Improved Procedure for the Synthesis of DAMGO

A short and straightforward synthesis of DAMGO is described.     

Synthesis of an o-Nitrobenzyl Attached A1 Adenosine Receptor Antagonist,a Prodrug Approach

Abstract

The o-nitrobenzyl group, possessing distinct advantage of being photolabile under mild conditions, was successfully connected to 8-(5,6-epoxynorbornan-2-yl)-1,3-dipropylxanthine (5), a high specific A₁ adenosine receptor antagonist. The resulting compound 4 would have potential use as a prodrug.     

Recognition of chiral anions using calix[4]arene-based ureido receptor in the 1,3-alternate conformation

A new type of calixarene-based receptor designed for the recognition of chiral anions was prepared by the introduction of (S)-2-methylbutan-1-ol moieties into the lower rim of calixarene. The immobilization of calixarene skeleton in the 1,3-alternate conformation enabled the construction of a cavity consisting of preorganised ureido functions and chiral substituents in close proximity. This cavity is capable of chiral discrimination of selected anions as demonstrated on d- and l-phenylalaninates.     

GPCR A2A AR腺苷受体蛋白的激动剂结合及其诱导的蛋白活性开关构象变化

运用分子动力学模拟,研究了腺苷酸（激动剂）与A2AAR腺苷受体蛋白的相互作用和配体结合诱导的蛋白动力学变化．识别了与腺苷酸结合力强于0．5kcal／mol的关键基团：A63^2．61,I66^2．64,V84^3.32,L85^3.33,T88^3.36,F168^5.29,M177^5.38,L249^6.51,H250^6.52和N253^6.55,观察到腺苷酸没有与L167^5.28相互作用,这一结果支持了L167^5.28是抑制剂特异性结合位点,不与激动剂结合．未结合配体（激动剂或抑制剂）的单体A2AAR和腺苷酸结合后的A2AAR在构象上有三个不同功能性开关．腺苷酸结合可以诱导A2AAR腺苷受体蛋白的构象调整,使得三个功能性开关器件的构象与单体A2AAR不同．     

Analysis of receptor-ligand binding by photoaffinity cross-linking

Photoaffinity cross-linking is a fast developing technology for biomolecular interactions,including receptor-ligand binding.The chemical mechanisms of the most commonly used photoactivatable probes and their respective photochemistry are summarized.This review focuses on the expanding utilities of this technology as a result of recent advances in the(i)identification of receptor contact sites,(ii)monitoring ligand-induced receptor conformational changes,(iii)identification of global binding surfaces,(iv)binding mode analysis using bifunctional photo-probes,(v)application of biosynthetic photo-probes,and(vi)examples of novel target discovery using this technology.Limitations and future potential of this approach are also discussed.     

Enhanced stability designs of cell membrane chromatography for screening drug leads

Cell membrane chromatography is an effective method for screening bioactive components acting on specific receptors in complex systems, which maintains the biological activity of the membrane receptors and improves screening efficiency. However, traditional cell membrane chromatography suffers from poor stability, resulting in a limited life span and low reproducibility, greatly limiting the application of this method. To address this problem, cyanuric chloride-decorated silica gel was used for the covalent immobilization of the cell membranes. Cyanuric chloride reacts with amino groups on the cell membranes and membrane receptors to form covalent bonds. In this way, the cell membranes are not easy to fall off. The column life of the cyanuric chloride-decorated epidermal growth factor receptor/cell membrane chromatography column was extended to more than 8 days, whereas the column life of the normal cell membrane chromatography column dropped sharply in the first 3 days. A cyanuric chloride-decorated epidermal growth factor receptor/cell membrane chromatography online HPLC-IT-TOF-MSn system was applied for screening drug leads from Trifolium pratense L. One potential drug lead, formononetin, which acts on the epidermal growth factor receptor, was screened. Our strategy of covalently immobilizing cell membrane receptors also improved the stability of cell membrane chromatography.     

Sigma-1 Receptor Agonist TS-157 Improves Motor Functional Recovery by Promoting Neurite Outgrowth and pERK in Rats with Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Sigma-1 (σ-1) receptor agonists are considered as potential treatment for stroke. TS-157 is an alkoxyisoxazole-based σ-1 receptor agonist previously discovered in our group. The present study describes TS-157 profile in a battery of tests for cerebral ischemia. Initial evaluation demonstrated the compound’s safety profile and blood–brain barrier permeability, as well as its ability to induce neurite outgrowth in vitro. The neurite outgrowth was shown to be mediated via σ-1 receptor agonism and involves upregulation of ERK phosphorylation (pERK). In particular, TS-157 also significantly accelerated the recovery of motor function in rats with transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Overall, the results herein support the notion that σ-1 receptor agonists are potential therapeutics for stroke and further animal efficacy studies are warranted.     

Chrysin Derivative CM1 and Exhibited Anti-Inflammatory Action by Upregulating Toll-Interacting Protein Expression in Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated RAW264.7 Macrophage Cells

Although our previous study revealed that gamma-irradiated chrysin enhanced anti-inflammatory activity compared to intact chrysin, it remains unclear whether the chrysin derivative, CM1, produced by gamma irradiation, negatively regulates toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis for the downregulation of TLR4 signal transduction by CM1 in macrophages. We initially determined the appropriate concentration of CM1 and found no cellular toxicity below 2 μg/mL. Upon stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), CM1 modulated LPS-stimulated inflammatory action by suppressing the release of proinflammatory mediators (cytokines TNF-α and IL-6) and nitric oxide (NO) and downregulated the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Furthermore, CM1 markedly elevated the expression of the TLR negative regulator toll-interacting protein (Tollip) in dose- and time-dependent manners. LPS-induced expression of cell surface molecules (CD80, CD86, and MHC class I/II), proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6), COX-2, and iNOS-mediated NO were inhibited by CM1; these effects were prevented by the knockdown of Tollip expression. Additionally, CM1 did not affect the downregulation of LPS-induced expression of MAPKs and NF-κB signaling in Tollip-downregulated cells. These findings provide insight into effective therapeutic intervention of inflammatory disease by increasing the understanding of the negative regulation of TLR signaling induced by CM1.     

Allosteric Modulation of the CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor by Cannabidiol—A Molecular Modeling Study of the N-Terminal Domain and the Allosteric-Orthosteric Coupling

The CB₁ cannabinoid receptor (CB₁R) contains one of the longest N termini among class A G protein-coupled receptors. Mutagenesis studies suggest that the allosteric binding site of cannabidiol (CBD) involves residues from the N terminal domain. In order to study the allosteric binding of CBD to CB₁R we modeled the whole N-terminus of this receptor using the replica exchange molecular dynamics with solute tempering (REST2) approach. Then, the obtained structures of CB₁R with the N terminus were used for ligand docking. A natural cannabinoid receptor agonist, Δ⁹-THC, was docked to the orthosteric site and a negative allosteric modulator, CBD, to the allosteric site positioned between extracellular ends of helices TM1 and TM2. The molecular dynamics simulations were then performed for CB₁R with ligands: (i) CBD together with THC, and (ii) THC-only. Analyses of the differences in the residue-residue interaction patterns between those two cases allowed us to elucidate the allosteric network responsible for the modulation of the CB₁R by CBD. In addition, we identified the changes in the orthosteric binding mode of Δ⁹-THC, as well as the changes in its binding energy, caused by the CBD allosteric binding. We have also found that the presence of a complete N-terminal domain is essential for a stable binding of CBD in the allosteric site of CB₁R as well as for the allosteric-orthosteric coupling mechanism.