Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Biased Mu-Opioid Receptor Agonists
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Guo Y
PROVIDER: S-EPMC11243066 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:A series of bifunctional peptides that act as agonists for delta and mu opioid receptors with delta selectivity and as antagonist for neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptors were designed and synthesized for potential application as analgesics in various pain states. The peptides were characterized using radioligand binding assays and functional assays using cell membrane and animal tissue. Optimization was performed on the fifth residue which serves as an address moiety for both receptor recognitions. It had critical effects on both activities at delta/mu opioid receptors and NK1 receptors. Among the synthesized peptides, H-Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-Phe-Met-Pro-Leu-Trp-O-3,5-Bzl(CF3) 2 (5) and H-Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-Phe-Nle-Pro-Leu-Trp-O-3,5-Bzl(CF3)2 (7) had excellent agonist activity for both delta opioid and mu opioid receptors and excellent antagonist activity for NK1 receptors. These results indicate that the rational design of multifunctional ligands with opioid agonist and neurokinin-1 antagonist activities can be accomplished and may provide a new tool for treatment of chronic and several pain states.
| S-EPMC2365895 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Morphine is widely used in pain management although the risk of side effects is significant. The use of biased agonists to the G protein of μ-opioid receptors has been suggested as a potential solution, although oliceridine and PZM21 have previously failed to demonstrate benefits in clinical studies. An amplification-induced confusion in the process of comparing G protein and beta-arrestin pathways may account for previously biased agonist misidentification. Here, we have devised a strategy to discover biased agonists with intrinsic efficacy. We computationally simulated 430 000 molecular dockings to the μ-opioid receptor to construct a compound library. Hits were then verified experimentally. Using the verified compounds, we performed simulations to build a second library with a common scaffold and selected compounds that showed a bias to μ- and δ-opioid receptors in a cell-based assay. Three compounds (ID110460001, ID110460002, and ID110460003) with a dual-biased agonistic effect for μ- and δ-opioid receptors were identified. These candidates are full agonists for the μ-opioid receptor and show specific binding modes. On the basis of our findings, we expect our novel compounds to act as more biased agonists compared to existing drugs, including oliceridine.
| S-EPMC8204323 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The μ-opioid receptor (μOR) is the major target for opioid analgesics. Activation of μOR initiates signaling through G protein pathways as well as through β-arrestin recruitment. μOR agonists that are biased towards G protein signaling pathways demonstrate diminished side effects. PZM21, discovered by computational docking, is a G protein biased μOR agonist. Here we report the cryoEM structure of PZM21 bound μOR in complex with Gi protein. Structure-based evolution led to multiple PZM21 analogs with more pronounced Gi protein bias and increased lipophilicity to improve CNS penetration. Among them, FH210 shows extremely low potency and efficacy for arrestin recruitment. We further determined the cryoEM structure of FH210 bound to μOR in complex with Gi protein and confirmed its expected binding pose. The structural and pharmacological studies reveal a potential mechanism to reduce β-arrestin recruitment by the μOR, and hold promise for developing next-generation analgesics with fewer adverse effects.
| S-EPMC9322534 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Targeted structural modifications have led to a novel type of buprenorphine-derived opioid receptor ligand displaying an improved selectivity profile for the μ-OR subtype. On this basis, it is shown that phenylazocarboxamides may serve as useful bioisosteric replacements for the widely occurring cinnamide units, without loss of OR binding affinity or subtype selectivity. This study further includes functional experiments pointing to weak partial agonist properties of the novel μ-OR ligands, as well as docking and metabolism experiments. Finally, the unique bifunctional character of phenylazocarboxylates, herein serving as precursors for the azocarboxamide subunit, was exploited to demonstrate the accessibility of an 18 F-fluorinated analogue.
| S-EPMC7383964 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The ability of a ligand to preferentially promote engagement of one signaling pathway over another downstream of GPCR activation has been referred to as signaling bias, functional selectivity, and biased agonism. The presentation of ligand bias reflects selectivity between active states of the receptor, which may result in the display of preferential engagement with one signaling pathway over another. In this study, we provide evidence that the G protein-biased mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists SR-17018 and SR-14968 stabilize the MOR in a wash-resistant yet antagonist-reversible G protein-signaling state. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these structurally related biased agonists are noncompetitive for radiolabeled MOR antagonist binding, and while they stimulate G protein signaling in mouse brains, partial agonists of this class do not compete with full agonist activation. Importantly, opioid antagonists can readily reverse their effects in vivo. Given that chronic treatment with SR-17018 does not lead to tolerance in several mouse pain models, this feature may be desirable for the development of long-lasting opioid analgesics that remain sensitive to antagonist reversal of respiratory suppression.
| S-EPMC8640941 | biostudies-literature
Project description:AimTramadol is an atypical opioid analgesic with low potential for tolerance and addiction. However, its opioid activity is much lower than classic opiates such as morphine. To develop novel analgesic and further explore the structure activity relationship (SAR) of tramadol skeleton.MethodsBased on a three-dimensional (3D) structure superimposition and molecular docking study, we found that M1 (the active metabolite of tramadol) and morphine have common pharmacophore features and similar binding modes at the μ opioid receptor in which the substituents on the nitrogen atom of both compounds faced a common hydrophobic pocket formed by Trp2936.48 and Tyr3267.43. In this study, N-phenethylnormorphine was docked to the μ opioid receptor. It was found that the N-substituted group of N-phenethylnormorphine extended into a hydrophobic pocket formed by Trp2936.48 and Tyr3267.43. This hydrophobic interaction may contribute to the improvement of its opioid activities as compared with morphine. The binding modes of M1, morphine and N-phenethylnormorphine overlapped, indicating that the substituent on the nitrogen atoms of the three compounds may adopt common orientations. A series of N-phenylalkyl derivatives from the tramadol scaffold were designed, synthesized and assayed in order to generate a new type of analgesics.ResultsAs a result, compound 5b was identified to be an active candidate from these compounds. Furthermore, the binding modes of 5b and morphine derivatives in the μ opioid receptor were comparatively studied.ConclusionUnlike morphine-derived structures in which bulky N-substitution is associated with improved opioid-like activities, there seems to be a different story for tramadol, suggesting the potential difference of SAR between these compounds. A new type of interaction mechanism in tramadol analogue (5b) was discovered, which will help advance potent tramadol-based analgesic design.
| S-EPMC4648120 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and purposeBiased GPCR ligands are able to engage with their target receptor in a manner that preferentially activates distinct downstream signalling and offers potential for next generation therapeutics. However, accurate quantification of ligand bias in vitro is complex, and current best practice is not amenable for testing large numbers of compound. We have therefore sought to apply ligand bias theory to an industrial scale screening campaign for the identification of new biased μ receptor agonists.Experimental approachμ receptor assays with appropriate dynamic range were developed for both Gαi -dependent signalling and β-arrestin2 recruitment. Δlog(Emax /EC50 ) analysis was validated as an alternative for the operational model of agonism in calculating pathway bias towards Gαi -dependent signalling. The analysis was applied to a high throughput screen to characterize the prevalence and nature of pathway bias among a diverse set of compounds with μ receptor agonist activity.Key resultsA high throughput screening campaign yielded 440 hits with greater than 10-fold bias relative to DAMGO. To validate these results, we quantified pathway bias of a subset of hits using the operational model of agonism. The high degree of correlation across these biased hits confirmed that Δlog(Emax /EC50 ) was a suitable method for identifying genuine biased ligands within a large collection of diverse compounds.Conclusions and implicationsThis work demonstrates that using Δlog(Emax /EC50 ), drug discovery can apply the concept of biased ligand quantification on a large scale and accelerate the deliberate discovery of novel therapeutics acting via this complex pharmacology.
| S-EPMC4940816 | biostudies-literature
Project description:On the basis of a mu opioid receptor (MOR) homology model and the isosterism concept, three generations of 14-heteroaromatically substituted naltrexone derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as potential MOR-selective ligands. The first-generation ligands appeared to be MOR-selective, whereas the second and the third generation ones showed MOR/kappa opioid receptor (KOR) dual selectivity. Docking of ligands 2 (MOR selective) and 10 (MOR/KOR dual selective) to the three opioid receptor crystal structures revealed a nonconserved-residue-facilitated hydrogen-bonding network that could be responsible for their distinctive selectivity profiles. The MOR/KOR dual-selective ligand 10 showed no agonism and acted as a potent antagonist in the tail-flick assay. It also produced less severe opioid withdrawal symptoms than naloxone in morphine-dependent mice. In conclusion, ligand 10 may serve as a novel lead compound to develop MOR/KOR dual-selective ligands, which might possess unique therapeutic value for opioid addiction treatment.
| S-EPMC4373589 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The recent widespread abuse of high potency synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, presents a serious threat to individuals affected by substance use disorder. Synthetic opioids generally exhibit prolonged in vivo circulatory half-lives that can outlast the reversal effects of conventional naloxone-based overdose antidotes leading to a life-threatening relapse of opioid toxicity known as renarcotization. In this manuscript, we present our efforts to combat the threat of renarcotization by attempting to extend the half-life of traditional MOR antagonists through the design of novel, fluorinated 4,5-epoxymorphinans possessing increased lipophilicity. Analogues were prepared via a concise synthetic strategy highlighted by decarboxylative Wittig olefination of the C6 ketone to install a bioisosteric 1,1-difluoromethylene unit. C6-difluoromethylenated compounds successfully maintained in vitro potency against an EC90 challenge of fentanyl and were predicted to have enhanced circulatory half-life compared to the current standard of care, naloxone. Subsequent in vivo studies demonstrated the effective blockade of fentanyl-induced anti-nociception in mice.
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Project description:The synthesis of a new series of C-2-alkyl-2-methoxymethyl-salvinorin ethers and their binding affinities at κ-, μ-, and δ-opioid receptors are presented. We have developed a synthesis that enables installation of alkyl-substituents at C-2 while maintaining the integrity of the C-2 methoxymethyl ether and retaining κ-opioid receptor binding activity. Among these new compounds, 2-methyl-2-methoxymethyl-salvinorin ether (9a) is a potent full agonist at the κ receptor and shows comparable potency in Ki and EC50 with salvinorin A and U50488H. These C2-alkylated analogs have been identified as full κ agonists.
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