Simulation and comparative analysis of binding modes of nucleoside and non-nucleoside agonists at the A2B adenosine receptor

PURPOSE: A(2B) receptor agonists are studied as possible therapeutic tools for a variety of pathological conditions. Unfortunately, medicinal chemistry efforts have led to the development of a limited number of potent agonists of this receptor, in most cases with a low or no selectivity versus the other adenosine receptor subtypes. Among the developed molecules, two structural families of compounds have been identified based on nucleoside and non-nucleoside (pyridine) scaffolds. The aim of this work is to analyse the binding mode of these molecules at 3D models of the human A(2B) receptor to identify possible common interaction features and the key receptor residues involved in ligand interaction. METHODS: The A(2B) receptor models are built by using two recently published crystal structures of the human A(2A) receptor in complex with two different agonists. The developed models are used as targets for molecular docking studies of nucleoside and non-nucleoside agonists. The generated docking conformations are subjected to energy minimization and rescoring by using three different scoring functions. Further analysis of top-score conformations are performed with a tool evaluating the interaction energy between the ligand and the binding site residues. RESULTS: Results suggest a set of common interaction points between the two structural families of agonists and the receptor binding site, as evidenced by the superimposition of docking conformations and by analysis of interaction energy with the receptor residues. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results show that there is a conserved pattern of interaction between the A(2B) receptor and its agonists. These information and can provide useful data to support the design and the development of A(2B) receptor agonists belonging to nucleoside or non-nucleoside structural families. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2193-9616-1-24) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Efficacy of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of adult-onset dementia is characterized by a progressive decline of cognitive functions accompanied by behavioral manifestations. The main class of drugs currently used for the treatment of AD are acetylcholinesterase/cholinesterase inhibitors (ChE-Is). The first ChE-I licensed for symptomatic treatment of AD was tacrine. The ChE-Is currently available in the market are donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine as tacrine is no longer in use, due to its hepatotoxicity. According to mechanism of action the ChE-Is are classified as short-acting or reversible agents such as tacrine, donepezil, and galantamine, as intermediate-acting or pseudo-irreversible agent such as rivastigmine. Overall, the efficacy of the three ChE-Is available in the market is similar and the benefit of administration of these compounds is mild and may not be clinically significant. Due to gastrointestinal side effects of these drugs, medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical delivery studies have investigated solutions to improve the pharmacological activity of these compounds. In spite of the limited activity of ChE-Is, waiting for more effective approaches, these drugs still represent a pharmacotherapeutic resource for the treatment of AD. Other approaches in which ChE-Is were investigated is in their use in combination with other classes of drugs such as cholinergic precursors, N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists and antioxidant agents. After many years from the introduction in therapy of ChE-Is, the combination with other classes of drugs may represent the chance for a renewed interest of ChE-Is in the treatment of adult-onset dementia disorders

Overview on Radiolabel-Free in Vitro Assays for GPCRs

G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent important targets for drug discovery because they participate in a wide range of cellular signalling pathways that play a role in a variety of pathological conditions. The characterization of the patho-physiological profile and functional roles of new receptors is highly dependent on the availability of potent and selective ligands and new screening assays. The study of the pharmacological profile of new chemical entities is very important in order to predict the activity of drugs and their clinical adverse effect in humans. In the last decade, a large number of new in vitro radiolabel-free assays were developed and relevant information on diseases was upgraded. In particular, radiolabel-free assays led significant easy to handle and safer tools for operators. The aim of this review is to analyze these assays in terms of new drug activity and toxicology prediction and translation of non-clinical findings to humans in order to provide a powerful tool to aid drug development

The Length and Flexibility of the 2-Substituent of 9-Ethyladenine Derivatives Modulate Affinity and Selectivity for the Human A2A Adenosine Receptor

The A2A adenosine receptor (A2A AR) is a key target for the development of pharmacological tools for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Previous works have demonstrated that the insertion of substituents at various positions on adenine leads to A2A AR antagonists with affinity in the micromolar to nanomolar range. In this work, a series of 9-ethyladenine derivatives bearing phenylalkylamino, phenylakyloxy or phenylakylthio groups of different lengths at the 2-position were synthesised and tested against the human adenosine receptors. The derivatives showed sub-micromolar affinity for these membrane proteins. The further introduction of a bromine atom at the 8-position has the effect of improving the affinity and selectivity for all ARs and led to compounds that are able bind to the A2A AR subtype at low nanomolar levels. Functional studies confirmed that the new adenine derivatives behave as A2A AR antagonists with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values in the nanomolar range. Molecular modelling studies provide a description of the possible binding mode of these compounds at the A2A AR and an interpretation of the affinity data at this AR subtype

2- and 8-alkynyl-9-ethyladenines: Synthesis and biological activity at human and rat adenosine receptors

The synthesis of a series of 9-ethyladenine derivatives bearing alkynyl chains in 2- or 8-position was undertaken, based on the observation that replacement of the sugar moiety in adenosine derivatives with alkyl groups led to adenosine receptor antagonists. All the synthesized compounds were tested for their affinity at human and rat A1, A2A, and A3 adenosine receptors in binding assays; the activity at the human A2B receptor was determined in adenylyl cyclase experiments. Biological data showed that the 2-alkynyl derivatives possess good affinity and are slightly selective for the human A2A receptor. The same compounds tested on the rat A1 and A2A subtypes showed in general lower affinity for both receptors. On the other hand, the affinity of the 8-alkynyl derivatives at the human A1, A2A, and A2B receptors proved to be lower than that of the corresponding 2-alkynyl derivatives. On the contrary, the affinity of the same compounds for the human A3 receptor was improved, resulting in A3 selectivity. As in the case of the 2-alkynyl-substituted compounds, the 8-alkynyl derivatives showed decreased affinity for rat receptors. However, it is worthwhile to note that the 8-phenylethynyl-9-ethyladenine was the most active compound of the two series (Ki in the nanomolar range) at both the human and rat A3 subtype. Docking experiments of the 2- and 8-phenylethynyl-9-ethyladenines, at a rhodopsin-based homology model, gave a rational explanation of the preference of the human A3 receptor for the 8-substituted compound

Adenosine receptors as neuroinflammation modulators: role of A1 agonists and A2A antagonists

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).The pathological condition of neuroinflammation is caused by the activation of the neuroimmune cells astrocytes and microglia. The autacoid adenosine seems to be an important neuromodulator in this condition. Its main receptors involved in the neuroinflammation modulation are A1AR and A2AAR. Evidence suggests that A1AR activation produces a neuroprotective effect and A2AARs block prevents neuroinflammation. The aim of this work is to elucidate the effects of these receptors in neuroinflammation using the partial agonist 2'-dCCPA (2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyl-2'-deoxyadenosine) (C1 KiA1AR = 550 nM, KiA2AAR = 24,800 nM, and KiA3AR = 5560 nM, α = 0.70, EC50A1AR = 832 nM) and the newly synthesized in house compound 8-chloro-9-ethyl-2-phenethoxyadenine (C2 KiA2AAR = 0.75 nM; KiA1AR = 17 nM and KiA3AR = 227 nM, IC50A2AAR = 251 nM unpublished results). The experiments were performed in in vitro and in in vivo models of neuroinflammation. Results showed that C1 was able to prevent the inflammatory effect induced by cytokine cocktail (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ) while C2 possess both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, counteracting both neuroinflammation in mixed glial cells and in an animal model of neuroinflammation. In conclusion, C2 is a potential candidate for neuroinflammation therapy.This research was funded by Cofinanziamento Assegno di Ricerca Volpini-Marucci, n° FPI400037 and by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/BIM-MEC/47778/2014). This work was supported by the University of Camerino (Fondo di ricerca di Ateneo) and by a grant from the Ministry of Research (PRIN N° 2015E8EMCM_008, 2015).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

New 2,6,9-trisubstituted adenines as adenosine receptor antagonists: a preliminary SAR profile

A new series of 2,6,9-trisubstituted adenines (5–14) have been prepared and evaluated in radioligand binding studies for their affinity at the human A1, A2A and A3 adenosine receptors and in adenylyl cyclase experiments for their potency at the human A2B subtype. From this preliminary study the conclusion can be drawn that introduction of bulky chains at the N6 position of 9-propyladenine significantly increased binding affinity at the human A1 and A3 adenosine receptors, while the presence of a chlorine atom at the 2 position resulted in a not univocal effect, depending on the receptor subtype and/or on the substituent present in the N6 position. However, in all cases, the presence in the 2 position of a chlorine atom favoured the interaction with the A2A subtype. These results demonstrated that, although the synthesized compounds were found to be quite inactive at the human A2B subtype, adenine is a useful template for further development of simplified adenosine receptor antagonists with distinct receptor selectivity profiles

Erratum to: Molecular modelling study of 2-phenylethynyladenosine (PEAdo) derivatives as highly selective A3 adenosine receptor ligands

A series of 2-phenylethynyladenosine (PEAdo) derivatives substituted in the N6- and 4′position was synthesised and the new derivatives were tested at the four human adenosine receptors stably transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, using radioligand binding studies (A1, A2A, A3) or adenylyl cyclase activity assay (A2B). Binding studies showed that the presence of a phenyl ethynyl group in the 2 position of adenosine favoured the interaction with A3 receptors, resulting in compounds endowed with high affinity and selectivity for the A3 subtype. Additional substitution of the N6- and 4′position increases both A3 affinity and selectivity. The results showed that the new compounds have a good affinity for the A3 receptor and in particular, the N6-methoxy-2-phenylethynyl-5′N-methylcarboxamidoadenosine, with a Ki at A3 of 1.9 nM and a selectivity A1/A3 and A2A/A3 of 4,800- and 8,600-fold, respectively. Therefore, it is one of the most potent and selective agonists at the human A3 adenosine receptor subtype reported so far. Furthermore, functional assays of inhibition of 10 μM forskolin-stimulated cAMP production via the adenosine A3 receptor revealed that the new trisubstituted adenosine derivatives behave as full agonist of this receptor subtype. Docking analysis of these compounds was performed at a homology model of the human A3 receptor based on the bovine rhodopsin crystal structure as template, and the results are in accordance with the biological data

The G Protein-Coupled Receptor GPR17: Overview and Update

The GPR17 receptor is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that seems to respond to two unrelated families of endogenous ligands: nucleotide sugars (UDP, UDP-galactose, and UDP-glucose) and cysteinyl leukotrienes (LTD4 , LTC4 , and LTE4 ), with significant affinity at micromolar and nanomolar concentrations, respectively. This receptor has a broad distribution at the level of the central nervous system (CNS) and is found in neurons and in a subset of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). Unfortunately, disparate results emerging from different laboratories have resulted in a lack of clarity with regard to the role of GPR17-targeting ligands in OPC differentiation and in myelination. GPR17 is also highly expressed in organs typically undergoing ischemic damage and has various roles in specific phases of adaptations that follow a stroke. Under such conditions, GPR17 plays a crucial role; in fact, its inhibition decreases the progression of ischemic damage. This review summarizes some important features of this receptor that could be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of demyelinating diseases and for repairing traumatic injury

Beta-Blocker Use in Older Hospitalized Patients Affected by Heart Failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Italian Survey From the REPOSI Register

Beta (β)-blockers (BB) are useful in reducing morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) and concomitant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nevertheless, the use of BBs could induce bronchoconstriction due to β2-blockade. For this reason, both the ESC and GOLD guidelines strongly suggest the use of selective β1-BB in patients with HF and COPD. However, low adherence to guidelines was observed in multiple clinical settings. The aim of the study was to investigate the BBs use in older patients affected by HF and COPD, recorded in the REPOSI register. Of 942 patients affected by HF, 47.1% were treated with BBs. The use of BBs was significantly lower in patients with HF and COPD than in patients affected by HF alone, both at admission and at discharge (admission, 36.9% vs. 51.3%; discharge, 38.0% vs. 51.7%). In addition, no further BB users were found at discharge. The probability to being treated with a BB was significantly lower in patients with HF also affected by COPD (adj. OR, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.37-0.67), while the diagnosis of COPD was not associated with the choice of selective β1-BB (adj. OR, 95% CI: 1.33, 0.76-2.34). Despite clear recommendations by clinical guidelines, a significant underuse of BBs was also observed after hospital discharge. In COPD affected patients, physicians unreasonably reject BBs use, rather than choosing a β1-BB. The expected improvement of the BB prescriptions after hospitalization was not observed. A multidisciplinary approach among hospital physicians, general practitioners, and pharmacologists should be carried out for better drug management and adherence to guideline recommendations