Receptor Transporter Protein 4 (RTP4) in the Hypothalamus Is Involved in the Development of Antinociceptive Tolerance to Morphine.

Receptor transporter protein 4 (RTP4), one of the receptor chaperone proteins, contributes to the maturation and membrane trafficking of opioid receptor heteromers consisting of mu (MOPr) and delta (DOPr) opioid receptors (MOPr-DOPr). Although MOPr-DOPr is known to mediate the development of morphine tolerance, the extent to which RTP4 plays a role in this process has not been elucidated. Given that RTP4 can be upregulated by repeated administration of morphine, especially in the hypothalamus, here we investigated the effect of hypothalamus-selective ablation of RTP4 on the development of antinociceptive tolerance to morphine. In this study, we generated RTP4flox mice and selectively knocked-out RTP4 using local injection of adeno-associated virus expressing Cre recombinase (AAV-Cre) into the hypothalamus. The AAV-Cre injection partially, but significantly, decreased the level of RTP4 expression, and suppressed the development of antinociceptive tolerance to morphine. Next, we examined the mechanism of regulation of RTP4 and found that, in neuronal cells, Rtp4 induction is via Gi and MAPK activation, while, in microglial cells, the induction is via Toll-like receptor 4. Together, these studies highlight the role of MOR activity in regulating RTP4, which, in turn, plays an important role in modulating morphine effects in vivo.

Discovery of 2-(1H-indazol-1-yl)-thiazole derivatives as selective EP(1) receptor antagonists for treatment of overactive bladder by core structure replacement.

We have designed a series of potent EP1 receptor antagonists. These antagonists are a series of 2-(1H-indazol-1-yl)-thiazoles in which the core structure was replaced with pyrazole-phenyl groups. In preliminary conscious rat cystometry experiments, two representative candidates, 2 and 22, increased bladder capacity. In particular, the increase using 22 was approximately 2-fold that of the baseline. More detailed profiling of this compound and further optimization of this series promises to provide a novel class of drug for treating overactive bladder (OAB).