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Camilotto R, Malfacini D, Pola P, Morrone E, Frezza A, Ramalingam R, Sturaro C, Pacifico S, Ruzza C, Guerrini R, Whiteside G, Calo' G. In vitro pharmacological evaluation of the novel NOP receptor partial agonist sunobinop. Biochem Pharmacol 2025; 238:116972. [PMID: 40350096 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2025.116972] [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: 03/28/2025] [Revised: 04/16/2025] [Accepted: 04/30/2025] [Indexed: 05/14/2025]
Abstract
Sleep-related disorders affect a significant portion of the global population. The nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide (NOP) receptor has become a promising candidate for the development of innovative drugs to treat sleep disorders. In this study, we conducted an in-depth pharmacological characterization of sunobinop, a selective NOP receptor partial agonist already under clinical evaluation for treating multiple conditions including insomnia, using a wide range of in vitro and ex vivo methodologies. Sunobinop exhibited partial agonist activity in calcium mobilization, NOP - G protein interaction, label-free bioimpedance, and cAMP inhibition assays. Notably, it demonstrated competitive antagonism in the NOP - β-Arrestin 2 recruitment and ex vivo electrically stimulated mouse Vas Deferens, assays characterized by low amplification. The findings reported here confirm and extend the characterization of sunobinop as a tool for studying NOP receptor pharmacology providing new insights into its mode of action, relevant to its clinical evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Camilotto
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Davide Malfacini
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
| | - Pietro Pola
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Erika Morrone
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Alessia Frezza
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Rahul Ramalingam
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Sturaro
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Salvatore Pacifico
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Chiara Ruzza
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; LTTA Laboratory for Advanced Therapies, Technopole of Ferrara 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Remo Guerrini
- Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy; LTTA Laboratory for Advanced Therapies, Technopole of Ferrara 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | | | - Girolamo Calo'
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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