Separating the agony from ecstasy: R(-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine has prosocial and therapeutic-like effects without signs of neurotoxicity in mice.

S,R(+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (SR-MDMA) is an amphetamine derivative with prosocial and putative therapeutic effects. Ongoing clinical trials are investigating it as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other conditions. However, its potential for adverse effects such as hyperthermia and neurotoxicity may limit its clinical viability. We investigated the hypothesis that one of the two enantiomers of SR-MDMA, R-MDMA, would retain the prosocial and therapeutic effects but with fewer adverse effects. Using male Swiss Webster and C57BL/6 mice, the prosocial effects of R-MDMA were measured using a social interaction test, and the therapeutic-like effects were assessed using a Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction paradigm relevant to PTSD. Locomotor activity and body temperature were tracked after administration, and neurotoxicity was evaluated post-mortem. R-MDMA significantly increased murine social interaction and facilitated extinction of conditioned freezing. Yet, unlike racemic MDMA, it did not increase locomotor activity, produce signs of neurotoxicity, or increase body temperature. A key pharmacological difference between R-MDMA and racemic MDMA is that R-MDMA has much lower potency as a dopamine releaser. Pretreatment with a selective dopamine D1 receptor antagonist prevented SR-MDMA-induced hyperthermia, suggesting that differential dopamine signaling may explain some of the observed differences between the treatments. Together, these results indicate that the prosocial and therapeutic effects of SR-MDMA may be separable from the stimulant, thermogenic, and potential neurotoxic effects. To what extent these findings translate to humans will require further investigation, but these data suggest that R-MDMA could be a more viable therapeutic option for the treatment of PTSD and other disorders for which SR-MDMA is currently being investigated.

R-enantioselective hydrolysis of 2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxamide by amidase from a newly isolated strain Brevibacterium epidermidis ZJB-07021.

AIMS: To isolate new micro-organisms with R-stereospecific amidase activity and to examine their potential as biocatalysts in enantioselective hydrolysis of 2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxamide (1). METHODS AND RESULTS: A novel R-stereospecific amidase-producing strain ZJB-07021 was isolated through a sophisticated colorimetric screening method. Based on morphology, physiological tests, Biolog system (GP2) and 16S rRNA sequence, the new isolate was identified as Brevibacterium epidermidis. After 70 min of bioconversion at 35 degrees C, kinetic resolution of (R,S)-1 by the amidase afforded (S)-1 in 41.1% yield (>99% ee) and (R)-2 in 49.9% yield (69.7% ee) with an average E-value of 23. The enantioselectivity was found to be temperature dependent and enhanced from 12.6 at 45 degrees C to 65.9 at 14 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: A novel bacterial strain of B. epidermidis ZJB-07021 producing R-stereospecific amidase was isolated and characterized. The isolate exhibited high E values for kinetic resolution of racemic-1 to (S)-1. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: To our knowledge, this was the first report on the species B. epidermidis that harboured R-stereospecific amidase. Strain ZJB-07021 could be further improved as a suitable biocatalyst for the stereoselective bioconversion of racemic-1 after optimization of culture and biotransformation process.

Development of safer molecules through chirality.

Many of the drugs currently used in medical practice are mixtures of enantiomers (racemates). Many a times, the two enantiomers differ in their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Replacing existing racemates with single isomers has resulted in improved safety and/or efficacy profile of various racemates. In this review, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic implications of chirality are discussed in brief, followed by an overview of some important chiral switches that have yielded safer alternatives. These include levosalbutamol, S-ketamine, levobupivacaine, S-zopiclone, levocetirizine, S-amlodipine, S-atenolol, S-metoprolol, S-omeprazole, S-pantoprazole and R-ondansetron. Few potential chiral switches under evaluation and some chiral switches that have not been successful are also discussed.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methadone enantiomers after a single oral dose of racemate.

BACKGROUND: The pharmacokinetics and dynamics of methadone are characterized by high interindividual variability. This study aimed to examine a number of factors that may contribute to this variability. METHODS: Eight healthy drug-free women were administered 0.2 mg/kg of R,S-methadone orally. The concentrations of methadone's enantiomers in plasma and urine were monitored for 96 hours. Vital signs, blood biochemical parameters, and pupillary diameter were monitored frequently during this period. Cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) activity and alpha1-acid glycoprotein (alpha1-AGP) concentrations and phenotypes were determined. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling was used to assess the influence of the above-mentioned covariables on methadone enantiomer disposition and actions. RESULTS: The pharmacokinetic profile of the active enantiomer of methadone, R -methadone, showed a relatively normal distribution with 38% to 90% of the interindividual variability in modeled pharmacokinetic parameters being explained by their individual variability in CYP3A activity, the cumulative amount of the main CYP3A4 metabolite, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrolidine, excreted in the urine, the fraction unbound in plasma, and the alpha1-AGP orosomucoid 2 (ORM2) variant plasma concentration. S-Methadone showed an idiosyncratic distribution with largely unpredictable pharmacokinetics. Pupillary constriction response was highly variable between individuals. CONCLUSIONS: The disposition of the active enantiomer, R -methadone, can be predicted in part by CYP3A activity and protein binding to alpha1-AGP (ORM2), whereas S-methadone disposition is not well explained by the factors examined in this study. Central nervous system effects were difficult to interpret on the basis of plasma R-methadone pharmacokinetics.

[Stereochemistry--an overlooked problem in medical treatment and research]. / Stereokemi--et overset problem i medicinsk behandling og forskning.

On the background of marketing of an increasing number of drug racemates with the subsequent problems for medical treatment and research, a short review is given focusing on the optic isomery and the significance of optic isomeric drugs for medical treatment and research. Different problems, which may arise in relation to the use of drug racemates are mentioned. The racemic problem is elucidated by examination of and reference to existing studies on drug racemates including studies on pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of pure (+) and (-)enantiomers. As the receptor systems of the organism and the process of drug metabolization are stereoscelective, the ideal demand to drug racemates should be that they are regarded as two different drugs until investigations have clarified the degree of pharmacodynamic/pharmacokinetic differences between the (+) and (-)enantiomer. Whether the single enantiomer should be preferred to the racemate may be difficult to decide and may require considerable research, but solution of this can, on the other hand, give valuable advances in drug treatment, for instance in form of drugs with more selective and fewer side effects.

Stereoselectivity in pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.

Stereoisomers of bioactive products, particularly drugs and pesticides, usually differ greatly in their biological properties. Usually only one of the enantiomers, the eutomer, is largely responsible for the therapeutic action. The distomer, the "isomeric ballast", must be considered an impurity which often contributes to, or is even the main cause of, the undesired actions of the racemate. A fundamental requirement is to "reduce the xenobiotic load" to the feasible minimum. This implies "avoiding isomeric ballast". The implications of the use of racemic products are largely ignored in scientific publications and in the marketing of drugs and pesticides. The problem is illustrated by the results of pharmacological investigations into the racemic drugs labetalol and medroxalol.

Effect of racemic and S(+) alpha-chlorohydrin-1-phosphate on glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in relation to its contraceptive action.

The phosphate esters of racemic (+/-) alpha-chlorohydrin and its S(+)-optical isomer have been prepared as cyclohexylamine salts. In vitro both inhibited glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase by a competitive mechanism, whereas (+/-) alpha-chlorohydrin did not. The S(+)-isomer was approximately four times as potent as the racemate. These results correlate with data concerning the relative contraceptive activity in rats of racemic and S(+) alpha-chlorohydrin. They support the view that the antifertility mechanism involves in vivo formation of S(+) alpha-chlorohydrin-1-phosphate, with resulting inhibition of glycolysis in sperm.