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Wang SY, Zhang YZ, Liu XH, Guo XC, Wang XF, Wang JR, Liu BJ, Han FT, Zhang Y, Wang CL. BNT12, a novel hybrid peptide of opioid and neurotensin pharmacophores, produces potent central antinociception with limited side effects. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 978:176775. [PMID: 38925288 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
The development of multitarget opioid drugs has emerged as an attractive approach for innovative pain management with reduced side effects. In the present study, a novel hybrid peptide BNT12 containing the opioid and neurotensin (NT)-like fragments was synthesized and pharmacologically characterized. In acute radiant heat paw withdrawal test, intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of BNT12 produced potent antinociception in mice. The central antinociceptive activity of BNT12 was mainly mediated by μ-, δ-opioid receptor, neurotensin receptor type 1 (NTSR1) and 2 (NTSR2), supporting a multifunctional agonism of BNT12 in the functional assays. BNT12 also exhibited significant antinociceptive effects in spared nerve injury (SNI)-neuropathic pain, complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain, acetic acid-induced visceral and formalin-induced pain after i.c.v. administration. Furthermore, BNT12 exhibited substantial reduction of acute antinociceptive tolerance, shifted the dose-response curve to the right by only 1.3-fold. It is noteworthy that BNT12 showed insignificant chronic antinociceptive tolerance at the supraspinal level. In addition, BNT12 exhibited reduced or no opioid-like side effects on conditioned place preference (CPP) response, naloxone-precipitated withdrawal response, acute hyperlocomotion, motor coordination, gastrointestinal transit, and cardiovascular responses. The present investigation demonstrated that the novel hybrid peptide BNT12 might serve as a promising analgesic candidate with limited opioid-like side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Yu Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Yu-Zhe Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Xiao-Han Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Xue-Ci Guo
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | | | - Jia-Ran Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Bing-Jie Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Feng-Tong Han
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Yao Zhang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Chang-Lin Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China; State Key Laboratory for Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Medicinal Resources, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China.
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2
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Khan R, Laumet G, Leinninger GM. Hungry for relief: Potential for neurotensin to address comorbid obesity and pain. Appetite 2024; 200:107540. [PMID: 38852785 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Chronic pain and obesity frequently occur together. An ideal therapy would alleviate pain without weight gain, and most optimally, could promote weight loss. The neuropeptide neurotensin (Nts) has been separately implicated in reducing weight and pain but could it be a common actionable target for both pain and obesity? Here we review the current knowledge of Nts signaling via its receptors in modulating body weight and pain processing. Evaluating the mechanism by which Nts impacts ingestive behavior, body weight, and analgesia has potential to identify common physiologic mechanisms underlying weight and pain comorbidities, and whether Nts may be common actionable targets for both.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabail Khan
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Geoffroy Laumet
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA; Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Gina M Leinninger
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA; Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
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3
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Ly HM, Desgagné M, Nguyen DT, Comeau C, Froehlich U, Marsault É, Boudreault PL. Insights on Structure-Passive Permeability Relationship in Pyrrole and Furan-Containing Macrocycles. J Med Chem 2024; 67:3711-3726. [PMID: 38417040 PMCID: PMC10946398 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c02162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Macrocycles have recognized therapeutic potential, but their limited cellular permeability can hinder their development as oral drugs. To better understand the structure-permeability relationship of heterocycle-containing, semipeptidic macrocycles, a library was synthesized. These compounds were created by developing two novel reactions described herein: the reduction of activated oximes by LiBH4 and the aqueous reductive mono-N-alkylation of aldehydes using catalytic SmI2 and stoichiometric Zn. The permeability of the macrocycles was evaluated through a parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA), and the results indicated that macrocycles with a furan incorporated into the structure have better passive permeability than those with a pyrrole moiety. Compounds bearing a 2,5-disubstituted pyrrole (endo orientation) were shown to be implicated in intramolecular H-bonds, enhancing their permeability. This study highlighted the impact of heterocycles moieties in semipeptides, creating highly permeable macrocycles, thus showing promising avenues for passive diffusion of drugs beyond the rule-of-five chemical space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huy M Ly
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e ave Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H5N4, Canada
| | - Michael Desgagné
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e ave Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H5N4, Canada
| | - Duc Tai Nguyen
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e ave Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H5N4, Canada
| | - Christian Comeau
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e ave Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H5N4, Canada
| | - Ulrike Froehlich
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e ave Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H5N4, Canada
| | - Éric Marsault
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e ave Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H5N4, Canada
| | - Pierre-Luc Boudreault
- Département de Pharmacologie-Physiologie, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, 3001 12e ave Nord, Sherbrooke, QC J1H5N4, Canada
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Kühl T, Georgieva MG, Hübner H, Lazarova M, Vogel M, Haas B, Peeva MI, Balacheva AA, Bogdanov IP, Milella L, Ponticelli M, Garev T, Faraone I, Detcheva R, Minchev B, Petkova-Kirova P, Tancheva L, Kalfin R, Atanasov AG, Antonov L, Pajpanova TI, Kirilov K, Gastreich M, Gmeiner P, Imhof D, Tzvetkov NT. Neurotensin(8-13) analogs as dual NTS1 and NTS2 receptor ligands with enhanced effects on a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 254:115386. [PMID: 37094450 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
The modulatory interactions between neurotensin (NT) and the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system in the brain suggest that NT may be associated with the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). NT exerts its neurophysiological effects by interactions with the human NT receptors type 1 (hNTS1) and 2 (hNTS2). Therefore, both receptor subtypes are promising targets for the development of novel NT-based analogs for the treatment of PD. In this study, we used a virtually guided molecular modeling approach to predict the activity of NT(8-13) analogs by investigating the docking models of ligands designed for binding to the human NTS1 and NTS2 receptors. The importance of the residues at positions 8 and/or 9 for hNTS1 and hNTS2 receptor binding affinity was experimentally confirmed by radioligand binding assays. Further in vitro ADME profiling and in vivo studies revealed that, compared to the parent peptide NT(8-13), compound 10 exhibited improved stability and BBB permeability combined with a significant enhancement of the motor function and memory in a mouse model of PD. The herein reported NTS1/NTS2 dual-specific NT(8-13) analogs represent an attractive tool for the development of therapeutic strategies against PD and potentially other CNS disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Kühl
- Pharmaceutical Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Maya G Georgieva
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology and Drug Design, Institute of Molecular Biology "Roumen Tsanev", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Harald Hübner
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander- Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Str. 10, D-91058, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maria Lazarova
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 23, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Matthias Vogel
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), Kurt-Georg-Kiesinger-Allee 3, 53175, Bonn, Germany
| | - Bodo Haas
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), Kurt-Georg-Kiesinger-Allee 3, 53175, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martina I Peeva
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology and Drug Design, Institute of Molecular Biology "Roumen Tsanev", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Aneliya A Balacheva
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology and Drug Design, Institute of Molecular Biology "Roumen Tsanev", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Ivan P Bogdanov
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology and Drug Design, Institute of Molecular Biology "Roumen Tsanev", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Luigi Milella
- Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Maria Ponticelli
- Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Tsvetomir Garev
- UMBALSM "N. I. Pirogov"-Hospital, 1606 Pette Kyosheta, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Immacolata Faraone
- Department of Science, University of Basilicata, V.le dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy; Innovative Startup Farmis s.r.l., Via Nicola Vaccaro 40, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Roumyana Detcheva
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology and Drug Design, Institute of Molecular Biology "Roumen Tsanev", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Borislav Minchev
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 23, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Polina Petkova-Kirova
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 23, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Lyubka Tancheva
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 23, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria; Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzl St., Rehovot, 7610001, Israel
| | - Reni Kalfin
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 23, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Atanas G Atanasov
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Patient Safety, Medical University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 23, 1090, Vienna, Austria; Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzebiec, 05-552, Magdalenka, Poland
| | - Liudmil Antonov
- Institute of Electronics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Blvd. Tsarigradsko Chaussee 72, 1784, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tamara I Pajpanova
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology and Drug Design, Institute of Molecular Biology "Roumen Tsanev", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Kiril Kirilov
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology and Drug Design, Institute of Molecular Biology "Roumen Tsanev", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria; Department of Natural Sciences, New Bulgarian University, 21 Montevideo Str., Sofia, 1618, Bulgaria
| | - Marcus Gastreich
- BioSolveIT GmbH, An der Ziegelei 79, 53757 St. Augustin, Germany
| | - Peter Gmeiner
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Friedrich-Alexander- Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Str. 10, D-91058, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Diana Imhof
- Pharmaceutical Biochemistry and Bioanalytics, Pharmaceutical Institute, University of Bonn, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121, Bonn, Germany
| | - Nikolay T Tzvetkov
- Department of Biochemical Pharmacology and Drug Design, Institute of Molecular Biology "Roumen Tsanev", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria.
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Previti S, Desgagné M, Tourwé D, Cavelier F, Sarret P, Ballet S. Opening the amino acid toolbox for peptide-based NTS2-selective ligands as promising lead compounds for pain management. J Pept Sci 2022; 29:e3471. [PMID: 36539999 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Chronic pain is one of the most critical health issues worldwide. Despite considerable efforts to find therapeutic alternatives, opioid drugs remain the gold standard for pain management. The administration of μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists is associated with detrimental and limiting adverse effects. Overall, these adverse effects strongly overshadow the effectiveness of opioid therapy. In this context, the development of neurotensin (NT) ligands has shown to be a promising approach for the management of chronic and acute pain. NT exerts its opioid-independent analgesic effects through the binding of two G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), NTS1 and NTS2. In the last decades, modified NT analogues have been proven to provide potent analgesia in vivo. However, selective NTS1 and nonselective NTS1/NTS2 ligands cause antinociception associated with hypothermia and hypotension, whereas selective NTS2 ligands induce analgesia without altering the body temperature and blood pressure. In light of this, various structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies provided findings addressing the binding affinity of ligands towards NTS2. Herein, we comprehensively review peptide-based NTS2-selective ligands as a robust alternative for future pain management. Particular emphasis is placed on SAR studies governing the desired selectivity and associated in vivo results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santo Previti
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Michael Desgagné
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dirk Tourwé
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Florine Cavelier
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, IBMM, UMR 5247, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, ENSCM, Montpellier, France
| | - Philippe Sarret
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institut de Pharmacologie de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Steven Ballet
- Research Group of Organic Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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6
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Van Baelen AC, Robin P, Kessler P, Maïga A, Gilles N, Servent D. Structural and Functional Diversity of Animal Toxins Interacting With GPCRs. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:811365. [PMID: 35198603 PMCID: PMC8859281 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.811365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide toxins from venoms have undergone a long evolutionary process allowing host defense or prey capture and making them highly selective and potent for their target. This has resulted in the emergence of a large panel of toxins from a wide diversity of species, with varied structures and multiple associated biological functions. In this way, animal toxins constitute an inexhaustible reservoir of druggable molecules due to their interesting pharmacological properties. One of the most interesting classes of therapeutic targets is the G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs represent the largest family of membrane receptors in mammals with approximately 800 different members. They are involved in almost all biological functions and are the target of almost 30% of drugs currently on the market. Given the interest of GPCRs in the therapeutic field, the study of toxins that can interact with and modulate their activity with the purpose of drug development is of particular importance. The present review focuses on toxins targeting GPCRs, including peptide-interacting receptors or aminergic receptors, with a particular focus on structural aspects and, when relevant, on potential medical applications. The toxins described here exhibit a great diversity in size, from 10 to 80 amino acids long, in disulfide bridges, from none to five, and belong to a large panel of structural scaffolds. Particular toxin structures developed here include inhibitory cystine knot (ICK), three-finger fold, and Kunitz-type toxins. We summarize current knowledge on the structural and functional diversity of toxins interacting with GPCRs, concerning first the agonist-mimicking toxins that act as endogenous agonists targeting the corresponding receptor, and second the toxins that differ structurally from natural agonists and which display agonist, antagonist, or allosteric properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Cécile Van Baelen
- CEA, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour La Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Philippe Robin
- CEA, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour La Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pascal Kessler
- CEA, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour La Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Arhamatoulaye Maïga
- CEA, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour La Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- CHU Sainte Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicolas Gilles
- CEA, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour La Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Denis Servent
- CEA, Département Médicaments et Technologies pour La Santé (DMTS), SIMoS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- *Correspondence: Denis Servent,
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