Evaluation of the Intracellular Signaling Activities of κ-Opioid Receptor Agonists, Nalfurafine Analogs; Focusing on the Selectivity of G-Protein- and β-Arrestin-Mediated Pathways

Autor: Masahiro Yamaguchi, Kanako Miyano, Shigeto Hirayama, Yusuke Karasawa, Kaori Ohshima, Eiko Uezono, Akane Komatsu, Miki Nonaka, Hideaki Fujii, Keisuke Yamaguchi, Masako Iseki, Masakazu Hayashida, Yasuhito Uezono
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Molecules, Vol 27, Iss 20, p 7065 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1420-3049
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27207065
Popis: Opioid receptors (ORs) are classified into three types (μ, δ, and κ), and opioid analgesics are mainly mediated by μOR activation; however, their use is sometimes restricted by unfavorable effects. The selective κOR agonist nalfurafine was initially developed as an analgesic, but its indication was changed because of the narrow safety margin. The activation of ORs mainly induces two intracellular signaling pathways: a G-protein-mediated pathway and a β-arrestin-mediated pathway. Recently, the expectations for κOR analgesics that selectively activate these pathways have increased; however, the structural properties required for the selectivity of nalfurafine are still unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the partial structures of nalfurafine that are necessary for the selectivity of these two pathways. We assayed the properties of nalfurafine and six nalfurafine analogs (SYKs) using cells stably expressing κORs. The SYKs activated κORs in a concentration-dependent manner with higher EC50 values than nalfurafine. Upon bias factor assessment, only SYK-309 (possessing the 3S-hydroxy group) showed higher selectivity of G-protein-mediated signaling activities than nalfurafine, suggesting the direction of the 3S-hydroxy group may affect the β-arrestin-mediated pathway. In conclusion, nalfurafine analogs having a 3S-hydroxy group, such as SYK-309, could be considered G-protein-biased κOR agonists.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
Nepřihlášeným uživatelům se plný text nezobrazuje