1
|
Lovatt D, Tamburino A, Krasowska-Zoladek A, Sanoja R, Li L, Peterson V, Wang X, Uslaner J. scRNA-seq generates a molecular map of emerging cell subtypes after sciatic nerve injury in rats. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1105. [PMID: 36261573 PMCID: PMC9581950 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03970-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with peripheral nerve injury, viral infection or metabolic disorder often suffer neuropathic pain due to inadequate pharmacological options for relief. Developing novel therapies has been challenged by incomplete mechanistic understanding of the cellular microenvironment in sensory nerve that trigger the emergence and persistence of pain. In this study, we report a high resolution transcriptomics map of the cellular heterogeneity of naïve and injured rat sensory nerve covering more than 110,000 individual cells. Annotation reveals distinguishing molecular features of multiple major cell types totaling 45 different subtypes in naïve nerve and an additional 23 subtypes emerging after injury. Ligand-receptor analysis revealed a myriad of potential targets for pharmacological intervention. This work forms a comprehensive resource and unprecedented window into the cellular milieu underlying neuropathic pain and demonstrates that nerve injury is a dynamic process orchestrated by multiple cell types in both the endoneurial and epineurial nerve compartments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ditte Lovatt
- Department of Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, PA, USA.
| | - Alex Tamburino
- Department of Data and Genome Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, PA, USA
| | | | - Raul Sanoja
- Department of Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, PA, USA.,Biomarkers & Imaging, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Boston, USA
| | - Lixia Li
- Department of Genome and Biomarker Science, Merck & Co., Inc, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vanessa Peterson
- Department of Genome and Biomarker Science, Merck & Co., Inc, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiaohai Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, PA, USA
| | - Jason Uslaner
- Department of Neuroscience, Merck & Co., Inc, West Point, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Li W, Wang Y, Lohith TG, Zeng Z, Tong L, Mazzola R, Riffel K, Miller P, Purcell M, Holahan M, Haley H, Gantert L, Hesk D, Ren S, Morrow J, Uslaner J, Struyk A, Wai JMC, Rudd MT, Tellers DM, McAvoy T, Bormans G, Koole M, Van Laere K, Serdons K, de Hoon J, Declercq R, De Lepeleire I, Pascual MB, Zanotti-Fregonara P, Yu M, Arbones V, Masdeu JC, Cheng A, Hussain A, Bueters T, Anderson MS, Hostetler ED, Basile AS. The PET tracer [ 11C]MK-6884 quantifies M4 muscarinic receptor in rhesus monkeys and patients with Alzheimer's disease. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabg3684. [PMID: 35020407 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abg3684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenping Li
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - Yuchuan Wang
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | | | - Zhizhen Zeng
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - Ling Tong
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | | | - Kerry Riffel
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | | | - Mona Purcell
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | | | - Hyking Haley
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - Liza Gantert
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - David Hesk
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - Sumei Ren
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | - John Morrow
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | | | - Arie Struyk
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Guy Bormans
- Laboratory for Radiopharmaceutical Research, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michel Koole
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, KU Leuven and University Hospital Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Koen Van Laere
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, KU Leuven and University Hospital Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kim Serdons
- Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, KU Leuven and University Hospital Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jan de Hoon
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ruben Declercq
- Translational Pharmacology Europe, MSD (Europe) Inc., 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Inge De Lepeleire
- Translational Pharmacology Europe, MSD (Europe) Inc., 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maria B Pascual
- Nantz National Alzheimer Center, Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Paolo Zanotti-Fregonara
- Nantz National Alzheimer Center, Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Meixiang Yu
- Nantz National Alzheimer Center, Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Victoria Arbones
- Nantz National Alzheimer Center, Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Joseph C Masdeu
- Nantz National Alzheimer Center, Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA.,Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Amy Cheng
- MRL, Merck & Co. Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tong L, Li W, Lo MMC, Gao X, Wai JMC, Rudd M, Tellers D, Joshi A, Zeng Z, Miller P, Salinas C, Riffel K, Haley H, Purcell M, Holahan M, Gantert L, Schubert JW, Jones K, Mulhearn J, Egbertson M, Meng Z, Hanney B, Gomez R, Harrison ST, McQuade P, Bueters T, Uslaner J, Morrow J, Thomson F, Kong J, Liao J, Selyutin O, Bao J, Hastings NB, Agrawal S, Magliaro BC, Monsma FJ, Smith MD, Risso S, Hesk D, Hostetler E, Mazzola R. Discovery of [ 11C]MK-6884: A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging Agent for the Study of M4Muscarinic Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulators (PAMs) in Neurodegenerative Diseases. J Med Chem 2020; 63:2411-2425. [PMID: 32101422 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.9b01406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The measurement of receptor occupancy (RO) using positron emission tomography (PET) has been instrumental in guiding discovery and development of CNS directed therapeutics. We and others have investigated muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 4 (M4) positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) for the treatment of symptoms associated with neuropsychiatric disorders. In this article, we describe the synthesis, in vitro, and in vivo characterization of a series of central pyridine-related M4 PAMs that can be conveniently radiolabeled with carbon-11 as PET tracers for the in vivo imaging of an allosteric binding site of the M4 receptor. We first demonstrated its feasibility by mapping the receptor distribution in mouse brain and confirming that a lead molecule 1 binds selectively to the receptor only in the presence of the orthosteric agonist carbachol. Through a competitive binding affinity assay and a number of physiochemical properties filters, several related compounds were identified as candidates for in vivo evaluation. These candidates were then radiolabeled with 11C and studied in vivo in rhesus monkeys. This research eventually led to the discovery of the clinical radiotracer candidate [11C]MK-6884.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Tong
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Wenping Li
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Michael Man-Chu Lo
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Xiaolei Gao
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Jenny Miu-Chen Wai
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Michael Rudd
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - David Tellers
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Aniket Joshi
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Zhizhen Zeng
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Patricia Miller
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Cristian Salinas
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Kerry Riffel
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Hyking Haley
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Mona Purcell
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Marie Holahan
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Liza Gantert
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Jeffrey W Schubert
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Kristen Jones
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - James Mulhearn
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Melissa Egbertson
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Zhaoyang Meng
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Barbara Hanney
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Robert Gomez
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Scott T Harrison
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Paul McQuade
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Tjerk Bueters
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Jason Uslaner
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - John Morrow
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Fiona Thomson
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Jongrock Kong
- Department of Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 East Lincoln Avenue Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Jing Liao
- Department of Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 East Lincoln Avenue Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Oleg Selyutin
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Jianming Bao
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Nicholas B Hastings
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Sony Agrawal
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Brian C Magliaro
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Frederick J Monsma
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Michelle D Smith
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Stefania Risso
- Discovery Biology, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - David Hesk
- Department of Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 East Lincoln Avenue Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Eric Hostetler
- Translational Biomarkers, Merck & Co., Inc., 770 Sumneytown Pike, West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Robert Mazzola
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., 2000 Galloping Hill Road, Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Schubert JW, Harrison ST, Mulhearn J, Gomez R, Tynebor R, Jones K, Bunda J, Hanney B, Wai JM, Cox C, McCauley JA, Sanders JM, Magliaro B, O'Brien J, Pajkovic N, Huszar Agrapides SL, Taylor A, Gotter A, Smith SM, Uslaner J, Browne S, Risso S, Egbertson M. Discovery, Optimization, and Biological Characterization of 2,3,6‐Trisubstituted Pyridine‐Containing M
4
Positive Allosteric Modulators. ChemMedChem 2019; 14:943-951. [PMID: 30920765 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201900088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott T. Harrison
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - James Mulhearn
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Robert Gomez
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Robert Tynebor
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Kristen Jones
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Jaime Bunda
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Barbara Hanney
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | | | - Chris Cox
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - John A. McCauley
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - John M. Sanders
- Department of Computational and Structural ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Brian Magliaro
- Department of In Vitro PharmacologyMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Julie O'Brien
- Department of In Vitro PharmacologyMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Natasa Pajkovic
- Department of Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug MetabolismMerck & Co., Inc West Point PA USA
| | | | - Anne Taylor
- Department of In Vivo PharmacologyMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Anthony Gotter
- Department of Neuroscience ResearchMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Sean M. Smith
- Department of Neuroscience ResearchMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Jason Uslaner
- Department of Neuroscience ResearchMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Susan Browne
- Department of In Vivo PharmacologyMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Stefania Risso
- Department of Neuroscience ResearchMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| | - Melissa Egbertson
- Department of Medicinal ChemistryMerck & Co., Inc. West Point PA USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Raheem IT, Schreier JD, Fuerst J, Gantert L, Hostetler ED, Huszar S, Joshi A, Kandebo M, Kim SH, Li J, Ma B, McGaughey G, Sharma S, Shipe WD, Uslaner J, Vandeveer GH, Yan Y, Renger JJ, Smith SM, Coleman PJ, Cox CD. Discovery of pyrazolopyrimidine phosphodiesterase 10A inhibitors for the treatment of schizophrenia. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2015; 26:126-32. [PMID: 26602277 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2015] [Accepted: 11/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we present the identification of a novel class of pyrazolopyrimidine phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) inhibitors. Beginning with a lead molecule (1) identified through a fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) effort, lead optimization was enabled by rational design, X-ray crystallography, metabolic and off-target profiling, and fragment scaffold-hopping. We highlight the discovery of PyP-1, a potent, highly selective, and orally bioavailable pyrazolopyrimidine inhibitor of PDE10A. PyP-1 exhibits sub-nanomolar potency (PDE10A Ki=0.23nM), excellent pharmacokinetic (PK) and physicochemical properties, and a clean off-target profile. It displays dose-dependent efficacy in numerous pharmacodynamic (PD) assays that measure potential for anti-psychotic activity and cognitive improvement. PyP-1 also has a clean preclinical profile with respect to cataleptic potential in rats, prolactin secretion, and weight gain, common adverse events associated with currently marketed therapeutics. Further, PyP-1 displays in vivo preclinical target engagement as measured by PET enzyme occupancy in concert with [(11)C]MK-8193, a novel PDE10A PET tracer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Izzat T Raheem
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - John D Schreier
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Joy Fuerst
- Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Liza Gantert
- Imaging, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Eric D Hostetler
- Imaging, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Sarah Huszar
- In Vivo Pharmacology, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Aniket Joshi
- Imaging, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Monika Kandebo
- Neuroscience, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Somang H Kim
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug Metabolism, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Jing Li
- Discovery Process Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Bennett Ma
- Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug Metabolism, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Georgia McGaughey
- Chemistry Modeling and Informatics, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Sujata Sharma
- Structural Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - William D Shipe
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Jason Uslaner
- In Vivo Pharmacology, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - George H Vandeveer
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Youwei Yan
- Structural Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - John J Renger
- Neuroscience, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Sean M Smith
- Neuroscience, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Paul J Coleman
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| | - Christopher D Cox
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gotter AL, Winrow CJ, Brunner J, Garson SL, Fox SV, Binns J, Harrell CM, Cui D, Yee KL, Stiteler M, Stevens J, Savitz A, Tannenbaum PL, Tye SJ, McDonald T, Yao L, Kuduk SD, Uslaner J, Coleman PJ, Renger JJ. The duration of sleep promoting efficacy by dual orexin receptor antagonists is dependent upon receptor occupancy threshold. BMC Neurosci 2013; 14:90. [PMID: 23981345 PMCID: PMC3765993 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-14-90] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [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] [Received: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 08/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Drugs targeting insomnia ideally promote sleep throughout the night, maintain normal sleep architecture, and are devoid of residual effects associated with morning sedation. These features of an ideal compound are not only dependent upon pharmacokinetics, receptor binding kinetics, potency and pharmacodynamic activity, but also upon a compound’s mechanism of action. Results Dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs) block the arousal-promoting activity of orexin peptides and, as demonstrated in the current work, exhibit an efficacy signal window dependent upon oscillating levels of endogenous orexin neuropeptide. Sleep efficacy of structurally diverse DORAs in rat and dog was achieved at plasma exposures corresponding to orexin 2 receptor (OX2R) occupancies in the range of 65 to 80%. In rats, the time course of OX2R occupancy was dependent upon receptor binding kinetics and was tightly correlated with the timing of active wake reduction. In rhesus monkeys, direct comparison of DORA-22 with GABA-A modulators at similar sleep-inducing doses revealed that diazepam produced next-day residual sleep and both diazepam and eszopiclone induced next-day cognitive deficits. In stark contrast, DORA-22 did not produce residual effects. Furthermore, DORA-22 evoked only minimal changes in quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG) activity during the normal resting phase in contrast to GABA-A modulators which induced substantial qEEG changes. Conclusion The higher levels of receptor occupancy necessary for DORA efficacy require a plasma concentration profile sufficient to maintain sleep for the duration of the resting period. DORAs, with a half-life exceeding 8 h in humans, are expected to fulfill this requirement as exposures drop to sub-threshold receptor occupancy levels prior to the wake period, potentially avoiding next-day residual effects at therapeutic doses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony L Gotter
- Department of Neuroscience, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Uslaner J, Smith O. Science Translational Medicine
Podcast: 3 April 2013. Sci Transl Med 2013. [DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3006201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
In this podcast, Jason Uslaner discusses the discovery of a new class of sleep inducing agents with fewer side effects than existing sedatives.
Collapse
|
8
|
Raheem IT, Breslin MJ, Fandozzi C, Fuerst J, Hill N, Huszar S, Kandebo M, Kim SH, Ma B, McGaughey G, Renger JJ, Schreier JD, Sharma S, Smith S, Uslaner J, Yan Y, Coleman PJ, Cox CD. Discovery of tetrahydropyridopyrimidine phosphodiesterase 10A inhibitors for the treatment of schizophrenia. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2012; 22:5903-8. [PMID: 22892116 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.07.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2012] [Revised: 07/16/2012] [Accepted: 07/20/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
We describe the discovery of potent and orally bioavailable tetrahydropyridopyrimidine inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 10A by systematic optimization of a novel HTS lead. Lead compound THPP-1 exhibits nanomolar potencies, excellent pharmacokinetic properties, and a clean off-target profile. It displays in vivo target engagement as measured by increased rat striatal cGMP levels upon oral dosing. It shows dose-dependent efficacy in a key pharmacodynamic assay predictive of antipsychotic activity, the psychostimulant-induced rat hyperlocomotion assay. Further, THPP-1 displays significantly fewer preclinical adverse events in assays measuring prolactin secretion, catalepsy, and weight gain, in contrast to the typical and atypical antipsychotics haloperidol and olanzapine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Izzat T Raheem
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Uslaner J, Badiani A, Day HE, Watson SJ, Akil H, Robinson TE. Environmental context modulates the ability of cocaine and amphetamine to induce c-fos mRNA expression in the neocortex, caudate nucleus, and nucleus accumbens. Brain Res 2001; 920:106-16. [PMID: 11716816 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(01)03040-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We reported previously that environmental novelty enhances the acute psychomotor activating effects of amphetamine, its ability to induce behavioral sensitization, and its ability to induce c-fos mRNA in the striatum and other structures, relative to when amphetamine is given in the home cage. The purpose of the present experiment was 2-fold: to determine (1) whether environmental novelty has a similar effect on the ability of cocaine to induce c-fos mRNA, and (2) whether this effect is seen in neurologically-intact rats (in previous experiments we studied the intact hemisphere of rats with a unilateral 6-OHDA lesion). In the dorsal portion of the caudate putamen, core and shell of the nucleus accumbens, and in several cortical regions, both amphetamine (1.5 mg/kg) and cocaine (15 mg/kg) induced higher levels of c-fos mRNA expression when administered in a novel environment, relative to when they were administered in the home cage. The ability of environmental context to modulate psychostimulant drug-induced immediate early gene expression may be related to its ability to modulate forms of drug experience-dependent plasticity, such as behavioral sensitization.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Uslaner
- Biopsychology Programs, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, East Hall, 525 East University Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48019-1109, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Abstract
Pre-clinical research implicates dopaminergic neurotransmission as critical in producing the effects of stimulants. Previous stimulant challenge studies using volunteers treated with dopaminergic antagonists have generally failed to demonstrate reduction of subjective effects. We performed this study to determine whether repeated dosing with risperidone reduced the subjective effects of experimentally administered cocaine. Nine non-treatment seeking hospitalized cocaine-dependent volunteers received 40 mg cocaine IV before and following 5 days of treatment with risperidone, 2 mg per day. Risperidone pre-treatment reduced the self-rated 'high' produced by cocaine. Repeated, rather than single, dosing with a D2 antagonist may be necessary to reduce the subjective effects produced by cocaine. The degree of D2 receptor blockade produced by risperidone appears to be greater than the reduction in euphoric effects produced by cocaine, suggesting that mechanisms other than those involving D2 receptors may be important in drug-induced euphoria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T F Newton
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Uslaner J, Badiani A, Norton CS, Day HE, Watson SJ, Akil H, Robinson TE. Amphetamine and cocaine induce different patterns of c-fos mRNA expression in the striatum and subthalamic nucleus depending on environmental context. Eur J Neurosci 2001; 13:1977-83. [PMID: 11403691 DOI: 10.1046/j.0953-816x.2001.01574.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In the dorsal striatum, there are two major populations of medium spiny projection neurons. One population is positive for dynorphin mRNA (DYN+), and these cells project preferentially to the substantia nigra, forming the so-called 'direct pathway'. A second population is positive for enkephalin mRNA (ENK+), and these cells influence the substantia nigra indirectly, via the globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus. Psychostimulant drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, are reported to induce immediate early genes (IEGs) in only one subpopulation of dorsal striatal projection neurons, DYN+ cells. However, this apparent selectivity appears to be a function of environmental context. We found that when given in the animal's home cage, amphetamine and cocaine increased expression of the IEG, c-fos, almost exclusively in DYN+ cells. However, when given in a novel environment, amphetamine and cocaine increased c-fos mRNA in both DYN+ and ENK+ cells. Furthermore, amphetamine and cocaine increased c-fos mRNA expression in the subthalamic nucleus when administered in the novel environment, but not when given at home. We conclude that the neural circuitry engaged by psychostimulant drugs, and their ability to induce specific patterns of gene expression, are determined by the environmental context in which they are experienced. This may be related to the ability of environmental novelty to facilitate psychostimulant drug-induced neuroplasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Uslaner
- Biopsychology and Neuroscience Programs, Department of Psychology, The University of Michigan, East Hall, 525 E. University St, Ann Arbor, MI 48019-1109, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
OBJECTIVE During early abstinence, many cocaine-dependent individuals experience symptoms such as anhedonia, craving, fatigue, insomnia, and dysphoria. While several studies have shown an association between depressive symptoms and negative treatment outcome, the reasons for this association are unclear. The authors conducted this study in order to determine the association between severity of depressive symptoms during early abstinence and subjective effects of experimentally administered cocaine. METHOD Seventeen cocaine-dependent individuals achieved 5 days of abstinence in a hospital setting. Forty mg of cocaine was given intravenously on the fifth day of abstinence, and participants were asked to rate the subjective effects produced by the cocaine. The relationship between the subjective high produced by cocaine and the symptoms experienced during the 5 days of abstinence was evaluated. RESULTS Individuals experiencing more intense depressive symptoms experienced a significantly greater high from the 40-mg cocaine infusion than individuals who did not. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that the severity of depressive symptoms experienced during initial abstinence is associated with the intensity of the subsequent high produced by cocaine. This finding could help explain why individuals who experience greater levels of depression-like symptoms during abstinence appear to be at greater risk for unsuccessful treatment outcome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Uslaner
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA School of Medicine, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|