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Chen Z, Mori W, Rong J, Schafroth MA, Shao T, Van RS, Ogasawara D, Yamasaki T, Hiraishi A, Hatori A, Chen J, Zhang Y, Hu K, Fujinaga M, Sun J, Yu Q, Collier TL, Shao Y, Cravatt BF, Josephson L, Zhang MR, Liang SH. Development of a highly-specific 18F-labeled irreversible positron emission tomography tracer for monoacylglycerol lipase mapping. Acta Pharm Sin B 2021; 11:1686-1695. [PMID: 34221877 PMCID: PMC8245801 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
As a serine hydrolase, monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is principally responsible for the metabolism of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the central nervous system (CNS), leading to the formation of arachidonic acid (AA). Dysfunction of MAGL has been associated with multiple CNS disorders and symptoms, including neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment, epileptogenesis, nociception and neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibition of MAGL provides a promising therapeutic direction for the treatment of these conditions, and a MAGL positron emission tomography (PET) probe would greatly facilitate preclinical and clinical development of MAGL inhibitors. Herein, we design and synthesize a small library of fluoropyridyl-containing MAGL inhibitor candidates. Pharmacological evaluation of these candidates by activity-based protein profiling identified 14 as a lead compound, which was then radiolabeled with fluorine-18 via a facile SNAr reaction to form 2-[18F]fluoropyridine scaffold. Good blood–brain barrier permeability and high in vivo specific binding was demonstrated for radioligand [18F]14 (also named as [18F]MAGL-1902). This work may serve as a roadmap for clinical translation and further design of potent 18F-labeled MAGL PET tracers.
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Muldoon PP, Akinola LS, Schlosburg JE, Lichtman AH, Sim-Selley LJ, Mahadevan A, Cravatt BF, Damaj MI. Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase reduces nicotine reward in the conditioned place preference test in male mice. Neuropharmacology 2020; 176:108170. [PMID: 32479813 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 01/11/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Nicotine, the primary psychoactive component in tobacco, plays a major role in the initiation and maintenance of tobacco dependence and addiction, a leading cause of preventable death worldwide. An essential need thus exists for more effective pharmacotherapies for nicotine-use cessation. Previous reports suggest that pharmacological and genetic blockade of CB1 receptors attenuate nicotine reinforcement and reward; while exogenous agonists enhanced these abuse-related behaviors. In this study, we utilized complementary genetic and pharmacologic approaches to test the hypothesis that increasing the levels of the endocannabinoid 2-arachindonoylglycerol (2-AG), will enhance nicotine reward by stimulating neuronal CB1 receptors. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the primary catabolic enzyme of 2-AG, attenuates nicotine conditioned place preference (CPP) in mice, through a non-CB1 receptor-mediated mechanism. MAGL inhibition did not alter palatable food reward or Lithium Chloride (LiCl) aversion. In support of our findings, repeated MAGL inhibition did not induce a reduction in CB1 brain receptor levels or hinder function. To explore the potential mechanism of action, we investigated if MAGL inhibition affected other fatty acid levels in our CPP paradigm. Indeed, MAGL inhibition caused a concomitant decrease in arachidonic acid (AA) levels in various brain regions of interest, suggesting an AA cascade-dependent mechanism. This idea is supported by dose-dependent attenuation of nicotine preference by the selective COX-2 inhibitors valdecoxib and LM-4131. Collectively, these findings, along with our reported studies on nicotine withdrawal, suggest that inhibition of MAGL represents a promising new target for the development of pharmacotherapies to treat nicotine dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pretal P Muldoon
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Lois S Akinola
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
| | - Joel E Schlosburg
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Aron H Lichtman
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Laura J Sim-Selley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | | | - Benjamin F Cravatt
- Department of Chemistry, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - M Imad Damaj
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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