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Belo RF, Martins MLF, Shvachiy L, Costa-Coelho T, de Almeida-Borlido C, Fonseca-Gomes J, Neves V, Vicente Miranda H, Outeiro TF, Coelho JE, Xapelli S, Valente CA, Heras M, Bardaji E, Castanho MARB, Diógenes MJ, Sebastião AM. The Neuroprotective Action of Amidated-Kyotorphin on Amyloid β Peptide-Induced Alzheimer's Disease Pathophysiology. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:985. [PMID: 32733240 PMCID: PMC7363954 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00985] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Kyotorphin (KTP, l-tyrosyl-l-arginine) is an endogenous dipeptide initially described to have analgesic properties. Recently, KTP was suggested to be an endogenous neuroprotective agent, namely for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In fact, KTP levels were shown to be decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with AD, and recent data showed that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of KTP ameliorates memory impairments in a sporadic rat model of AD. However, this administration route is far from being a suitable therapeutic strategy. Here, we evaluated if the blood-brain permeant KTP-derivative, KTP-NH2, when systemically administered, would be effective in preventing memory deficits in a sporadic AD animal model and if so, which would be the synaptic correlates of that action. The sporadic AD model was induced in male Wistar rats through i.c.v. injection of amyloid β peptide (Aβ). Animals were treated for 20 days with KTP-NH2 (32.3 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.), starting at day 3 after Aβ administration) before memory testing (Novel object recognition (NOR) and Y-maze (YM) tests). Animals were then sacrificed, and markers for gliosis were assessed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Synaptic correlates were assessed by evaluating theta-burst induced long term potentiation (LTP) of field excitatory synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) recorded from hippocampal slices and cortical spine density analysis. In the absence of KTP-NH2 treatment, Aβ-injected rats had clear memory deficits, as assessed through NOR or YM tests. Importantly, these memory deficits were absent in Aβ-injected rats that had been treated with KTP-NH2, which scored in memory tests as control (sham i.c.v. injected) rats. No signs of gliosis could be detected at the end of the treatment in any group of animals. LTP magnitude was significantly impaired in hippocampal slices that had been incubated with Aβ oligomers (200 nM) in the absence of KTP-NH2. Co-incubation with KTP-NH2 (50 nM) rescued LTP toward control values. Similarly, Aβ caused a significant decrease in spine density in cortical neuronal cultures, and this was prevented by co-incubation with KTP-NH2 (50 nM). In conclusion, the present data demonstrate that i.p. KTP-NH2 treatment counteracts Aβ-induced memory impairments in an AD sporadic model, possibly through the rescuing of synaptic plasticity mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita F Belo
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida L F Martins
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Liana Shvachiy
- Cardiovascular Autonomic Function Lab, Centro Cardiovascular da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Tiago Costa-Coelho
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carolina de Almeida-Borlido
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Fonseca-Gomes
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Vera Neves
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Bioquímica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hugo Vicente Miranda
- CEDOC, Chronic Diseases Research Center, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Tiago F Outeiro
- CEDOC, Chronic Diseases Research Center, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.,Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany.,Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Joana E Coelho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sara Xapelli
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cláudia A Valente
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Montserrat Heras
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica (LIPPSO), Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Eduard Bardaji
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica (LIPPSO), Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Miguel A R B Castanho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Bioquímica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maria José Diógenes
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana M Sebastião
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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Perazzo J, Lopes-Ferreira M, Sá Santos S, Serrano I, Pinto A, Lima C, Bardaji E, Tavares I, Heras M, Conceição K, Castanho MARB. Endothelium-Mediated Action of Analogues of the Endogenous Neuropeptide Kyotorphin (Tyrosil-Arginine): Mechanistic Insights from Permeation and Effects on Microcirculation. ACS Chem Neurosci 2016; 7:1130-40. [PMID: 27244291 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00099] [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] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Kyotorphin (KTP) is an endogenous peptide with analgesic properties when administered into the central nervous system (CNS). Its amidated form (l-Tyr-l-Arg-NH2; KTP-NH2) has improved analgesic efficacy after systemic administration, suggesting blood-brain barrier (BBB) crossing. KTP-NH2 also has anti-inflammatory action impacting on microcirculation. In this work, selected derivatives of KTP-NH2 were synthesized to improve lipophilicity and resistance to enzymatic degradation while introducing only minor changes in the chemical structure: N-terminal methylation and/or use of d amino acid residues. Intravital microscopy data show that KTP-NH2 having a d-Tyr residue, KTP-NH2-DL, efficiently decreases the number of leukocyte rolling in a murine model of inflammation induced by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS): down to 46% after 30 min with 96 μM KTP-NH2-DL. The same molecule has lower ability to permeate membranes (relative permeability of 0.38) and no significant activity in a behavioral test which evaluates thermal nociception (hot-plate test). On the contrary, methylated isomers at 96 μM increase leukocyte rolling up to nearly 5-fold after 30 min, suggesting a proinflammatory activity. They have maximal ability to permeate membranes (relative permeability of 0.8) and induce long-lasting antinociception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Perazzo
- Instituto de Medicina
Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mônica Lopes-Ferreira
- Unidade
de Imunorregulação, Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia
Aplicada, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sónia Sá Santos
- Instituto de Medicina
Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Isa Serrano
- Instituto de Medicina
Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Antónia Pinto
- Instituto de Medicina
Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Carla Lima
- Unidade
de Imunorregulação, Laboratório Especial de Toxinologia
Aplicada, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brasil, 1500 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eduard Bardaji
- Laboratori
d’Innovació en processos i Productes de Síntesi
Orgànica (LIPPSO), Department de Química, Universitat de Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain
| | - Isaura Tavares
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
- i3S
- Instituto de Inovação e Investigação
em Saúde, and Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade
de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
| | - Montserrat Heras
- Laboratori
d’Innovació en processos i Productes de Síntesi
Orgànica (LIPPSO), Department de Química, Universitat de Girona, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain
| | - Katia Conceição
- Departamento
de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Rua Talim, 330, 04021-001 São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Miguel A. R. B. Castanho
- Instituto de Medicina
Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
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Sá Santos S, Santos SM, Pinto ART, Ramu VG, Heras M, Bardaji E, Tavares I, Castanho MARB. Amidated and Ibuprofen-Conjugated Kyotorphins Promote Neuronal Rescue and Memory Recovery in Cerebral Hypoperfusion Dementia Model. Front Aging Neurosci 2016; 8:1. [PMID: 26858637 PMCID: PMC4726799 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2016.00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 11/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic brain ischemia is a prominent risk factor for neurological dysfunction and progression for dementias, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In rats, permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2VO) causes a progressive neurodegeneration in the hippocampus, learning deficits and memory loss as it occurs in AD. Kyotorphin (KTP) is an endogenous antinociceptive dipeptide whose role as neuromodulator/neuroprotector has been suggested. Recently, we designed two analgesic KTP-derivatives, KTP-amide (KTP–NH2) and KTP–NH2 linked to ibuprofen (IbKTP–NH2) to improve KTP brain targeting. This study investigated the effects of KTP-derivatives on cognitive/behavioral functions (motor/spatial memory/nociception) and hippocampal pathology of female rats in chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (2VO-rat model). 2VO-animals were treated with KTP–NH2 or IbKTP–NH2 for 7 days at weeks 2 and 5 post-surgery. After behavioral testing (week 6), coronal sections of hippocampus were H&E-stained or immunolabeled for the cellular markers GFAP (astrocytes) and NFL (neurons). Our findings show that KTP-derivatives, mainly IbKTP–NH2, enhanced cognitive impairment of 2VO-animals and prevented neuronal damage in hippocampal CA1 subfield, suggesting their potential usefulness for the treatment of dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sónia Sá Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sara M Santos
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Antónia R T Pinto
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vasanthakumar G Ramu
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica, Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona Girona, Spain
| | - Montserrat Heras
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica, Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona Girona, Spain
| | - Eduard Bardaji
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica, Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona Girona, Spain
| | - Isaura Tavares
- Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina do PortoPorto, Portugal; Instituto de Biologia Molecular e CelularPorto, Portugal; i3S - Instituto de Inovação e Investigação em Saúde, Universidade do PortoPorto, Portugal
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Ribeiro MMB, Pinto A, Pinto M, Heras M, Martins I, Correia A, Bardaji E, Tavares I, Castanho M. Inhibition of nociceptive responses after systemic administration of amidated kyotorphin. Br J Pharmacol 2011; 163:964-73. [PMID: 21366550 PMCID: PMC3130928 DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01290.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Kyotorphin (KTP; L-Tyr-L-Arg), an endogenous neuropeptide, is potently analgesic when delivered directly to the central nervous system. Its weak analgesic effects after systemic administration have been explained by inability to cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and detract from the possible clinical use of KTP as an analgesic. In this study, we aimed to increase the lipophilicity of KTP by amidation and to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of a new KTP derivative (KTP-amide – KTP-NH2). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We synthesized KTP-NH2. This peptide was given systemically to assess its ability to cross the BBB. A wide range of pain models, including acute, sustained and chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain, were used to characterize analgesic efficacies of KTP-NH2. Binding to opioid receptors and toxicity were also measured. KEY RESULTS KTP-NH2, unlike its precursor KTP, was lipophilic and highly analgesic following systemic administration in several acute and chronic pain models, without inducing toxic effects or affecting motor responses and blood pressure. Binding to opioid receptors was minimal. KTP-NH2 inhibited nociceptive responses of spinal neurons. Its analgesic effects were prevented by intrathecal or i.p. administration of naloxone. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Amidation allowed KTP to show good analgesic ability after systemic delivery in acute and chronic pain models. The indirect opioid-mediated actions of KTP-NH2 may explain why this compound retained its analgesic effects although the usual side effects of opioids were absent, which is a desired feature in next-generation pain medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M B Ribeiro
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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