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Salinsky LM, Merritt CR, Zamora JC, Giacomini JL, Anastasio NC, Cunningham KA. μ-opioid receptor agonists and psychedelics: pharmacological opportunities and challenges. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1239159. [PMID: 37886127 PMCID: PMC10598667 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1239159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid misuse and opioid-involved overdose deaths are a massive public health problem involving the intertwined misuse of prescription opioids for pain management with the emergence of extremely potent fentanyl derivatives, sold as standalone products or adulterants in counterfeit prescription opioids or heroin. The incidence of repeated opioid overdose events indicates a problematic use pattern consistent with the development of the medical condition of opioid use disorder (OUD). Prescription and illicit opioids reduce pain perception by activating µ-opioid receptors (MOR) localized to the central nervous system (CNS). Dysregulation of meso-corticolimbic circuitry that subserves reward and adaptive behaviors is fundamentally involved in the progressive behavioral changes that promote and are consequent to OUD. Although opioid-induced analgesia and the rewarding effects of abused opioids are primarily mediated through MOR activation, serotonin (5-HT) is an important contributor to the pharmacology of opioid abused drugs (including heroin and prescription opioids) and OUD. There is a recent resurgence of interest into psychedelic compounds that act primarily through the 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT 2A R) as a new frontier in combatting such diseases (e.g., depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders). Emerging data suggest that the MOR and 5-HT2AR crosstalk at the cellular level and within key nodes of OUD circuitry, highlighting a major opportunity for novel pharmacological intervention for OUD. There is an important gap in the preclinical profiling of psychedelic 5-HT2AR agonists in OUD models. Further, as these molecules carry risks, additional analyses of the profiles of non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2AR agonists and/or 5-HT2AR positive allosteric modulators may provide a new pathway for 5-HT2AR therapeutics. In this review, we discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with utilizing 5-HT2AR agonists as therapeutics for OUD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Noelle C. Anastasio
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, John Sealy School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Kathryn A. Cunningham
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, John Sealy School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
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Chen J, Garcia EJ, Merritt CR, Zamora JC, Bolinger AA, Pazdrak K, Stafford SJ, Mifflin RC, Wold EA, Wild CT, Chen H, Anastasio NC, Cunningham KA, Zhou J. Discovery of Novel Oleamide Analogues as Brain-Penetrant Positive Allosteric Serotonin 5-HT 2C Receptor and Dual 5-HT 2C/5-HT 2A Receptor Modulators. J Med Chem 2023; 66:9992-10009. [PMID: 37462530 PMCID: PMC10853020 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c00908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
The serotonin 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR) and 5-HT2CR localize to the brain and share overlapping signal transduction facets that contribute to their roles in cognition, mood, learning, and memory. Achieving selective targeting of these receptors is challenged by the similarity in their 5-HT orthosteric binding pockets. A fragment-based discovery approach was employed to design and synthesize novel oleamide analogues as selective 5-HT2CR or dual 5-HT2CR/5-HT2AR positive allosteric modulators (PAMs). Compound 13 (JPC0323) exhibited on-target properties, acceptable plasma exposure and brain penetration, as well as negligible displacement to orthosteric sites of ∼50 GPCRs and transporters. Furthermore, compound 13 suppressed novelty-induced locomotor activity in a 5-HT2CR-dependent manner, suggesting 5-HT2CR PAM, but not 5-HT2AR, activity at the level of the whole organism at the employed doses of 13. We discovered new selective 5-HT2CR PAMs and first-in-class 5-HT2CR/5-HT2AR dual PAMs that broaden the pharmacological toolbox to explore the biology of these vital receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianping Chen
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Chemical Biology Program and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Erik J. Garcia
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Christina R. Merritt
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Joshua C. Zamora
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Andrew A. Bolinger
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Chemical Biology Program and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Konrad Pazdrak
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Susan J. Stafford
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Randy C. Mifflin
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Eric A. Wold
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Chemical Biology Program and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Christopher T. Wild
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Chemical Biology Program and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Haiying Chen
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Chemical Biology Program and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Noelle C. Anastasio
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Chemical Biology Program and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Kathryn A. Cunningham
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Chemical Biology Program and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Jia Zhou
- Center for Addiction Sciences and Therapeutics and Chemical Biology Program and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
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Merritt CR, Smith AE, Khanipov K, Golovko G, Dineley KT, Anastasio NC, Cunningham KA. Heightened cocaine-seeking in male rats associates with a distinct transcriptomic profile in the medial prefrontal cortex. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1022863. [PMID: 36588704 PMCID: PMC9797046 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1022863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug overdose deaths involving cocaine have skyrocketed, an outcome attributable in part to the lack of FDA-approved medications for the treatment of cocaine use disorder (CUD), highlighting the need to identify new pharmacotherapeutic targets. Vulnerability to cocaine-associated environmental contexts and stimuli serves as a risk factor for relapse in CUD recovery, with individual differences evident in the motivational aspects of these cues. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) provides top-down control of striatal circuitry to regulate the incentive-motivational properties of cocaine-associated stimuli. Clinical and preclinical studies have identified genetic variations that impact the degree of executive restraint over drug-motivated behaviors, and we designed the present study to employ next-generation sequencing to identify specific genes associated with heightened cue-evoked cocaine-seeking in the mPFC of male, outbred rats. Rats were trained to stably self-administer cocaine, and baseline cue-reinforced cocaine-seeking was established. Rats were phenotyped as either high cue (HC) or low cue (LC) responders based upon lever pressing for previously associated cocaine cues and allowed 10 days of abstinence in their home cages prior to mPFC collection for RNA-sequencing. The expression of 309 genes in the mPFC was significantly different in HC vs. LC rats. Functional gene enrichment analyses identified ten biological processes that were overrepresented in the mPFC of HC vs. LC rats. The present study identifies distinctions in mPFC mRNA transcripts that characterizes individual differences in relapse-like behavior and provides prioritized candidates for future pharmacotherapeutics aimed to help maintain abstinence in CUD. In particular the Htr2c gene, which encodes the serotonin 5-HT2C receptor (5-HT2CR), is expressed to a lower extent in HC rats, relative to LC rats. These findings build on a plethora of previous studies that also point to the 5-HT2CR as an attractive target for the treatment of CUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina R. Merritt
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Ashley E. Smith
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Kamil Khanipov
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - George Golovko
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Kelly T. Dineley
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Noelle C. Anastasio
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Kathryn A. Cunningham
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
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De Deurwaerdère P, Chagraoui A, Cunningham KA. Editorial: Contemporary Perspective on 5-HT 2C Receptor Function and Its Pharmacological Targeting. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:606414. [PMID: 33324228 PMCID: PMC7724505 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.606414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Philippe De Deurwaerdère
- Institut des Neurosciences Cognitives et Integratives d'Aquitaine, CNRS UMR 5287, Bordeaux, France
| | - Abdeslam Chagraoui
- Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication Laboratory, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine of Normandy (IRIB), Normandie University, UNIROUEN, INSERM, U1239, Rouen, France.,CHU Rouen, Rouen, France
| | - Kathryn A Cunningham
- Center for Addiction Research and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
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Wold EA, Garcia EJ, Wild CT, Miszkiel JM, Soto CA, Chen J, Pazdrak K, Fox RG, Anastasio NC, Cunningham KA, Zhou J. Discovery of 4-Phenylpiperidine-2-Carboxamide Analogues as Serotonin 5-HT 2C Receptor-Positive Allosteric Modulators with Enhanced Drug-like Properties. J Med Chem 2020; 63:7529-7544. [PMID: 32567857 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Targeting the serotonin (5-HT) 5-HT2C receptor (5-HT2CR) allosteric site to potentiate endogenous 5-HT tone may provide novel therapeutics to alleviate the impact of costly, chronic diseases such as obesity and substance use disorders. Expanding upon our recently described 5-HT2CR-positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) based on the 4-alkylpiperidine-2-carboxamide scaffold, we optimized the undecyl moiety at the 4-position with variations of cyclohexyl- or phenyl-containing fragments to reduce rotatable bonds and lipophilicity. Compound 12 (CTW0415) was discovered as a 5-HT2CR PAM with improved pharmacokinetics and reduced off-target interactions relative to our previous series of molecules. The in vivo efficacy of compound 12 to potentiate the effects of a selective 5-HT2CR agonist was established in a drug discrimination assay. Thus, 12 is reported as a 5-HT2CR PAM with characteristics suitable for in vivo pharmacological studies to further probe the biological and behavioral mechanisms of allosteric modulation of a receptor important in several chronic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric A Wold
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States.,Chemical Biology Program and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Erik J Garcia
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Christopher T Wild
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States.,Chemical Biology Program and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Joanna M Miszkiel
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Claudia A Soto
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Jianping Chen
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States.,Chemical Biology Program and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Konrad Pazdrak
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Robert G Fox
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Noelle C Anastasio
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States.,Chemical Biology Program and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Kathryn A Cunningham
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States.,Chemical Biology Program and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
| | - Jia Zhou
- Center for Addiction Research, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States.,Chemical Biology Program and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, United States
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