Alcohol and Cocaine Exposure Modulates ABCB1 and ABCG2 Transporters in Male Alcohol-Preferring Rats

ABCB1 and ABCG2 Regulation at the Blood-Brain Barrier: Potential New Targets to Improve Brain Drug Delivery

The drug efflux transporters ABCB1 and ABCG2 at the blood-brain barrier limit the delivery of drugs into the brain. Strategies to overcome ABCB1/ABCG2 have been largely unsuccessful, which poses a tremendous clinical problem to successfully treat central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Understanding basic transporter biology, including intracellular regulation mechanisms that control these transporters, is critical to solving this clinical problem.In this comprehensive review, we summarize current knowledge on signaling pathways that regulate ABCB1/ABCG2 at the blood-brain barrier. In Section I, we give a historical overview on blood-brain barrier research and introduce the role that ABCB1 and ABCG2 play in this context. In Section II, we summarize the most important strategies that have been tested to overcome the ABCB1/ABCG2 efflux system at the blood-brain barrier. In Section III, the main component of this review, we provide detailed information on the signaling pathways that have been identified to control ABCB1/ABCG2 at the blood-brain barrier and their potential clinical relevance. This is followed by Section IV, where we explain the clinical implications of ABCB1/ABCG2 regulation in the context of CNS disease. Lastly, in Section V, we conclude by highlighting examples of how transporter regulation could be targeted for therapeutic purposes in the clinic. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The ABCB1/ABCG2 drug efflux system at the blood-brain barrier poses a significant problem to successful drug delivery to the brain. The article reviews signaling pathways that regulate blood-brain barrier ABCB1/ABCG2 and could potentially be targeted for therapeutic purposes.

Ceftriaxone as a Novel Therapeutic Agent for Hyperglutamatergic States: Bridging the Gap Between Preclinical Results and Clinical Translation

Dysregulation of glutamate homeostasis is a well-established core feature of neuropsychiatric disorders. Extracellular glutamate concentration is regulated by glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1). The discovery of a beta-lactam antibiotic, ceftriaxone (CEF), as a safe compound with unique ability to upregulate GLT-1 sparked the interest in testing its efficacy as a novel therapeutic agent in animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders with hyperglutamatergic states. Indeed, more than 100 preclinical studies have shown the efficacy of CEF in attenuating the behavioral manifestations of various hyperglutamatergic brain disorders such as ischemic stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), seizure, Huntington’s disease, and various aspects of drug use disorders. However, despite rich and promising preclinical data, only one large-scale clinical trial testing the efficacy of CEF in patients with ALS is reported. Unfortunately, in that study, there was no significant difference in survival between placebo- and CEF-treated patients. In this review, we discussed the translational potential of preclinical efficacy of CEF based on four different parameters: (1) initiation of CEF treatment in relation to induction of the hyperglutamatergic state, (2) onset of response in preclinical models in relation to onset of GLT-1 upregulation, (3) mechanisms of action of CEF on GLT-1 expression and function, and (4) non-GLT-1-mediated mechanisms for CEF. Our detailed review of the literature brings new insights into underlying molecular mechanisms correlating the preclinical efficacy of CEF. We concluded here that CEF may be clinically effective in selected cases in acute and transient hyperglutamatergic states such as early drug withdrawal conditions.

Impact of the ABCB1 Drug Resistance Gene on the Risk Factors of Patients with COVID-19 and Its Relationship with the Drugs Used

Objective

In the last two years progress was made in molecular, physio pathological understanding and the form of transmission of COVID-19, and different therapeutic strategies have been explored to deal with the situation of the pandemic. However, the evaluation of certain genes that participate in the metabolism and transport of these drugs has not been fully explored. A lack of response to treatment and a lower survival have been observed that may be due to the presence of the ABCB1 drug resistance gene. Our research group analyzed whether the expression levels of the ABCB1 gene are associated with comorbidities, treatments, overall survival and risk of death in patients with severe COVID-19.

Methods

The expression levels of the ABCB1 gene were analyzed by RT-qPCR in 61 patients diagnosed with COVID-19. The association between the levels of expression, the risk variables and different treatments were determined by the Chi-Square test and the Fisher’s exact test. Global Survival (GS) was determined by the Kaplan–Meier method. The impact of high levels of expression and the risk of death was performed by odds ratio.

Results

The different risk variables showed that patients with either high or absent levels of ABCB1 gene expression presented a greater risk of death (OR 3.08, 95%, CI 1.02–9.26) as well as need for ventilatory support (OR 2.8, 95%, CI 0.98 −8.5). Patients with diabetes and COVID-19, treated with metformin, were associated with a lower risk of death (OR 1.11, 95%, CI 0.38–3.22). OS with respect to high or absent levels of expression of the ABCB1 gene was lower.

Conclusion

High levels or null expression of the ABCB1 gene are associated with a higher risk of death or progression of the disease, the use of metformin in patients with COVID-19 confers a lower risk of death.

ABCC1 regulates cocaine-associated memory, spine plasticity and GluA1 and GluA2 surface expression

ATP-binding cassettes C1 (ABCC1s) are expressed in the neurons of the brain, but their function in neurological diseases is far from clear. In this study, we investigated the role of ABCC1 in the hippocampus in cocaine-associated memory and spine plasticity. We also investigated the role of ABCC1 in AMPA receptors (AMPARs) surface expression in primary prefrontal cortex (PFC) neurons following dopamine treatment, which was used to mimic exposure to cocaine. We found that cocaine increased ABCC1 expression in the hippocampus, and ABCC1-siRNA blocked cocaine-induced place preference. Furthermore, a morphological study showed that ABCC1-siRNA reduced the total spine density, including thin, stubby and mushroom spines in both cocaine and basal treatments compared with controls. Meanwhile, in vitro tests showed that ABCC1-siRNA decreased GluA1 and GluA2 surface expression induced by dopamine, while a decreased number of synapses in primary PFC neurons was observed following dopamine treatment. The data show that ABCC1 in the hippocampus is critically involved in cocaine-associated memory and spine plasticity and that dopamine induces AMPARs surface expression in primary PFC neurons. ABCC1 is thus presented as a new signaling molecule involved in cocaine addiction, which may provide a new target for the treatment of cocaine addiction.

Computational Systems Pharmacology-Target Mapping for Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Overdose

The United States of America is fighting against one of its worst-ever drug crises. Over 900 people a week die from opioid- or heroin-related overdoses, while millions more suffer from opioid prescription addiction. Recently, drug overdoses caused by fentanyl-laced cocaine specifically are on the rise. Due to drug synergy and an increase in side effects, polydrug addiction can cause more risk than addiction to a single drug. In the present work, we systematically analyzed the overdose and addiction mechanism of cocaine and fentanyl. First, we applied our established chemogenomics knowledgebase and machine-learning-based methods to map out the potential and known proteins, transporters, and metabolic enzymes and the potential therapeutic target(s) for cocaine and fentanyl. Sequentially, we looked into the detail of (1) the addiction to cocaine and fentanyl by binding to the dopamine transporter and the μ opioid receptor (DAT and μOR, respectively), (2) the potential drug-drug interaction of cocaine and fentanyl via p-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux, (3) the metabolism of cocaine and fentanyl in CYP3A4, and (4) the physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for two drugs and their drug-drug interaction at the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) level. Finally, we looked into the detail of JWH133, an agonist of cannabinoid 2-receptor (CB2) with potential as a therapy for cocaine and fentanyl overdose. All these results provide a better understanding of fentanyl and cocaine polydrug addiction and future drug abuse prevention.