1
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Zhou Y, Mowlazadeh Haghighi S, Sawyer JR, Hruby VJ, Cai M. Ψ and χ Angle Constrains at the C-Terminus Trp Position of the Melanotropin Tetrapeptide Ac-His-d-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH 2 Lead to Potent and Selective Agonists at hMC1R and hMC4R. J Med Chem 2023; 66:6715-6724. [PMID: 37133411 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Melanocortin receptors (MCRs) are a family of G protein-coupled receptors that regulate important physiological functions. Yet, drug development targeting MCRs is hindered by potential side effects due to a lack of receptor subtype-selective ligands with bioavailability. Here, we report novel synthetic pathways to introduce Ψ and χ angle constraints at the C-terminus Trp position of the nonselective prototype tetrapeptide agonist Ac-His-d-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2. With these conformational constraints, peptide 1 (Ac-His-d-Phe-Arg-Aia) shows improved selectivity at hMC1R, with an EC50 of 11.2 nM for hMC1R and at least 15-fold selectivity compared to other MCR subtypes. Peptide 3 (Ac-His-pCF3-d-Phe-Arg-Aia) is a potent and selective hMC4R agonist with an EC50 of 4.1 nM at hMC4R and at least ninefold selectivity. Molecular docking studies reveal that the Ψ and χ angle constraints force the C-terminal Aia residue to flip and interact with TM6 and TM7, a feature that we hypothesize leads to the receptor subtype selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Saghar Mowlazadeh Haghighi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Jonathon R Sawyer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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2
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Liu Z, Hruby VJ. MC4R biased signalling and the conformational basis of biological function selections. J Cell Mol Med 2022; 26:4125-4136. [PMID: 35818295 PMCID: PMC9344818 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.17441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The MC4R, a GPCR, has long been a major target for obesity treatment. As the most well‐studied melanocortin receptor subtype, the evolutionary knowledge pushes the drug development and structure–activity relationship (SAR) moving forward. The past decades have witnessed the evolution of scientists' view on GPCRs gradually from the control of a single canonical signalling pathway via a bilateral ‘active‐inactive’ model to a multi‐state alternative model where the ligands' binding affects the selection of the downstream signalling. This evolution brings the concept of biased signalling and the beginning of the next generation of peptide drug development, with the aim of turning from receptor subtype specificity to signalling pathway selectivity. The determination of the value structures of the MC4R revealed insights into the working mechanism of MC4R activation upon binding of agonists. However, new challenge has risen as we seek to unravel the mystery of MC4R signalling selection. Thus, more biased agonists and ligands with representative biological functions are needed to solve the rest of the puzzle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zekun Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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3
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Tomassi S, Dimmito MP, Cai M, D’Aniello A, Del Bene A, Messere A, Liu Z, Zhu T, Hruby VJ, Stefanucci A, Cosconati S, Mollica A, Di Maro S. CLIPSing Melanotan-II to Discover Multiple Functionally Selective hMCR Agonists. J Med Chem 2022; 65:4007-4017. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Tomassi
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Via D. Montesano 49, Naples 80131, Italy
| | - Marilisa Pia Dimmito
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Chieti-Pescara “G. d’Annunzio”, Via dei Vestini 31, Chieti 66100, Italy
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Antonia D’Aniello
- DiSTABiF, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Alessandra Del Bene
- DiSTABiF, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Anna Messere
- DiSTABiF, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Zekun Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Tingyi Zhu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Azzurra Stefanucci
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Chieti-Pescara “G. d’Annunzio”, Via dei Vestini 31, Chieti 66100, Italy
| | - Sandro Cosconati
- DiSTABiF, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Adriano Mollica
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Chieti-Pescara “G. d’Annunzio”, Via dei Vestini 31, Chieti 66100, Italy
| | - Salvatore Di Maro
- DiSTABiF, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
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4
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Zhou Y, Chawla MK, Rios-Monterrosa JL, Wang L, Zempare MA, Hruby VJ, Barnes CA, Cai M. Aged Brains Express Less Melanocortin Receptors, Which Correlates with Age-Related Decline of Cognitive Functions. Molecules 2021; 26:6266. [PMID: 34684847 PMCID: PMC8541441 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26206266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain G-protein coupled receptors have been hypothesized to be potential targets for maintaining or restoring cognitive function in normal aged individuals or in patients with neurodegenerative disease. A number of recent reports suggest that activation of melanocortin receptors (MCRs) in the brain can significantly improve cognitive functions of normal rodents and of different rodent models of the Alzheimer's disease. However, the potential impact of normative aging on the expression of MCRs and their potential roles for modulating cognitive function remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we first investigated the expression of these receptors in six different brain regions of young (6 months) and aged (23 months) rats following assessment of their cognitive status. Correlation analysis was further performed to reveal potential contributions of MCR subtypes to spatial learning and memory. Our results revealed statistically significant correlations between the expression of several MCR subtypes in the frontal cortex/hypothalamus and the hippocampus regions and the rats' performance in spatial learning and memory only in the aged rats. These findings support the hypothesis that aging has a direct impact on the expression and function of MCRs, establishing MCRs as potential drug targets to alleviate aging-induced decline of cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (Y.Z.); (J.L.R.-M.); (L.W.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Monica K. Chawla
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (M.K.C.); (M.A.Z.); (C.A.B.)
- Division of Neural Systems, Memory & Aging, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Jose L. Rios-Monterrosa
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (Y.Z.); (J.L.R.-M.); (L.W.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Lingzhi Wang
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (Y.Z.); (J.L.R.-M.); (L.W.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Marc A. Zempare
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (M.K.C.); (M.A.Z.); (C.A.B.)
- Division of Neural Systems, Memory & Aging, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (Y.Z.); (J.L.R.-M.); (L.W.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Carol A. Barnes
- Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (M.K.C.); (M.A.Z.); (C.A.B.)
- Division of Neural Systems, Memory & Aging, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Department of Psychology, Neurology and Neuroscience, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (Y.Z.); (J.L.R.-M.); (L.W.); (V.J.H.)
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5
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Lee YS, Remesic M, Ramos-Colon C, Wu Z, LaVigne J, Molnar G, Tymecka D, Misicka A, Streicher JM, Hruby VJ, Porreca F. Multifunctional Enkephalin Analogs with a New Biological Profile: MOR/DOR Agonism and KOR Antagonism. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9060625. [PMID: 34072734 PMCID: PMC8229567 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9060625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In our previous studies, we developed a series of mixed MOR/DOR agonists that are enkephalin-like tetrapeptide analogs with an N-phenyl-N-piperidin-4-ylpropionamide (Ppp) moiety at the C-terminus. Further SAR study on the analogs, initiated by the findings from off-target screening, resulted in the discovery of LYS744 (6, Dmt-DNle-Gly-Phe(p-Cl)-Ppp), a multifunctional ligand with MOR/DOR agonist and KOR antagonist activity (GTPγS assay: IC50 = 52 nM, Imax = 122% cf. IC50 = 59 nM, Imax = 100% for naloxone) with nanomolar range of binding affinity (Ki = 1.3 nM cf. Ki = 2.4 nM for salvinorin A). Based on its unique biological profile, 6 is considered to possess high therapeutic potential for the treatment of chronic pain by modulating pathological KOR activation while retaining analgesic efficacy attributed to its MOR/DOR agonist activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeon Sun Lee
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; (J.L.); (G.M.); (J.M.S.); (F.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-520-626-2820
| | - Michael Remesic
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (M.R.); (C.R.-C.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Cyf Ramos-Colon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (M.R.); (C.R.-C.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Zhijun Wu
- ABC Resource, Plainsboro, NJ 08536, USA;
| | - Justin LaVigne
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; (J.L.); (G.M.); (J.M.S.); (F.P.)
| | - Gabriella Molnar
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; (J.L.); (G.M.); (J.M.S.); (F.P.)
| | - Dagmara Tymecka
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura, PL-02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (D.T.); (A.M.)
| | - Aleksandra Misicka
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura, PL-02-093 Warsaw, Poland; (D.T.); (A.M.)
| | - John M. Streicher
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; (J.L.); (G.M.); (J.M.S.); (F.P.)
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (M.R.); (C.R.-C.); (V.J.H.)
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; (J.L.); (G.M.); (J.M.S.); (F.P.)
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6
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Kondrashov M, Svensson SPS, Ström P, Westermark A, Jacobson-Ingemyr H, Takano A, Tari L, Tóth M, Cai M, Hruby VJ, Schou M. Multiple Applications of a Novel Biarsenical Imaging Probe in Fluorescence and PET Imaging of Melanoma. Bioconjug Chem 2021; 32:497-501. [PMID: 33576604 PMCID: PMC8023571 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.0c00671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
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A new fluorescent
biarsenical peptide labeling probe was synthesized
and labeled with the radioactive isotopes 11C and 18F. The utility of this probe was demonstrated by installing
each of these isotopes into a melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) binding
peptide, which targets melanoma tumors. Its applicability was further
showcased by subsequent in vitro imaging in cells
as well as in vivo imaging in melanoma xenograft
mice by fluorescence and positron emission tomography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Kondrashov
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Samuel P S Svensson
- Biopercept Ltd, PR2 5DB, Barnfield Way, Preston, United Kingdom.,Department of Chemistry, Linkoping University, 581 83, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Peter Ström
- Novandi Chemistry AB, 151 36, Södertälje, Sweden
| | - Andreas Westermark
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hanna Jacobson-Ingemyr
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Akihiro Takano
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lenke Tari
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Miklós Tóth
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Magnus Schou
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.,AstraZeneca PET Science Centre at Karolinska Institutet, Precision Medicine and Biosamples, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Karolinska Institutet, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
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7
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Malik U, Chan LY, Cai M, Hruby VJ, Kaas Q, Daly NL, Craik DJ. Development of novel frog‐skin peptide scaffolds with selectivity towards melanocortin receptor subtypes. Pept Sci (Hoboken) 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pep2.24209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Uru Malik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Lai Yue Chan
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Norelle L. Daly
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine James Cook University Cairns Queensland Australia
| | - David J. Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science The University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
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8
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Banday AH, Hruby VJ. Ionic Liquid Catalyzed Efficient Regioselective Synthesis of 1,4- Disubstituted 1,2,3-Triazoles under Metal and Solvent free Conditions. COCAT 2020. [DOI: 10.2174/2213337207999200831105105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Background:
Unprecedented, one-pot regioselective synthesis of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles through azide-
aldehyde (3+2) organo-click cycloaddition under metal and solvent-free conditions, is described.
Objective:
Solvent and metal free synthesis of biologically and industrially important triazoles.
Methods:
Efficient and high yielding synthesis of products avoiding the tedious high solvent workups and chromatographic
separations. The synthesis doesn’t involve the routine acetylenes which are very costly but instead cheaper starting
materials like aldehydes and organic azides are used.
Results:
Green protocol based on the catalysis through Ionic Liquids which simultaneously act as solvents. The products
are obtained in good to excellent yields in hassle free synthesis.
Conclusion:
Efficient and green synthesis of structurally and biologically important triazoles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abid H. Banday
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
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9
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Zhou Y, Mowlazadeh Haghighi S, Liu Z, Wang L, Hruby VJ, Cai M. Development of Ligand-Drug Conjugates Targeting Melanoma through the Overexpressed Melanocortin 1 Receptor. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020; 3:921-930. [PMID: 33073191 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma is a lethal form of skin cancer. Despite recent breakthroughs of BRAF-V600E and PD-1 inhibitors showing remarkable clinical responses, melanoma can eventually survive these targeted therapies and become resistant. To solve the drug resistance issue, we designed and synthesized ligand-drug conjugates that couple cytotoxic drugs, which have a low cancer resistance issue, with the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) agonist melanotan-II (MT-II), which provides specificity to MC1R-overexpressing melanoma. The drug-MT-II conjugates maintain strong binding interactions to MC1R and induce selective drug delivery to A375 melanoma cells through its MT-II moiety in vitro. Furthermore, using camptothecin as the cytotoxic drug, camptothecin-MT-II (compound 1) can effectively inhibit A375 melanoma cell growth with an IC50 of 16 nM. By providing selectivity to melanoma cells through its MT-II moiety, this approach of drug-MT-II conjugates enables us to have many more options for cytotoxic drug selection, which can be the key to solving the cancer resistant problem for melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Saghar Mowlazadeh Haghighi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Zekun Liu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Lingzhi Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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10
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Kadiri JJ, Thapa K, Kaipio K, Cai M, Hruby VJ, Rinne P. Melanocortin 3 receptor activation with [D-Trp8]-γ-MSH suppresses inflammation in apolipoprotein E deficient mice. Eur J Pharmacol 2020; 880:173186. [PMID: 32416182 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The melanocortin MC1 and MC3 receptors elicit anti-inflammatory actions in leukocytes and activation of these receptors has been shown to alleviate arterial inflammation in experimental atherosclerosis. Thus, we aimed to investigate whether selective targeting of melanocortin MC3 receptor protects against atherosclerosis. Apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE-/-) mice were fed high-fat diet for 12 weeks and randomly assigned to receive either vehicle (n = 11) or the selective melanocortin MC3 receptor agonist [D-Trp(8)]-gamma-melanocyte-stimulating hormone ([D-Trp8]-γ-MSH; 15 μg/day, n = 10) for the last 4 weeks. Lesion size as well as macrophage and collagen content in the aortic root plaques were determined. Furthermore, leukocyte counts in the blood and aorta and cytokine mRNA expression levels in the spleen, liver and aorta were quantified. No effect was observed in the body weight development or plasma cholesterol level between the two treatment groups. However, [D-Trp8]-γ-MSH treatment significantly reduced plasma levels of chemokine (C-C motif) ligands 2, 4 and 5. Likewise, cytokine and adhesion molecule expression levels were reduced in the spleen and liver of γ-MSH-treated mice, but not substantially in the aorta. In line with these findings, [D-Trp8]-γ-MSH treatment reduced leukocyte counts in the blood and aorta. Despite reduced inflammation, [D-Trp8]-γ-MSH did not change lesion size, macrophage content or collagen deposition of aortic root plaques. In conclusion, the findings indicate that selective activation of melanocortin MC3 receptor by [D-Trp8]-γ-MSH suppresses systemic and local inflammation and thereby also limits leukocyte accumulation in the aorta. However, the treatment was ineffective in reducing atherosclerotic plaque size.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology
- Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use
- Aorta/drug effects
- Aorta/immunology
- Aorta/pathology
- Cells, Cultured
- Cholesterol/blood
- Cytokines/blood
- Cytokines/genetics
- Diet, High-Fat
- Endothelial Cells
- Female
- Inflammation/immunology
- Leukocyte Count
- Liver/drug effects
- Liver/immunology
- Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones/pharmacology
- Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones/therapeutic use
- Mice, Knockout, ApoE
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/drug therapy
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/immunology
- Plaque, Atherosclerotic/pathology
- Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 3/agonists
- Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 3/immunology
- Spleen/drug effects
- Spleen/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Kadiri
- Research Centre for Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Finland; Turku Center for Disease Modeling, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Keshav Thapa
- Research Centre for Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Finland; Turku Center for Disease Modeling, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Katja Kaipio
- Department of Pathology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Petteri Rinne
- Research Centre for Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Finland; Turku Center for Disease Modeling, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
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11
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Wu Z, Hruby VJ. Toward a Universal μ-Agonist Template for Template-Based Alignment Modeling of Opioid Ligands. ACS Omega 2019; 4:17457-17476. [PMID: 31656918 PMCID: PMC6812133 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b02244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Opioid ligands are a large group of G-protein-coupled receptor ligands possessing high structural diversity, along with complicated structure-activity relationships (SARs). To better understand their structural correlations as well as the related SARs, we developed the innovative template-based alignment modeling in our recent studies on a variety of opioid ligands. As previously reported, this approach showed promise but also with limitations, which was mainly attributed to the small size of morphine as a template. With this study, we set out to construct an artificial μ-agonist template to overcome this limitation. The newly constructed template contained a largely extended scaffold, along with a few special μ-features relevant to the μ-selectivity of opioid ligands. As demonstrated in this paper, the new template showed significantly improved efficacy in facilitating the alignment modeling of a wide variety of opioid ligands. This report comprises of two main parts. Part 1 discusses the general construction process and the structural features as well as a few typical examples of the template applications and Part 2 focuses on the template refinement and validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijun Wu
- ABC Resource, Plainsboro, New Jersey 08536, United States
- E-mail:
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85716, United States
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12
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Zhou Y, Banday AH, Hruby VJ, Cai M. Development of N-Acetylated Dipalmitoyl- S-Glyceryl Cysteine Analogs as Efficient TLR2/TLR6 Agonists. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24193512. [PMID: 31569697 PMCID: PMC6803979 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24193512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer vaccine is a promising immunotherapeutic approach to train the immune system with vaccines to recognize and eliminate tumors. Adjuvants are compounds that are necessary in cancer vaccines to mimic an infection process and amplify immune responses. The Toll-like receptor 2 and 6 (TLR2/TLR6) agonist dipalmitoyl-S-glyceryl cysteine (Pam2Cys) was demonstrated as an ideal candidate for synthetic vaccine adjuvants. However, the synthesis of Pam2Cys requires expensive N-protected cysteine as a key reactant, which greatly limits its application as a synthetic vaccine adjuvant in large-scaled studies. Here, we report the development of N-acetylated Pam2Cys analogs as TLR2/TLR6 agonists. Instead of N-protected cysteine, the synthesis utilizes N-acetylcysteine to bring down the synthetic costs. The N-acetylated Pam2Cys analogs were demonstrated to activate TLR2/TLR6 in vitro. Moreover, molecular docking studies were performed to provide insights into the molecular mechanism of how N-acetylated Pam2Cys analogs bind to TLR2/TLR6. Together, these results suggest N-acetylated Pam2Cys analogs as inexpensive and promising synthetic vaccine adjuvants to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Abid H Banday
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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13
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Hruby VJ. Multivalent peptide and peptidomimetic ligands for the treatment of pain without toxicities and addiction. Peptides 2019; 116:63-67. [PMID: 31014958 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 02/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The current opioid crisis has created a tragic problem in medicine and society. Pain is the most ubiquitous and costly disease in society and yet all of our "treatments" have toxicities, especially for prolonged use. However, there are several alternatives that have been discovered in the past fifteen years that have been demonstrated in animals to have none of the toxicities of current drugs. Many of the compounds are multivalent and have novel biological activity profiles. Unfortunately, none of these have been in clinical trials in humans, perhaps because they were discovered in academic laboratories. A review of these novel chemicals are given in this paper.
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MESH Headings
- Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use
- Animals
- Humans
- Ligands
- Opioid Peptides/chemistry
- Opioid Peptides/therapeutic use
- Pain/drug therapy
- Pain/pathology
- Pain Management
- Peptides/adverse effects
- Peptides/therapeutic use
- Peptidomimetics/adverse effects
- Peptidomimetics/therapeutic use
- Receptors, Opioid/chemistry
- Receptors, Opioid/therapeutic use
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/chemistry
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/genetics
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/chemistry
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
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14
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Zhou Y, Mowlazadeh Haghighi S, Zoi I, Sawyer JR, Hruby VJ, Cai M. Correction to Design of MC1R Selective γ-MSH Analogues with Canonical Amino Acids Leads to Potency and Pigmentation. J Med Chem 2018; 61:8945. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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15
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Sandweiss AJ, McIntosh MI, Moutal A, Davidson-Knapp R, Hu J, Giri AK, Yamamoto T, Hruby VJ, Khanna R, Largent-Milnes TM, Vanderah TW. Genetic and pharmacological antagonism of NK 1 receptor prevents opiate abuse potential. Mol Psychiatry 2018; 23:1745-1755. [PMID: 28485408 PMCID: PMC5680162 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2017.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Revised: 03/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Development of an efficacious, non-addicting analgesic has been challenging. Discovery of novel mechanisms underlying addiction may present a solution. Here we target the neurokinin system, which is involved in both pain and addiction. Morphine exerts its rewarding actions, at least in part, by inhibiting GABAergic input onto substance P (SP) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), subsequently increasing SP release onto dopaminergic neurons. Genome editing of the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) in the VTA renders morphine non-rewarding. Complementing our genetic approach, we demonstrate utility of a bivalent pharmacophore with dual activity as a μ/δ opioid agonist and NK1R antagonist in inhibiting nociception in an animal model of acute pain while lacking any positive reinforcement. These data indicate that dual targeting of the dopaminergic reward circuitry and pain pathways with a multifunctional opioid agonist-NK1R antagonist may be an efficacious strategy in developing future analgesics that lack abuse potential.
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MESH Headings
- Acute Pain/drug therapy
- Acute Pain/metabolism
- Analgesics/pharmacology
- Animals
- CRISPR-Cas Systems
- Disease Models, Animal
- Dopamine/metabolism
- Escherichia coli
- Gene Knockdown Techniques
- Male
- Mice, Inbred ICR
- Morphine/pharmacology
- Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists/pharmacology
- Nociceptive Pain/drug therapy
- Nociceptive Pain/metabolism
- Opioid-Related Disorders/genetics
- Opioid-Related Disorders/metabolism
- Opioid-Related Disorders/prevention & control
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Receptors, Neurokinin-1/genetics
- Receptors, Neurokinin-1/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/metabolism
- Reward
- Substance P/metabolism
- Ventral Tegmental Area/drug effects
- Ventral Tegmental Area/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Sandweiss
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - M I McIntosh
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - A Moutal
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - R Davidson-Knapp
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - J Hu
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - A K Giri
- Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - T Yamamoto
- Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - V J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - R Khanna
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - T M Largent-Milnes
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - T W Vanderah
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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16
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Olson KM, Keresztes A, Tashiro JK, Daconta LV, Hruby VJ, Streicher JM. Synthesis and Evaluation of a Novel Bivalent Selective Antagonist for the Mu-Delta Opioid Receptor Heterodimer that Reduces Morphine Withdrawal in Mice. J Med Chem 2018; 61:6075-6086. [PMID: 29939746 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A major limitation in the study of the mu-delta opioid receptor heterodimer (MDOR) is that few selective pharmacological tools exist and no heteromer-selective antagonists. We thus designed a series of variable-length (15-41 atoms) bivalent linked peptides with selective but moderate/low-affinity pharmacophores for the mu and delta opioid receptors. We observed a U-shaped MDOR potency/affinity profile in vitro, with the 24-atom spacer length (D24M) producing the highest MDOR potency/affinity (<1 nM) and selectivity (≥89-fold). We further evaluated D24M in mice and observed that D24M dose-dependently antagonized tail flick antinociception produced by the MDOR agonists CYM51010 and Deltorphin-II, without antagonizing the monomer agonists DAMGO and DSLET. We also observed that D24M sharply reduced withdrawal behavior in models of acute and chronic morphine dependence. These findings suggest that D24M is a first-in-class high-potency MDOR-selective antagonist both in vitro and in vivo.
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17
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Mowlazadeh Haghighi S, Zhou Y, Dai J, Sawyer JR, Hruby VJ, Cai M. Replacement of Arg with Nle and modified D-Phe in the core sequence of MSHs, Ac-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH 2, leads to hMC1R selectivity and pigmentation. Eur J Med Chem 2018; 151:815-823. [PMID: 29679901 PMCID: PMC6003700 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma skin cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the US [1]. A great need exists for improved formulations and mechanisms to prevent and protect human skin from cancers and other skin damage caused by sunlight exposure. Current efforts to prevent UV damage to human skin, which in many cases leads to melanoma and other skin cancers. The primordial melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) is involved in regulating skin pigmentation and hair color, which is a natural prevention from UV damage. The endogenous melanocortin agonists induce pigmentation and share a core pharmacophore sequence "His-Phe-Arg-Trp", and it was found that substitution of the Phe by D-Phe results in increasing melanocortin receptor potency. To improve the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) selectivity a series of tetra-peptides with the moiety of Ac-Xaa-Yaa-Nle-Trp-NH2, and structural modifications to reduce electrostatic ligand-receptor interactions have been designed and synthesized. It is discovered that the tetrapeptide Ac-His-D-Phe(4-CF3)-Nle-Trp-NH2 resulted in a potent and selective hMC1R agonist at the hMC1R (EC50: 10 nM). Lizard anolis carolinensis pigmentation study shows very high potency in vivo. NMR studies revealed a reversed β turn structure which led to the potency and selectivity towards the hMC1R.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
| | - Jixun Dai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
| | - Jonathon R Sawyer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States.
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18
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Merlino F, Zhou Y, Cai M, Carotenuto A, Yousif AM, Brancaccio D, Di Maro S, Zappavigna S, Limatola A, Novellino E, Grieco P, Hruby VJ. Development of Macrocyclic Peptidomimetics Containing Constrained α,α-Dialkylated Amino Acids with Potent and Selective Activity at Human Melanocortin Receptors. J Med Chem 2018; 61:4263-4269. [PMID: 29660981 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
We report the development of macrocyclic melanocortin derivatives of MT-II and SHU-9119, achieved by modifying the cycle dimension and incorporating constrained amino acids in ring-closing. This study culminated in the discovery of novel agonists/antagonists with an unprecedented activity profile by adding pieces to the puzzle of the melanocortin receptor selectivity. Finally, the resulting 19- and 20-membered rings represent a suitable frame for the design of further therapeutic ligands as selective modulators of the melanocortin system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Merlino
- Department of Pharmacy , University of Naples "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Naples , Italy
| | - Yang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Arizona , 1306 E. University Boulevard , Tucson , Arizona 85721 , United States
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Arizona , 1306 E. University Boulevard , Tucson , Arizona 85721 , United States
| | - Alfonso Carotenuto
- Department of Pharmacy , University of Naples "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Naples , Italy
| | - Ali M Yousif
- Department of Pharmacy , University of Naples "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Naples , Italy
| | - Diego Brancaccio
- Department of Pharmacy , University of Naples "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Naples , Italy
| | - Salvatore Di Maro
- DiSTABiF , University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" , Via Vivaldi 43 , 81100 Caserta , Italy
| | - Silvia Zappavigna
- Department of Precision Medicine , University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" , Via Costantinopoli 16 , 80138 Naples , Italy
| | - Antonio Limatola
- Department of Biology , Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 , United States
| | - Ettore Novellino
- Department of Pharmacy , University of Naples "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Naples , Italy
| | - Paolo Grieco
- Department of Pharmacy , University of Naples "Federico II" , Via D. Montesano 49 , 80131 Naples , Italy
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Arizona , 1306 E. University Boulevard , Tucson , Arizona 85721 , United States
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19
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Durek T, Cromm PM, White AM, Schroeder CI, Kaas Q, Weidmann J, Ahmad Fuaad A, Cheneval O, Harvey PJ, Daly NL, Zhou Y, Dellsén A, Österlund T, Larsson N, Knerr L, Bauer U, Kessler H, Cai M, Hruby VJ, Plowright AT, Craik DJ. Development of Novel Melanocortin Receptor Agonists Based on the Cyclic Peptide Framework of Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor-1. J Med Chem 2018; 61:3674-3684. [PMID: 29605997 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Ultrastable cyclic peptide frameworks offer great potential for drug design due to their improved bioavailability compared to their linear analogues. Using the sunflower trypsin inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1) peptide scaffold in combination with systematic N-methylation of the grafted pharmacophore led to the identification of novel subtype selective melanocortin receptor (MCR) agonists. Multiple bicyclic peptides were synthesized and tested toward their activity at MC1R and MC3-5R. Double N-methylated compound 18 showed a p Ki of 8.73 ± 0.08 ( Ki = 1.92 ± 0.34 nM) and a pEC50 of 9.13 ± 0.04 (EC50 = 0.75 ± 0.08 nM) at the human MC1R and was over 100 times more selective for MC1R. Nuclear magnetic resonance structural analysis of 18 emphasized the role of peptide bond N-methylation in shaping the conformation of the grafted pharmacophore. More broadly, this study highlights the potential of cyclic peptide scaffolds for epitope grafting in combination with N-methylation to introduce receptor subtype selectivity in the context of peptide-based drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Durek
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Philipp M Cromm
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia.,Institute for Advanced Study and Center of Integrated Protein Science, Department Chemie , Technische Universität München , Lichtenbergstrasse 4 , 85747 Garching , Germany
| | - Andrew M White
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Christina I Schroeder
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Quentin Kaas
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Joachim Weidmann
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Abdullah Ahmad Fuaad
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Olivier Cheneval
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Peta J Harvey
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Norelle L Daly
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Yang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Arizona , Tucson , Arizona 85721 , United States
| | - Anita Dellsén
- Mechanistic Biology & Profiling, Discovery Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit , AstraZeneca , Gothenburg 43183 Sweden
| | - Torben Österlund
- Discovery Biology, Discovery Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit , AstraZeneca , Gothenburg 43183 Sweden.,Drug Safety and Metabolism, IMED Biotech Unit , AstraZeneca , Gothenburg 43183 Sweden
| | - Niklas Larsson
- Discovery Biology, Discovery Sciences, IMED Biotech Unit , AstraZeneca , Gothenburg 43183 Sweden
| | - Laurent Knerr
- Medicinal Chemistry, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit , AstraZeneca , Gothenburg 43183 Sweden
| | - Udo Bauer
- Medicinal Chemistry, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit , AstraZeneca , Gothenburg 43183 Sweden
| | - Horst Kessler
- Institute for Advanced Study and Center of Integrated Protein Science, Department Chemie , Technische Universität München , Lichtenbergstrasse 4 , 85747 Garching , Germany
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Arizona , Tucson , Arizona 85721 , United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Arizona , Tucson , Arizona 85721 , United States
| | - Alleyn T Plowright
- Medicinal Chemistry, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit , AstraZeneca , Gothenburg 43183 Sweden
| | - David J Craik
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience , The University of Queensland , Brisbane , QLD 4072 , Australia
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20
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Xu X, Struts AV, Kumar Giri A, Molugu TR, Guruge C, Faylough S, Nascimento CL, Nesnas N, Hruby VJ, Brown MF. Dynamics of Membrane Proteins Studied by Solid State 2H NMR Relaxation. Biophys J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.11.1346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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21
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Hruby VJ. Meet Our Editorial Board Member. Comb Chem High Throughput Screen 2018. [DOI: 10.2174/138620732009180117154041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
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22
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Forest KH, Alfulaij N, Arora K, Taketa R, Sherrin T, Todorovic C, Lawrence JLM, Yoshikawa GT, Ng HL, Hruby VJ, Nichols RA. Protection against β-amyloid neurotoxicity by a non-toxic endogenous N-terminal β-amyloid fragment and its active hexapeptide core sequence. J Neurochem 2017; 144:201-217. [PMID: 29164616 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Revised: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
High levels (μM) of beta amyloid (Aβ) oligomers are known to trigger neurotoxic effects, leading to synaptic impairment, behavioral deficits, and apoptotic cell death. The hydrophobic C-terminal domain of Aβ, together with sequences critical for oligomer formation, is essential for this neurotoxicity. However, Aβ at low levels (pM-nM) has been shown to function as a positive neuromodulator and this activity resides in the hydrophilic N-terminal domain of Aβ. An N-terminal Aβ fragment (1-15/16), found in cerebrospinal fluid, was also shown to be a highly active neuromodulator and to reverse Aβ-induced impairments of long-term potentiation. Here, we show the impact of this N-terminal Aβ fragment and a shorter hexapeptide core sequence in the Aβ fragment (Aβcore: 10-15) to protect or reverse Aβ-induced neuronal toxicity, fear memory deficits and apoptotic death. The neuroprotective effects of the N-terminal Aβ fragment and Aβcore on Aβ-induced changes in mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and apoptotic neuronal death were demonstrated via mitochondrial membrane potential, live reactive oxygen species, DNA fragmentation and cell survival assays using a model neuroblastoma cell line (differentiated NG108-15) and mouse hippocampal neuron cultures. The protective action of the N-terminal Aβ fragment and Aβcore against spatial memory processing deficits in amyloid precursor protein/PSEN1 (5XFAD) mice was demonstrated in contextual fear conditioning. Stabilized derivatives of the N-terminal Aβcore were also shown to be fully protective against Aβ-triggered oxidative stress. Together, these findings indicate an endogenous neuroprotective role for the N-terminal Aβ fragment, while active stabilized N-terminal Aβcore derivatives offer the potential for therapeutic application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly H Forest
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Naghum Alfulaij
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Komal Arora
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Ruth Taketa
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Tessi Sherrin
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Cedomir Todorovic
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - James L M Lawrence
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Gene T Yoshikawa
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Ho-Leung Ng
- Department of Chemistry, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Robert A Nichols
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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23
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Islam MR, Yang L, Lee YS, Hruby VJ, Karamyan VT, Abbruscato TJ. Enkephalin-Fentanyl Multifunctional Opioids as Potential Neuroprotectants for Ischemic Stroke Treatment. Curr Pharm Des 2017; 22:6459-6468. [PMID: 27510489 DOI: 10.2174/1381612822666160720170124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the world and effective neuroprotectants are yet to be developed. Recent studies have demonstrated excellent neuroprotective effects of a bivalent enkephalin opioid agonist, biphalin in multiple stroke models. METHODS The purpose of this study is to evaluate novel multifunctional enkephalin-fentanyl opioid agonists, LYS436, LYS739 and LYS416 for their neuroprotective potential using in vitro and in vivo ischemic stroke models and to compare the effect to that of biphalin. RESULTS In general, all non-selective opioid agonists significantly decreased neuronal cell death and levels of reactive oxygen species in primary neurons subjescted to hypoxia-aglycemia/re-oxygenation or NMDA neurotoxicity. Fluorinated enkephalin-fentanyl conjugate, LYS739 showed enhanced neuroprotection in both in vitro models compared to biphalin. Based on further in vitro screening and comparative studies to biphalin, LYS739 was selected as a lead for in vivo experimentation. A mouse middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) stroke model was utilized to study biphalin and the lead analog, LYS739. Both agonists significantly decreased brain infarct and edema ratios compared to saline treated group. Neurological impairment after stroke was statistically significantly improved in terms of neurological score and locomotor activities with LYS739 and biphalin treatment. Importantly, LYS739 and biphalin demonstrated better neuroprotection compared to fentanyl, and this effect was reversed by non-selective opioid antagonist naltrexone. CONCLUSION In summary, the results of this study suggest that the multifunctional fluorinated enkephalin analog, LYS739 can be considered as a potential lead for ischemic stroke research and may provide advantages given the multimeric peptide-opiate structure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Thomas J Abbruscato
- Chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Amarillo, Texas, 79106, United States
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24
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Zhou Y, Mowlazadeh Haghighi S, Zoi I, Sawyer JR, Hruby VJ, Cai M. Design of MC1R Selective γ-MSH Analogues with Canonical Amino Acids Leads to Potency and Pigmentation. J Med Chem 2017; 60:9320-9329. [PMID: 29094944 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b01295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma is a lethal form of skin cancer. Skin pigmentation, which is regulated by the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), is an effective protection against melanoma. However, the endogenous MC1R agonists lack selectivity for the MC1R and thus can have side effects. The use of noncanonical amino acids in previous MC1R ligand development raises safety concerns. Here we report the development of the first potent and selective hMC1R agonist with only canonical amino acids. Using γ-MSH as a template, we developed a peptide, [Leu3, Leu7, Phe8]-γ-MSH-NH2 (compound 5), which is 16-fold selective for the hMC1R (EC50 = 4.5 nM) versus other melanocortin receptors. Conformational studies revealed a constrained conformation for this linear peptide. Molecular docking demonstrated a hydrophobic binding pocket for the melanocortin 1 receptor. In vivo pigmentation study shows high potency and short duration. [Leu3, Leu7, Phe8]-γ-MSH-NH2 is ideal for inducing short-term skin pigmentation without sun for melanoma prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Saghar Mowlazadeh Haghighi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Ioanna Zoi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Jonathon R Sawyer
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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Cai M, Marelli UK, Mertz B, Beck JG, Opperer F, Rechenmacher F, Kessler H, Hruby VJ. Structural Insights into Selective Ligand-Receptor Interactions Leading to Receptor Inactivation Utilizing Selective Melanocortin 3 Receptor Antagonists. Biochemistry 2017; 56:4201-4209. [PMID: 28715181 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b00407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Systematic N-methylated derivatives of the melanocortin receptor ligand, SHU9119, lead to multiple binding and functional selectivity toward melanocortin receptors. However, the relationship between N-methylation-induced conformational changes in the peptide backbone and side chains and melanocortin receptor selectivity is still unknown. We conducted comprehensive conformational studies in solution of two selective antagonists of the third isoform of the melanocortin receptor (hMC3R), namely, Ac-Nle-c[Asp-NMe-His6-d-Nal(2')7-NMe-Arg8-Trp9-Lys]-NH2 (15) and Ac-Nle-c[Asp-His6-d-Nal(2')7-NMe-Arg8-NMe-Trp9-NMe-Lys]-NH2 (17). It is known that the pharmacophore (His6-DNal7-Arg8-Trp9) of the SHU-9119 peptides occupies a β II-turn-like region with the turn centered about DNal7-Arg8. The analogues with hMC3R selectivity showed distinct differences in the spatial arrangement of the Trp9 side chains. In addition to our NMR studies, we also carried out molecular-level interaction studies of these two peptides at the homology model of hMC3R. Earlier chimeric human melanocortin 3 receptor studies revealed insights regarding the binding and functional sites of hMC3R selectivity. Upon docking of peptides 15 and 17 to the binding pocket of hMC3R, it was revealed that Arg8 and Trp9 side chains are involved in a majority of the interactions with the receptor. While Arg8 forms polar contacts with D154 and D158 of hMC3R, Trp9 utilizes π-π stacking interactions with F295 and F298, located on the transmembrane domain of hMC3R. It is hypothesized that as the frequency of Trp9-hMC3R interactions decrease, antagonistic activity increases. The absence of any interactions of the N-methyl groups with hMC3R suggests that their primary function is to modulate backbone conformations of the ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Udaya Kiran Marelli
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Blake Mertz
- C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, United States
| | - Johannes G Beck
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Florian Opperer
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Florian Rechenmacher
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Horst Kessler
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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Remesic M, Hruby VJ, Porreca F, Lee YS. Recent Advances in the Realm of Allosteric Modulators for Opioid Receptors for Future Therapeutics. ACS Chem Neurosci 2017; 8:1147-1158. [PMID: 28368571 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.7b00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Opioids, and more specifically μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists such as morphine, have long been clinically used as therapeutics for severe pain states but often come with serious side effects such as addiction and tolerance. Many studies have focused on bringing about analgesia from the MOR with attenuated side effects, but its underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Recently, focus has been geared toward the design and elucidation of the orthosteric site with ligands of various biological profiles and mixed subtype opioid activities and selectivities, but targeting the allosteric site is an area of increasing interest. It has been shown that allosteric modulators play key roles in influencing receptor function such as its tolerance to a ligand and affect downstream pathways. There has been a high variance of chemical structures that provide allosteric modulation at a given receptor, but recent studies and reviews tend to focus on the altered cellular mechanisms instead of providing a more rigorous description of the allosteric ligand's structure-function relationship. In this review, we aim to explore recent developments in the structural motifs that potentiate orthosteric binding and their influences on cellular pathways in an effort to present novel approaches to opioid therapeutic design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Remesic
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department
of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Yeon Sun Lee
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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Rinne P, Rami M, Nuutinen S, Santovito D, van der Vorst EPC, Guillamat-Prats R, Lyytikäinen LP, Raitoharju E, Oksala N, Ring L, Cai M, Hruby VJ, Lehtimäki T, Weber C, Steffens S. Melanocortin 1 Receptor Signaling Regulates Cholesterol Transport in Macrophages. Circulation 2017; 136:83-97. [PMID: 28450348 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.116.025889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1-R) is expressed by monocytes and macrophages, where it exerts anti-inflammatory actions on stimulation with its natural ligand α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. The present study was designed to investigate the specific role of MC1-R in the context of atherosclerosis and possible regulatory pathways of MC1-R beyond anti-inflammation. METHODS Human and mouse atherosclerotic samples and primary mouse macrophages were used to study the regulatory functions of MC1-R. The impact of pharmacological MC1-R activation on atherosclerosis was assessed in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. RESULTS Characterization of human and mouse atherosclerotic plaques revealed that MC1-R expression localizes in lesional macrophages and is significantly associated with the ATP-binding cassette transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1, which are responsible for initiating reverse cholesterol transport. Using bone marrow-derived macrophages, we observed that α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and selective MC1-R agonists similarly promoted cholesterol efflux, which is a counterregulatory mechanism against foam cell formation. Mechanistically, MC1-R activation upregulated the levels of ABCA1 and ABCG1. These effects were accompanied by a reduction in cell surface CD36 expression and in cholesterol uptake, further protecting macrophages from excessive lipid accumulation. Conversely, macrophages deficient in functional MC1-R displayed a phenotype with impaired efflux and enhanced uptake of cholesterol. Pharmacological targeting of MC1-R in atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice reduced plasma cholesterol levels and aortic CD36 expression and increased plaque ABCG1 expression and signs of plaque stability. CONCLUSIONS Our findings identify a novel role for MC1-R in macrophage cholesterol transport. Activation of MC1-R confers protection against macrophage foam cell formation through a dual mechanism: It prevents cholesterol uptake while concomitantly promoting ABCA1- and ABCG1-mediated reverse cholesterol transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petteri Rinne
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.).
| | - Martina Rami
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Salla Nuutinen
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Donato Santovito
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Emiel P C van der Vorst
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Raquel Guillamat-Prats
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Leo-Pekka Lyytikäinen
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Emma Raitoharju
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Niku Oksala
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Larisa Ring
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Minying Cai
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Victor J Hruby
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Terho Lehtimäki
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Christian Weber
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
| | - Sabine Steffens
- From Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany (P.R., M.R., D.S., E.P.C.v.d.V., R.Q.-P., L.R., C.W., S.S.); Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland (P.R., S.N.); Department of Clinical Chemistry, Fimlab Laboratories and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Center, Tampere, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Tampere (L.-P.L., E.R., N.O., T.L.); Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Finland (N.O.); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson (M.C., V.J.H.); and German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany (C.W., S.S.)
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Vardanyan RS, Cain JP, Haghighi SM, Kumirov VK, McIntosh MI, Sandweiss AJ, Porreca F, Hruby VJ. Synthesis and Investigation of Mixed μ-Opioid and δ-Opioid Agonists as Possible Bivalent Ligands for Treatment of Pain. J Heterocycl Chem 2017; 54:1228-1235. [PMID: 28819330 PMCID: PMC5557416 DOI: 10.1002/jhet.2696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have suggested functional association between μ-opioid and δ-opioid receptors and showed that μ-activity could be modulated by δ-ligands. The general conclusion is that agonists for the δ-receptor can enhance the analgesic potency and efficacy of μ-agonists. Our preliminary investigations demonstrate that new bivalent ligands constructed from the μ-agonist fentanyl and the δ-agonist enkephalin-like peptides are promising entities for creation of new analgesics with reduced side effects for treatment of neuropathic pain. A new superposition of the mentioned pharmacophores led to novel μ-bivalent/δ-bivalent compounds that demonstrate both μ-opioid and δ-opioid receptor agonist activity and high efficacy in anti-inflammatory and neuropathic pain models with the potential of reduced unwanted side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben S. Vardanyan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, US
| | - James P. Cain
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, US
| | | | - Vlad K. Kumirov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, US
| | - Mary I. McIntosh
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Alexander J. Sandweiss
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, US
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Abstract
This article describes the development of cyclic peptides for G-protein coupled receptors to enable structure-function knowledge and the design of novel therapeutics. One important property of cyclic peptides is that they tend to be resistant to the digestion, enabling them to survive in the human digestive tract. This trait makes them very important as drug leads or as scaffolds which, in theory, can be engineered to incorporate a peptide domain of medicinal value. This is especially important for delivery of peptides that would be destroyed without such implementation. The melanocortin system is the focus of this article, and includes melanotropin ligands and melanocortin receptors. We examine two strategies to constrain the melanotropin peptide backbone. The first is based on global constraint of peptides by cyclization using various kinds of linkers. In the second approach we describe the use of a natural cyclized template, the cyclotide, to graft the melanotropin phamacophore, -His-Phe-Arg-Trp-, to obtain selective drug leads. In these examples the conserved melanocyte stimulating hormone pharmacophore is examined and the modified peptides were synthesized by solid phase methodology. Biological studies confirmed the production of selective, potent and in some cases orally available ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ, 85721
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E University Blvd, Tucson, AZ, 85721
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Hall SM, LeBaron L, Ramos-Colon C, Qu C, Xie JY, Porreca F, Lai J, Lee YS, Hruby VJ. Discovery of Stable Non-opioid Dynorphin A Analogues Interacting at the Bradykinin Receptors for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain. ACS Chem Neurosci 2016; 7:1746-1752. [PMID: 27619237 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynorphin A (Dyn A) is a unique endogenous ligand that possesses well-known neuroinhibitory effects via opioid receptors with a preference for the kappa receptor but also neuroexcitatory effects, which cause hyperalgesia. We have shown that the neuroexcitatory effects are mediated through bradykinin (BK) receptors and that intrathecal (i.th.) administration of our lead ligand 1, [des-Arg7]-Dyn A-(4-11), which shows good binding affinity (IC50 = 150 nM) at the BK receptors, blocks Dyn A-induced hyperalgesia in naïve animals and reverses thermal and tactile hypersensitivities in a dose-dependent manner in nerve-injured animals. However, 1 has a serious drawback as a potential drug candidate for the treatment of neuropathic pain because of its susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. In an effort to increase its stability, we modified ligand 1 using non-natural amino acids and found that analogues substituted at or near the N-terminus with a d-isomer retain binding at the receptor and provide a large increase in stability. In particular when Leu5 was modified, with either the d-isomer or N-methylation, there was a large increase in stability (t1/2 = 0.7-160 h in rat plasma) observed. From these studies, we have developed a very stable Dyn A analogue 16, [d-Leu5,des-Arg7]-Dyn A-(4-11), that binds to BK receptors (IC50 = 130 nM) in the same range as ligand 1 and shows good antihyperalgesic effects in both naïve rats and L5/L6 spinal nerve ligation rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M. Hall
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Lindsay LeBaron
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Cyf Ramos-Colon
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Chaoling Qu
- Department
of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Jennifer Yanhua Xie
- Department
of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department
of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Josephine Lai
- Department
of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85719, United States
| | - Yeon Sun Lee
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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Ramos-Colon CN, Lee YS, Remesic M, Hall SM, LaVigne J, Davis P, Sandweiss AJ, McIntosh MI, Hanson J, Largent-Milnes TM, Vanderah TW, Streicher J, Porreca F, Hruby VJ. Structure-Activity Relationships of [des-Arg 7]Dynorphin A Analogues at the κ Opioid Receptor. J Med Chem 2016; 59:10291-10298. [PMID: 27797517 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b01411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Dynorphin A (Dyn A) is an endogenous ligand for the opioid receptors with preference for the κ opioid receptor (KOR), and its structure-activity relationship (SAR) has been extensively studied at the KOR to develop selective potent agonists and antagonists. Numerous SAR studies have revealed that the Arg7 residue is essential for KOR activity. In contrast, our systematic SAR studies on [des-Arg7]Dyn A analogues found that Arg7 is not a key residue and even deletion of the residue does not affect biological activities at the KOR. In addition, it was also found that [des-Arg7]Dyn A(1-9)-NH2 is a minimum pharmacophore and its modification at the N-terminus leads to selective KOR antagonists. A lead ligand, 14, with high affinity and antagonist activity showed improved metabolic stability and could block antinociceptive effects of a KOR selective agonist, FE200665, in vivo, indicating high potential to treat KOR mediated disorders such as stress-induced relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyf N Ramos-Colon
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Yeon Sun Lee
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Michael Remesic
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Sara M Hall
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Justin LaVigne
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Peg Davis
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Alexander J Sandweiss
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Mary I McIntosh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Jessica Hanson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Tally M Largent-Milnes
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Todd W Vanderah
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - John Streicher
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and §Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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Hruby VJ. Design of cyclic peptides with biological activities from biologically active peptides: the case of peptide modulators of melanocortin receptors. Biopolymers 2016; 106:884-888. [PMID: 27486849 PMCID: PMC5120999 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Design of biologically active peptides is of critical importance for the development of potent, selective, nontoxic bioavailable drugs. A major approach that has been developed to accomplish this is the development of methods for the design and synthesis of a wide variety of cyclic peptides and peptidomimetics. In this short and general review, we outline the methods that have been developed for cyclization of peptides and how these have been used for peptide and peptidomimetic design using the melanotropin peptides and melanocortin receptors MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R to illustrate aspects of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1306 East University Boulevard, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, U.S.A.
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Lee YS, Remesic M, Ramos-Colon C, Hall SM, Kuzmin A, Rankin D, Porreca F, Lai J, Hruby VJ. Cyclic non-opioid dynorphin A analogues for the bradykinin receptors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2016; 26:5513-5516. [PMID: 27756562 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2016.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Nerve injury and inflammation cause up-regulation of an endogenous opioid ligand, dynorphin A (Dyn A), in the spinal cord resulting in hyperalgesia via the interaction with bradykinin receptors (BRs). This is a non-opioid neuroexcitatory effect that cannot be blocked by opioid antagonists. Our systematic structure-activity relationships study on Dyn A identified lead ligands 1 and 4, along with the key structural feature (i.e. amphipathicity) for the BRs. However, the ligands showed very low metabolic stability in plasma (t1/2 <1h) and therefore, in order to improve their metabolic stabilities with retained biological activities, various modifications were performed. Cyclization of ligand 4 afforded a cyclic Dyn A analogue 5 that retained the same range of binding affinity as the linear ligand with improved metabolic stability (t1/2 >5h) and therefore possesses the potential as a pharmacophoric scaffold to be utilized for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeon Sun Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - Michael Remesic
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Cyf Ramos-Colon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Sara M Hall
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Alexander Kuzmin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Josephine Lai
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Lee YS, Kupp R, Remesic MV, Ramos-Colon C, Hall SM, Chan C, Rankin D, Lai J, Porreca F, Hruby VJ. Various modifications of the amphipathic dynorphin A pharmacophore for rat brain bradykinin receptors. Chem Biol Drug Des 2016; 88:615-9. [PMID: 27203574 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
As a unique endogenous opioid ligand, dynorphin A shows paradoxical neuroexcitatory effects at bradykinin receptors, and the effects are known to be amplified by the upregulation of dynorphin A under chronic pain and inflammatory conditions. In our earlier structure-activity relationship studies, the amphipathic dynorphin A fragment, [Des-Arg(7) ]-Dyn A-(4-11), was identified as a pharmacophore for the bradykinin receptors along with key structural features. Here, further modifications of the pharmacophore showed that the position of a Pro residue is also an important feature because of its role in making (or disrupting) a β-turn or 310 helix structure which is crucial for receptor recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeon Sun Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
| | - Robert Kupp
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Michael V Remesic
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Cyf Ramos-Colon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Sara M Hall
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Christopher Chan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Josephine Lai
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Cai M, Hruby VJ. The Melanocortin Receptor System: A Target for Multiple Degenerative Diseases. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2016; 17:488-96. [PMID: 26916163 DOI: 10.2174/1389203717666160226145330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Revised: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The melanocortin receptor system consists of five closely related G-protein coupled receptors (MC1R, MC2R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R). These receptors are involved in many of the key biological functions for multicellular animals, including human beings. The natural agonist ligands for these receptors are derived by processing of a primordial animal gene product, proopiomelanocortin (POMC). The ligand for the MC2R is ACTH (Adrenal Corticotropic Hormone), a larger processed peptide from POMC. The natural ligands for the other 4 melanocortin receptors are smaller peptides including α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and related peptides from POMC (β-MSH and γ-MSH). They all contain the sequence His-Phe-Arg-Trp that is conserved throughout evolution. Thus, there has been considerable difficulty in developing highly selective ligands for the MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R. In this brief review, we discuss the various approaches that have been taken to design agonist and antagonist analogues and derivatives of the POMC peptides that are selective for the MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R receptors, via peptide, nonpeptide and peptidomimetic derivatives and analogues and their differential interactions with receptors that may help account for these selectivities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E. University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Huynh AS, Estrella V, Stark VE, Cohen AS, Chen T, Casagni TJ, Josan JS, Lloyd MC, Johnson J, Hruby VJ, Vagner J, Morse DL. Tumor Targeting and Pharmacokinetics of a Near-Infrared Fluorescent-Labeled δ-Opioid Receptor Antagonist Agent, Dmt-Tic-Cy5. Mol Pharm 2016; 13:534-44. [PMID: 26713599 PMCID: PMC4936951 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b00760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescence molecular imaging can be employed for the development of novel cancer targeting agents. Herein, we investigated the pharmacokinetics (PK) and cellular uptake of Dmt-Tic-Cy5, a delta-opioid receptor (δOR) antagonist-fluorescent dye conjugate, as a tumor-targeting molecular imaging agent. δOR expression is observed normally in the CNS, and pathologically in some tumors, including lung liver and breast cancers. In vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo experiments were conducted to image and quantify the fluorescence signal associated with Dmt-Tic-Cy5 over time using in vitro and intravital fluorescence microscopy and small animal fluorescence imaging of tumor-bearing mice. We observed specific retention of Dmt-Tic-Cy5 in tumors with maximum uptake in δOR-expressing positive tumors at 3 h and observable persistence for >96 h; clearance from δOR nonexpressing negative tumors by 6 h; and systemic clearance from normal organs by 24 h. Live-cell and intravital fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that Dmt-Tic-Cy5 had sustained cell-surface binding lasting at least 24 h with gradual internalization over the initial 6 h following administration. Dmt-Tic-Cy5 is a δOR-targeted agent that exhibits long-lasting and specific signal in δOR-expressing tumors, is rapidly cleared from systemic circulation, and is not retained in non-δOR-expressing tissues. Hence, Dmt-Tic-Cy5 has potential as a fluorescent tumor imaging agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Shanks Huynh
- Department of Cancer Imaging & Metabolism, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Veronica Estrella
- Department of Cancer Imaging & Metabolism, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Valerie E. Stark
- Department of Cancer Imaging & Metabolism, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Allison S. Cohen
- Department of Cancer Imaging & Metabolism, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Tingan Chen
- Analytic Microscopy Core, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Todd J. Casagni
- Department of Comparative Medicine, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Jatinder S. Josan
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, 1306 E University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719
| | - Mark C. Lloyd
- Analytic Microscopy Core, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Joseph Johnson
- Analytic Microscopy Core, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Arizona, 1306 E University Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719
| | - Josef Vagner
- The BIO5 Research Institute, University of Arizona, 1657 E Helen Street, Tucson, Arizona 85721
| | - David L. Morse
- Department of Cancer Imaging & Metabolism, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612
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Hruby VJ. Conformational and dynamic considerations in drug design for G-protein coupled receptors. Med Chem 2016. [DOI: 10.4172/2161-0444.c1.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Abstract
For decades the opioid receptors have been an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of pain. Since the first discovery of enkephalin, approximately a dozen endogenous opioid peptides have been known to produce opioid activity and analgesia, but their therapeutics have been limited mainly due to low blood brain barrier penetration and poor resistance to proteolytic degradation. One versatile approach to overcome these drawbacks is the cyclization of linear peptides to cyclic peptides with constrained topographical structure. Compared to their linear parents, cyclic analogs exhibit better metabolic stability, lower offtarget toxicity, and improved bioavailability. Extensive structure-activity relationship studies have uncovered promising compounds for the treatment of pain as well as further elucidate structural elements required for selective opioid receptor activity. The benefits that come with employing cyclization can be further enhanced through the generation of polycyclic derivatives. Opioid ligands generally have a short peptide chain and thus the realm of polycyclic peptides has yet to be explored. In this review, a brief history of designing ligands for the opioid receptors, including classic linear and cyclic ligands, is discussed along with recent approaches and successes of cyclic peptide ligands for the receptors. Various scaffolds and approaches to improve bioavailability are elaborated and concluded with a discourse towards polycyclic peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yeon Sun Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1306 E. University, P.O. Box 210041, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
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Deekonda S, Cole J, Sunna S, Rankin D, Largent-Milnes TM, Davis P, BassiriRad NM, Lai J, Vanderah TW, Porecca F, Hruby VJ. Enkephalin analogues with N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-2-ylmethyl)propionamide derivatives: Synthesis and biological evaluations. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2016; 26:222-7. [PMID: 26611918 PMCID: PMC4873255 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.10.081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2015] [Revised: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
N-Phenyl-N-(piperidin-2-ylmethyl)propionamide based bivalent ligands are unexplored for the design of opioid based ligands. Two series of hybrid molecules bearing N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-2-ylmethyl)propionamide derived small molecules conjugated with an enkephalin analogues with and without a linker (β-alanine) were designed and synthesized. Both bivalent ligand series exhibited remarkable binding affinities from nanomolar to subnanomolar range at both μ and δ opioid receptors and displayed potent agonist activities as well. The replacement of Tyr with Dmt and introduction of a linker between the small molecule and enkephalin analogue resulted in highly potent ligands. Both series of ligands showed excellent binding affinities at both μ (0.6-0.9nM) and δ (0.2-1.2nM) opioid receptors respectively. Similarly, these bivalent ligands exhibited potent agonist activities in both MVD and GPI assays. Ligand 17 was evaluated for in vivo antinociceptive activity in non-injured rats following spinal administration. Ligand 17 was not significantly effective in alleviating acute pain. The most likely explanations for this low intrinsic efficacy in vivo despite high in vitro binding affinity, moderate in vitro activity are (i) low potency suggesting that higher doses are needed; (ii) differences in experimental design (i.e. non-neuronal, high receptor density for in vitro preparations versus CNS site of action in vitro); (iii) pharmacodynamics (i.e. engaging signalling pathways); (iv) pharmacokinetics (i.e. metabolic stability). In summary, our data suggest that further optimisation of this compound 17 is required to enhance intrinsic antinociceptive efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivas Deekonda
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Jacob Cole
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Sydney Sunna
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | | | - Peg Davis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Neemah M BassiriRad
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Josephine Lai
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Todd W Vanderah
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Frank Porecca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States.
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Carotenuto A, Merlino F, Cai M, Brancaccio D, Yousif AM, Novellino E, Hruby VJ, Grieco P. Discovery of Novel Potent and Selective Agonists at the Melanocortin-3 Receptor. J Med Chem 2015; 58:9773-8. [PMID: 26599352 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The melanocortin receptors 3 and 4 control energy homeostasis, food-intake behavior, and correlated pathophysiological conditions. The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) has been broadly investigated. In contrast, the knowledge related to physiological roles of the melanocortin-3 receptor (MC3R) is lacking because of the limited number of known MC3R selective ligands. Here, we report the design, synthesis, biological activity, conformational analysis, and docking with receptors of two potent and selective agonists at the human MC3 receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Carotenuto
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli Federico II , Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Merlino
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli Federico II , Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Diego Brancaccio
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli Federico II , Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Ali Munaim Yousif
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli Federico II , Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Ettore Novellino
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli Federico II , Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Paolo Grieco
- Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Napoli Federico II , Via D. Montesano, 49, 80131, Naples, Italy.,CIRPEB: Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca sui Peptidi Bioattivi, University of Naples Federico II , 80134, Naples, Italy
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Deekonda S, Rankin D, Davis P, Lai J, Vanderah TW, Porecca F, Hruby VJ. Design synthesis and structure-activity relationship of 5-substituted (tetrahydronaphthalen-2yl)methyl with N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-2-yl)propionamide derivatives as opioid ligands. Bioorg Med Chem 2015; 24:85-91. [PMID: 26712115 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Here, we report the design, synthesis and structure activity relationship of novel small molecule opioid ligands based on 5-amino substituted (tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)methyl moiety with N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-2-yl)propionamide derivatives. We synthesized various molecules including amino, amide and hydroxy substitution on the 5th position of the (tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)methyl moiety. In our further designs we replaced the (tetrahydronaphthalen-2-yl)methyl moiety with benzyl and phenethyl moiety. These N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-2-yl)propionamide analogues showed moderate to good binding affinities (850-4 nM) and were selective towards the μ opioid receptor over the δ opioid receptors. From the structure activity relationship studies, we found that a hydroxyl substitution at the 5th position of (tetrahydronapthalen-2yl)methyl group, ligands 19 and 20, showed excellent binding affinities 4 and 5 nM, respectively, and 1000 fold selectivity towards the μ opioid relative to the delta opioid receptor. The ligand 19 showed potent agonist activities 75±21 nM, and 190±42 nM in the GPI and MVD assays. Surprisingly the fluoro analogue 20 showed good agonist activities in MVD assays 170±42 nM, in contrast to its binding affinity results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivas Deekonda
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Peg Davis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Josephine Lai
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Todd W Vanderah
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Frank Porecca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Giri AK, Apostol CR, Wang Y, Forte BL, Largent-Milnes TM, Davis P, Rankin D, Molnar G, Olson KM, Porreca F, Vanderah TW, Hruby VJ. Discovery of Novel Multifunctional Ligands with μ/δ Opioid Agonist/Neurokinin-1 (NK1) Antagonist Activities for the Treatment of Pain. J Med Chem 2015; 58:8573-83. [PMID: 26465170 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Multifunctional ligands with agonist bioactivities at μ/δ opioid receptors (MOR/DOR) and antagonist bioactivity at the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) have been designed and synthesized. These peptide-based ligands are anticipated to produce better biological profiles (e.g., higher analgesic effect with significantly less adverse side effects) compared to those of existing drugs and to deliver better synergistic effects than coadministration of a mixture of multiple drugs. A systematic structure-activity relationship (SAR) study has been conducted to find multifunctional ligands with desired activities at three receptors. It has been found that introduction of Dmt (2,6-dimethyl-tyrosine) at the first position and NMePhe at the fourth position (ligand 3: H-Dmt-d-Ala-Gly-NMePhe-Pro-Leu-Trp-NH-Bn(3',5'-(CF3)2)) displays binding as well as functional selectivity for MOR over DOR while maintaining efficacy, potency, and antagonist activity at the NK1R. Dmt at the first position with Phe(4-F) at the fourth position (ligand 5: H-Dmt-d-Ala-Gly-Phe(4-F)-Pro-Leu-Trp-NH-Bn(3',5'-(CF3)2)) exhibits balanced binding affinities at MOR and DOR though it has higher agonist activity at DOR over MOR. This study has led to the discovery of several novel ligands including 3 and 5 with excellent in vitro biological activity profiles. Metabolic stability studies in rat plasma with ligands 3, 5, and 7 (H-Tyr-d-Ala-Gly-Phe(4-F)-Pro-Leu-Trp-NH-Bn(3',5'-(CF3)2)) showed that their stability depends on modifications at the first and fourth positions (3: T1/2 > 24 h; 5: T1/2 ≈ 6 h; 7: T1/2 > 2 h). Preliminary in vivo studies with these two ligands have shown promising antinociceptive activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aswini Kumar Giri
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Christopher R Apostol
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85724, United States
| | - Brittany L Forte
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85724, United States
| | - Tally M Largent-Milnes
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85724, United States
| | - Peg Davis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85724, United States
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85724, United States
| | - Gabriella Molnar
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85724, United States
| | | | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85724, United States
| | - Todd W Vanderah
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona , 1501 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85724, United States
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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Deekonda S, Wugalter L, Rankin D, Largent-Milnes TM, Davis P, Wang Y, Bassirirad NM, Lai J, Kulkarni V, Vanderah TW, Porreca F, Hruby VJ. Design and synthesis of novel bivalent ligands (MOR and DOR) by conjugation of enkephalin analogues with 4-anilidopiperidine derivatives. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2015; 25:4683-8. [PMID: 26323872 PMCID: PMC4642889 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.07.064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 07/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We describe the design and synthesis of novel bivalent ligands based on the conjugation of 4-anilidopiperidine derivatives with enkephalin analogues. The design of non-peptide analogues is explored with 5-amino substituted (tetrahydronaphthalen-2yl) methyl containing 4-anilidopiperidine derivatives, while non-peptide-peptide ligands are explored by conjugating the C-terminus of enkephalin analogues (H-Xxx-DAla-Gly-Phe-OH) to the amino group of 4-anilidopiperidine small molecule derivatives with and without a linker. These novel bivalent ligands are evaluated for biological activities at μ and δ opioid receptors. They exhibit very good affinities at μ and δ opioid receptors, and potent agonist activities in MVD and GPI assays. Among these the lead bivalent ligand 17 showed excellent binding affinities (0.1 nM and 0.5 nM) at μ and δ opioid receptors respectively, and was found to have very potent agonist activities in MVD (56 ± 5.9 nM) and GPI (4.6 ± 1.9 nM) assays. In vivo the lead bivalent ligand 17 exhibited a short duration of action (<15 min) comparable to 4-anilidopiperidine derivatives, and moderate analgesic activity. The ligand 17 has limited application against acute pain but may have utility in settings where a highly reversible analgesic is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivas Deekonda
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Lauren Wugalter
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | | | - Peg Davis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | | | - Josephine Lai
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Vinod Kulkarni
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Todd W Vanderah
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, 1306 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Deekonda S, Rankin D, Davis P, Lai J, Porreca F, Hruby VJ. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of multifunctional ligands targeting opioid and bradykinin 2 receptors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2015; 25:4148-52. [PMID: 26316468 PMCID: PMC4642888 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2015] [Revised: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We report here the design and synthesis of novel multifunctional ligands that act as (μ/δ) opioid agonists and bradykinin 2 receptor antagonists. These multifunctional ligands were designed to interact with the multiple receptors to show an enhanced analgesic effect, with no opioid-induced tolerance. We designed our multifunctional ligands based on the well-known second generation bradykinin 2 receptor antagonist Hoe 140 (DArg-Arg-Pro-Hyp-Gly-Thi-Ser-DTic-Oic-Arg-OH) and the opioid enkephalin analogues Tyr-DAla-Phe, Tyr-DAla-Gly-Phe and Tyr-Pro-Phe. We explored the conjugation of opioid pharmacophore to the Hoe 140 (DArg-Arg-Pro-Hyp-Gly-Thi-Ser-DTic-Oic-Arg-OH) in various positions with and without a linker. These bifunctional ligands showed very good binding affinity towards the both μ and δ opioid receptors. Among these bifunctional ligands 8, 11 and 12 showed excellent and balanced binding affinity at both μ and δ opioid receptors (0.5 nM, 2.0 nM; 0.3 nM, 2 nM; 2 nM and 3 nM), respectively. On the other hand these bifunctional ligands showed very weak and no binding affinity for rat brain bradykinin 2 receptors. Similarly, the Hoe 140 showed very low affinity (>10,000 nM and 9,000 nM) against [(3)H] BK binding in rat brain membranes and in HEK293 cells, respectively. In contrast, the Hoe 140 showed very good binding affinity in guinea pig ileum (0.43 nM) similar to that of previously reported. The bradykinin 2 receptors are known to be present in rat brain membrane, guinea pig ileum (GPI) and rabbit jugular vein. Previously the binding affinity of Hoe 140 for bradykinin 2 receptor was reported using guinea pig ileum. The above results suggest that the bradykinin 2 receptors present in rat brain membrane are a different sub type than the bradykinin 2 receptor present in guinea pig ileum (GPI).
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivas Deekonda
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Peg Davis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Josephine Lai
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Shukla C, Koch LG, Britton SL, Cai M, Hruby VJ, Bednarek M, Novak CM. Contribution of regional brain melanocortin receptor subtypes to elevated activity energy expenditure in lean, active rats. Neuroscience 2015; 310:252-67. [PMID: 26404873 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.09.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2015] [Revised: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 09/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Physical activity and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) are crucial factors accounting for individual differences in body weight, interacting with genetic predisposition. In the brain, a number of neuroendocrine intermediates regulate food intake and energy expenditure (EE); this includes the brain melanocortin (MC) system, consisting of MC peptides as well as their receptors (MCR). MC3R and MC4R have emerged as critical modulators of EE and food intake. To determine how variance in MC signaling may underlie individual differences in physical activity levels, we examined behavioral response to MC receptor agonists and antagonists in rats that show high and low levels of physical activity and NEAT, that is, high- and low-capacity runners (HCR, LCR), developed by artificial selection for differential intrinsic aerobic running capacity. Focusing on the hypothalamus, we identified brain region-specific elevations in expression of MCR 3, 4, and also MC5R, in the highly active, lean HCR relative to the less active and obesity-prone LCR. Further, the differences in activity and associated EE as a result of MCR activation or suppression using specific agonists and antagonists were similarly region-specific and directly corresponded to the differential MCR expression patterns. The agonists and antagonists investigated here did not significantly impact food intake at the doses used, suggesting that the differential pattern of receptor expression may by more meaningful to physical activity than to other aspects of energy balance regulation. Thus, MCR-mediated physical activity may be a key neural mechanism in distinguishing the lean phenotype and a target for enhancing physical activity and NEAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Shukla
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States; Harvard Medical School - VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - L G Koch
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - S L Britton
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - M Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - V J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - M Bednarek
- MedImmune Limited, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - C M Novak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States
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Deekonda S, Wugalter L, Kulkarni V, Rankin D, Largent-Milnes TM, Davis P, Bassirirad NM, Lai J, Vanderah TW, Porreca F, Hruby VJ. Discovery of 5-substituted tetrahydronaphthalen-2yl-methyl with N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-4-yl)propionamide derivatives as potent opioid receptor ligands. Bioorg Med Chem 2015; 23:6185-94. [PMID: 26299827 PMCID: PMC4642887 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.07.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
A new series of novel opioid ligands have been designed and synthesized based on the 4-anilidopiperidine scaffold containing a 5-substituted tetrahydronaphthalen-2yl)methyl group with different N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-4-yl)propionamide derivatives to study the biological effects of these substituents on μ and δ opioid receptor interactions. Recently our group reported novel 4-anilidopiperidine analogues, in which several aromatic ring-contained amino acids were conjugated with N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-4-yl)propionamide and examined their biological activities at the μ and δ opioid receptors. In continuation of our efforts in these novel 4-anilidopiperidine analogues, we took a peptidomimetic approach in the present design, in which we substituted aromatic amino acids with tetrahydronaphthalen-2yl methyl moiety with amino, amide and hydroxyl substitutions at the 5th position. In in vitro assays these ligands, showed very good binding affinity and highly selective toward the μ opioid receptor. Among these, the lead ligand 20 showed excellent binding affinity (2 nM) and 5000 fold selectivity toward the μ opioid receptor, as well as functional selectivity in GPI assays (55.20 ± 4.30 nM) and weak or no agonist activities in MVD assays. Based on the in vitro bioassay results the lead compound 20 was chosen for in vivo assessment for efficacy in naïve rats after intrathecal administration. Compound 20 was not significantly effective in alleviating acute pain. This discrepancy between high in vitro binding affinity, moderate in vitro activity, and low in vivo activity may reflect differences in pharmacodynamics (i.e., engaging signaling pathways) or pharmacokinetics (i.e., metabolic stability). In sum, our data suggest that further optimization of this compound 20 is required to enhance in vivo activity.
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MESH Headings
- Amides/chemical synthesis
- Amides/chemistry
- Amides/pharmacokinetics
- Analgesics, Opioid/chemical synthesis
- Analgesics, Opioid/chemistry
- Analgesics, Opioid/pharmacology
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
- Half-Life
- Ligands
- Male
- Narcotic Antagonists/chemical synthesis
- Narcotic Antagonists/chemistry
- Narcotic Antagonists/pharmacokinetics
- Protein Binding
- Rats
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Receptors, Opioid/chemistry
- Receptors, Opioid/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/chemistry
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/chemistry
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Srinivas Deekonda
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Lauren Wugalter
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Vinod Kulkarni
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | | | - Peg Davis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | | | - Josephine Lai
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Todd W Vanderah
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Frank Porreca
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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Cai M, Marelli UK, Bao J, Beck JG, Opperer F, Rechenmacher F, McLeod KR, Zingsheim MR, Doedens L, Kessler H, Hruby VJ. Systematic Backbone Conformational Constraints on a Cyclic Melanotropin Ligand Leads to Highly Selective Ligands for Multiple Melanocortin Receptors. J Med Chem 2015. [PMID: 26218460 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Human melanocortin receptors (hMCRs) have been challenging targets to develop ligands that are explicitly selective for each of their subtypes. To modulate the conformational preferences of the melanocortin ligands and improve the biofunctional agonist/antagonist activities and selectivities, we have applied a backbone N-methylation approach on Ac-Nle-c[Asp-His-D-Nal(2')-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2 (Ac-Nle(4)-c[Asp(5),D-Nal(2')(7),Lys(10)]-NH2), a nonselective cyclic peptide antagonist at hMC3R and hMC4R and an agonist at hMC1R and hMC5R. Systematic N-methylated derivatives of Ac-Nle(4)-c[Asp(5),D-Nal(2')(7),Lys(10)]-NH2, with all possible backbone N-methylation combinations, have been synthesized and examined for their binding and functional activities toward melanocortin receptor subtypes 1, 3, 4, and 5 (hMCRs). Several N-methylated analogues are selective and potent agonists or antagonists for hMC1R or hMC5R or have selective antagonist activity for hMC3R. The selective hMC1R ligands show strong binding for human melanoma cells. We have also discovered the first universal antagonist (compound 19) for all subtypes of hMCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minying Cai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Udaya Kiran Marelli
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Jennifer Bao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Johannes G Beck
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Florian Opperer
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Florian Rechenmacher
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Kaitlyn R McLeod
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Morgan R Zingsheim
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Lucas Doedens
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Horst Kessler
- Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and Center for Integrated Protein Science (CIPSM), Department Chemie, Technische Universität München , 85747 Garching, Germany.,Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University , 21589 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
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Bird MF, Vardanyan RS, Hruby VJ, Calò G, Guerrini R, Salvadori S, Trapella C, McDonald J, Rowbotham DJ, Lambert DG. Development and characterisation of novel fentanyl-delta opioid receptor antagonist based bivalent ligands. Br J Anaesth 2015; 114:646-56. [PMID: 25680364 DOI: 10.1093/bja/aeu454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid tolerance is a limiting factor in chronic pain. Delta opioid peptide (DOP)(δ) receptor antagonism has been shown to reduce tolerance. Here, the common clinical mu opioid peptide (MOP)(µ) receptor agonist fentanyl has been linked to the DOP antagonist Dmt-Tic (2',6'-dimethyl-L-tyrosyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid) to create new bivalent compounds. METHODS Binding affinities of bivalents(#9, #10, #11, #12 and #13) were measured in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing recombinant human MOP, DOP, Kappa opioid peptide (KOP)(κ) and nociceptin/orphanin FQ opioid peptide (NOP) receptors. Functional studies, measuring GTPγ[(35)S] or β-arrestin recruitment, were performed in membranes or whole cells respectively expressing MOP and DOP. RESULTS The new bivalents bound to MOP (pKi : #9:7.31; #10:7.58; #11:7.91; #12:7.94; #13:8.03) and DOP (#9:8.03; #10:8.16; #11:8.17; #12:9.67; #13:9.71). In GTPγ[(35)S] functional assays, compounds #9(pEC50:6.74; intrinsic activity:0.05) #10(7.13;0.34) and #11(7.52;0.27) showed weak partial agonist activity at MOP. Compounds #12 and #13, with longer linkers, showed no functional activity at MOP. In antagonist assays at MOP, compounds #9 (pKb:6.87), #10(7.55) #11(7.81) #12(6.91) and #13(7.05) all reversed the effects of fentanyl. At DOP, all compounds showed antagonist affinity (#9:6.85; #10:8.06; #11:8.11; #12:9.42; #13:9.00), reversing the effects of DPDPE ([D-Pen(2,5)]enkephalin). In β-arrestin assays, compared with fentanyl (with response at maximum concentration (RMC):13.62), all compounds showed reduced ability to activate β-arrestin (#9 RMC:1.58; #10:2.72; #11:2.40; #12:1.29; #13:1.58). Compared with fentanyl, the intrinsic activity was: #9:0.12; #10:0.20; #11:0.18; #12:0.09 and #13:0.12. CONCLUSIONS The addition of a linker between fentanyl and Dmt-Tic did not alter the ability to bind to MOP and DOP, however a substantial loss in MOP functional activity was apparent. This highlights the difficulty in multifunctional opioid development.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F Bird
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Division of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Management, University of Leicester, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
| | - R S Vardanyan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - V J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - G Calò
- Department of Medical Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Ferrara and Italian Institute of Neuroscience, Ferrara, Italy
| | - R Guerrini
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and LTTA (Laboratorio per le Tecnologie delle Terapie Avanzate), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - S Salvadori
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and LTTA (Laboratorio per le Tecnologie delle Terapie Avanzate), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - C Trapella
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and LTTA (Laboratorio per le Tecnologie delle Terapie Avanzate), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - J McDonald
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Division of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Management, University of Leicester, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
| | - D J Rowbotham
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Division of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Management, University of Leicester, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
| | - D G Lambert
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Division of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Management, University of Leicester, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
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Van der Poorten O, Fehér K, Buysse K, Feytens D, Zoi I, Schwartz SD, Martins JC, Tourwé D, Cai M, Hruby VJ, Ballet S. Azepinone-Containing Tetrapeptide Analogues of Melanotropin Lead to Selective hMC4R Agonists and hMC5R Antagonist. ACS Med Chem Lett 2015; 6:192-7. [PMID: 25699148 DOI: 10.1021/ml500436s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2014] [Accepted: 12/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
To address the need for highly potent, metabolically stable, and selective agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists at the melanocortin receptor subtypes, conformationally constrained indolo- and benzazepinone residues were inserted into the α-MSH pharmacophore, His(6)-Phe(7)-Arg(8)-Trp(9)-domain. Replacement of His(6) by an aminoindoloazepinone (Aia) or aminobenzazepinone (Aba) moiety led to hMC4R and hMC5R selective agonist and antagonist ligands, respectively (tetrapeptides 1 to 3 and 4, respectively). In peptides 1 to 3 and depending on the para-substituent of the d-Phe residue in position 2, the activity goes from allosteric partial agonism (1, R = H) to allosteric full agonism (2, R = F) and finally allosteric partial agonism (3, R = Br).
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Van der Poorten
- Research
Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Krisztina Fehér
- Department
of Organic Chemistry, University of Ghent, Krijgslaan 281 S4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Koen Buysse
- Research
Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Debby Feytens
- Research
Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ioanna Zoi
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Steven D. Schwartz
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - José C. Martins
- Department
of Organic Chemistry, University of Ghent, Krijgslaan 281 S4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dirk Tourwé
- Research
Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Minying Cai
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Victor J. Hruby
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, United States
| | - Steven Ballet
- Research
Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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50
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Mehr-un-Nisa, Munawar MA, Lee YS, Rankin D, Munir J, Lai J, Khan MA, Hruby VJ. Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a series of bifunctional ligands of opioids/SSRIs. Bioorg Med Chem 2015; 23:1251-9. [PMID: 25703306 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2015.01.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A series of opioid and serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) bifunctional ligands have been designed, synthesized, and tested for their activities and efficacies at μ-, δ- and κ opioid receptors and SSRIs receptors. Most of the compounds showed high affinities for μ- and δ-opioid receptors and lower affinities for SSRIs and κ opioid receptors. A docking study on the μ-opioid receptor binding pocket has been carried out for ligands 3-11. The ligands 7 and 11 have displayed the highest binding profiles for the μ-opioid receptor binding site with ΔGbind (-12.14kcal/mol) and Ki value (1.0nM), and ΔGbind (-12.41kcal/mol) and Ki value (0.4nM), respectively. Ligand 3 was shown to have the potential of dual acting serotonin/norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor (SNRI) antidepressant activity in addition to opioid activities, and thus could be used for the design of multifunctional ligands in the area of a novel approach for the treatment of pain and depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehr-un-Nisa
- Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Munawar A Munawar
- Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Yeon Sun Lee
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
| | - David Rankin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Jawaria Munir
- Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan; Institute of Molecular Sciences & Bioinformatics, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Josephine Lai
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Misbahul A Khan
- Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
| | - Victor J Hruby
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
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