Oral Bioavailability of a New Class of μ-Opioid Receptor Agonists Containing 3,6-Bis[Dmt-NH(CH<sub>2</sub>)<i><sub>n</sub></i>]-2(1<i>H</i>)-pyrazinone with Central-Mediated Analgesia
作者:Yunden Jinsmaa、Anna Miyazaki、Yoshio Fujita、Tingyou Li、Yutaka Fujisawa、Kimitaka Shiotani、Yuko Tsuda、Toshio Yokoi、Akihiro Ambo、Yusuke Sasaki、Sharon D. Bryant、Lawrence H. Lazarus、Yoshio Okada
DOI:10.1021/jm0304616
日期:2004.5.1
The inability of opioid peptides to be transported through epithelial membranes in the gastrointestinal tract and pass the blood-brain barrier limits their effectiveness for oral application in an antinociceptive treatment regime. To overcome this limitation, we enhanced the hydrophobicity while maintaining the aqueous solubility properties in a class of opioidmimetic substances by inclusion of two identical N-termini consisting of Dmt (2',6'-dimethyl-L-tyrosine) coupled to a pyrazinone ring platform by means of alkyl chains to yield the class of 3,6-bis[Dmt-NH-(CH2)(n)],1-2(1H)-pyrazinones. These compounds displayed high mu-opioid receptor affinity (K(i)mu = 0.042-0.115 nM) and selectivity (K(i)delta/K(i)mu = 204-307) and functional p-opioid receptor agonism (guinea-pig ileum, IC50 = 1.3-1.9 nM) with little or undetectable bioactivity toward delta-opioid receptors (mouse vas deferens) and produced analgesia in mice in a naloxone reversible manner when administered centrally (intracerebroventricular, icv) or systemically (subcutaneously and orally). Furthermore, the most potent compound, 3,6-bis(3'-Dmt-aminopropyl)-5-methyl-2(1H)-pyrazinone (7') lacked functional delta-opioid receptor bioactivity and was 50-63-fold and 18-21-fold more active than morphine by icv administration as measured analgesia using tail-flick (spinal involvement) and hot-plate (supraspinal effect) tests, respectively; the compound ranged from 16 to 63% as potent upon systemic injection. These analgesic effects are many times greater than unmodified opioid peptides. The data open new possibilities for the rational design of potential opioid-mimetic drugs that pass through the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract and the blood-brain barrier to target brain receptors.