippocampus may play an important role in early life stress-induced susceptibility to depression and that the5-HT/NE/DA triple reuptake inhibitor LPM570065 may reduce depression susceptibility via the reversal of the methylation of the gene Oxtr.

Association between increased inflammatory cytokine expression in the lateral habenular nucleus and depressive-like behavior induced by unpredictable chronic stress in rats

Depression induced by unpredictable chronic stress (UCS) has been widely studied using animal models. However, its underlying pathological mechanisms remain unclear. Increased inflammatory cytokines (ICs) in the central nervous system (CNS) are closely related to depressive disorder. UCS was used as an animal model in this study to investigate how UCS-induced changes in cytokine signaling lead to depression. We found that UCS could increase ICs in the CNS, especially in the habenular nucleus (Hb). UCS resulted in decreased expression of Menin in Hb and increased the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Local administration of tumor necrosis factor-α in the lateral Hb (LHb) could induce depressive-like behavior in rats. The anti-inflammatory drug aspirin and the NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate could alleviate depressive-like behavior. This phenomenon was not observed for local administration in the dorsal raphe nucleus and paraventricular nucleus. These results indicate that LHb is the main central target for ICs to regulate depressive-like behaviors. We also found that LHb lesions could improve the inflammatory response in the hippocampus, reduce the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway and the expression of ICs, and increase the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase B, collectively improving the neuroinflammation caused by UCS. Moreover, LHb lesions improve not only hippocampal neurogenesis damage caused by UCS by activating the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway but also hippocampal function by reducing the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, including phosphorylated p53, Bax, Bcl2, and cleaved-caspase3. In conclusion, our study sheds light on the pathogenesis of ICs-induced depression. Anti-inflammation in the CNS could be a new strategy in the treatment of depression.