Structure-Guided Design of Partial Agonists at an Opioid Receptor.

The persistence of chronic pain and continuing overdose deaths from pain-relieving opioids targeting µ opioid receptor (µOR) have fueled the need for reliable long-term analgesics which use different targets and mechanisms. The δ opioid receptor (δOR) is a potential alternative target for non-addictive analgesics to alleviate chronic pain, made more attractive by its lack of respiratory depression associated with µOR agonists. However, early δOR full agonists were found to induce seizures, precluding clinical use. Partial δOR agonists may offer more controlled activation of the receptor compared to full agonists, but the development of such ligands has been hindered by uncertainty over the molecular mechanism mediating partial agonism. Using a structure-based approach, we explored the engagement of the sodium binding pocket in δOR and developed a bitopic ligand, C6-Quino, predicted to be a selective δOR partial agonist. Functional studies of C6-Quino revealed that it displayed δOR partial agonist activity at both G-protein and arrestin pathways. Its interaction with the sodium pocket was confirmed and analyzed using a single particle cryo-EM. Additionally, C6-Quino demonstrated favorable chemical and physiological properties like oral activity, and analgesic activity in multiple chronic pain models. Notably, µOR-related hyperlocomotion and respiratory depression, and δOR-related convulsions, were not observed at analgesic doses of C6-Quino. This fundamentally new approach to designing δOR ligands provides a blueprint for the development of partial agonists as safe analgesics and acts as a generic method to optimize signaling profiles of other Class A GPCRs.

Combination Targeted Therapy in Relapsed Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The identification of oncogenic mutations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has led to the development of drugs that target essential survival pathways, but whether targeting multiple survival pathways may be curative in DLBCL is unknown. METHODS: We performed a single-center, phase 1b-2 study of a regimen of venetoclax, ibrutinib, prednisone, obinutuzumab, and lenalidomide (ViPOR) in relapsed or refractory DLBCL. In phase 1b, which included patients with DLBCL and indolent lymphomas, four dose levels of venetoclax were evaluated to identify the recommended phase 2 dose, with fixed doses of the other four drugs. A phase 2 expansion in patients with germinal-center B-cell (GCB) and non-GCB DLBCL was performed. ViPOR was administered every 21 days for six cycles. RESULTS: In phase 1b of the study, involving 20 patients (10 with DLBCL), a single dose-limiting toxic effect of grade 3 intracranial hemorrhage occurred, a result that established venetoclax at a dose of 800 mg as the recommended phase 2 dose. Phase 2 included 40 patients with DLBCL. Toxic effects that were observed among all the patients included grade 3 or 4 neutropenia (in 24% of the cycles), thrombocytopenia (in 23%), anemia (in 7%), and febrile neutropenia (in 1%). Objective responses occurred in 54% of 48 evaluable patients with DLBCL, and complete responses occurred in 38%; complete responses were exclusively in patients with non-GCB DLBCL and high-grade B-cell lymphoma with rearrangements of MYC and BCL2 or BCL6 (or both). Circulating tumor DNA was undetectable in 33% of the patients at the end of ViPOR therapy. With a median follow-up of 40 months, 2-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 34% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21 to 47) and 36% (95% CI, 23 to 49), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with ViPOR was associated with durable remissions in patients with specific molecular DLBCL subtypes and was associated with mainly reversible adverse events. (Funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03223610.).

Glial activation in pain and emotional processing regions in the nitroglycerin mouse model of chronic migraine.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to survey astrocyte and microglial activation across four brain regions in a mouse model of chronic migraine. BACKGROUND: Chronic migraine is a leading cause of disability, with higher rates in females. The role of central nervous system neurons and glia in migraine pathophysiology is not fully elucidated. Preclinical studies have shown abnormal glial activation in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis of male rodents. No current reports have investigated glial activation in both sexes in other important brain regions involved with the nociceptive and emotional processing of pain. METHODS: The mouse nitroglycerin model of migraine was used, and nitroglycerin (10 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered every other day for 9 days. Prior to injections on days 1, 5, and 9, cephalic allodynia was determined by periorbital von Frey hair testing. Immunofluorescent staining of astrocyte marker, glial fibrillary protein (GFAP), and microglial marker, ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1), in male and female trigeminal nucleus caudalis, periaqueductal gray, somatosensory cortex, and nucleus accumbens was completed. RESULTS: Behavioral testing demonstrated increased cephalic allodynia in nitroglycerin- versus vehicle-treated mice. An increase in the percent area covered by GFAP+ cells in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis and nucleus accumbens, but not the periaqueductal gray or somatosensory cortex, was observed in response to nitroglycerin. No significant differences were observed for Iba1 staining across brain regions. We did not detect significant sex differences in GFAP or Iba1 quantification. CONCLUSIONS: Immunohistochemical analysis suggests that, at the time point tested, immunoreactivity of GFAP+ astrocytes, but not Iba1+ microglia, changes in response to chronic migraine-associated pain. Additionally, there do not appear to be significant differences between males and females in GFAP+ or Iba1+ cells across the four brain regions analyzed.

Identification of 1,3,8-Triazaspiro[4.5]Decane-2,4-Dione Derivatives as a Novel δ Opioid Receptor-Selective Agonist Chemotype.

δ opioid receptors (DORs) hold potential as a target for neurologic and psychiatric disorders, yet no DOR agonist has proven efficacious in critical phase II clinical trials. The exact reasons for the failure to produce quality drug candidates for the DOR are unclear. However, it is known that certain DOR agonists can induce seizures and exhibit tachyphylaxis. Several studies have suggested that those adverse effects are more prevalent in delta agonists that share the (+)-4-[(αR)-α-((2S,5R)-4-allyl-2,5-dimethyl-1-piperazinyl)-3-methoxybenzyl]-N,N-diethylbenzamide (SNC80)/4-[(αR*)-α-((2S*,5R*)-4-allyl-2,5-dimethyl-1-piperazinyl)-3-hydroxybenzyl]-N,N-diethylbenzamide chemotype. There is a need to find novel lead candidates for drug development that have improved pharmacological properties to differentiate them from the current failed delta agonists. Our objective in this study was to identify novel DOR agonists. We used a ß-arrestin assay to screen a small G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR)-focused chemical library. We identified a novel chemotype of DOR agonists that appears to bind to the orthosteric site based of docking and molecular dynamic simulation. The most potent agonist hit compound is selective for the DOR over a panel of 167 other GPCRs, is slightly biased toward G-protein signaling and has anti-allodynic efficacy in a complete Freund's adjuvant model of inflammatory pain in C57BL/6 male and female mice. The newly discovered chemotype contrasts with molecules like SNC80 that are highly efficacious ß-arrestin recruiters and may suggest this novel class of DOR agonists could be expanded on to develop a clinical candidate drug. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: δ opioid receptors are a clinical target for various neurological disorders, including migraine and chronic pain. Many of the clinically tested delta opioid agonists share a single chemotype, which carries risks during drug development. Through a small-scale high-throughput screening assay, this study identified a novel δ opioid receptor agonist chemotype, which may serve as alternative for the current analgesic clinical candidates.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor decreases hyperalgesia in a mouse model of alcohol withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia (AWH) is characterized as an increased pain sensitivity observed after cessation of chronic alcohol use. Alcohol withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia can contribute to the negative affective state associated with abstinence and can increase susceptibility to relapse. We aimed to characterize pain sensitivity in mice during withdrawal from two different models of alcohol exposure: chronic drinking in the dark (DID) and the Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet. We also investigated whether treatment with a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), could ameliorate AWH in mice treated with the Lieber-DeCarli diet. METHODS: Male and female C57BL/6J mice were used for these studies. In the DID model, mice received bottles of 20% ethanol or water during the dark cycle for 4 h per day on four consecutive days per week for 6 weeks. Peripheral mechanical sensitivity was measured weekly the morning of Day 5 using von Frey filaments. In the Lieber-DeCarli model, mice received ethanol (5% v/v) or control liquid diet for 10 days, along with a single binge ethanol gavage (5 g/kg) or control gavage, respectively, on Day 10. Peripheral mechanical sensitivity was measured during the liquid diet administration and at 24 and 72 h into ethanol withdrawal. An independent group of mice that received the Lieber-DeCarli diet were administered SAHA (50 mg/kg, i.p.) during withdrawal. RESULTS: Male mice exhibited mechanical hypersensitivity after consuming ethanol for 5 weeks in the DID procedure. In the Lieber-DeCarli model, ethanol withdrawal led to hyperalgesia in both sexes. Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid treatment during withdrawal from the ethanol liquid diet alleviated AWH. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate AWH in mice after chronic binge drinking in males and after Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet administration in both sexes. Like previous findings in rats, HDAC inhibition reduced AWH in mice, suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms are involved in AWH.

Regulation of headache response and transcriptomic network by the trigeminal ganglion clock.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the circadian features of the trigeminal ganglion in a mouse model of headache. BACKGROUND: Several headache disorders, such as migraine and cluster headache, are known to exhibit distinct circadian rhythms of attacks. The circadian basis for these rhythmic pain responses, however, remains poorly understood. METHODS: We examined trigeminal ganglion ex vivo and single-cell cultures from Per2::LucSV reporter mice and performed immunohistochemistry. Circadian behavior and transcriptomics were investigated using a novel combination of trigeminovascular and circadian models: a nitroglycerin mouse headache model with mechanical thresholds measured every 6 h, and trigeminal ganglion RNA sequencing measured every 4 h for 24 h. Finally, we performed pharmacogenomic analysis of gene targets for migraine, cluster headache, and trigeminal neuralgia treatments as well as trigeminal ganglion neuropeptides; this information was cross-referenced with our cycling genes from RNA sequencing data to identify potential targets for chronotherapy. RESULTS: The trigeminal ganglion demonstrates strong circadian rhythms in both ex vivo and single-cell cultures, with core circadian proteins found in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Using our novel behavioral model, we showed that nitroglycerin-treated mice display circadian rhythms of pain sensitivity which were abolished in arrhythmic Per1/2 double knockout mice. Furthermore, RNA-sequencing analysis of the trigeminal ganglion revealed 466 genes that displayed circadian oscillations in the control group, including core clock genes and clock-regulated pain neurotransmitters. In the nitroglycerin group, we observed a profound circadian reprogramming of gene expression, as 331 of circadian genes in the control group lost rhythm and another 584 genes gained rhythm. Finally, pharmacogenetics analysis identified 10 genes in our trigeminal ganglion circadian transcriptome that encode target proteins of current medications used to treat migraine, cluster headache, or trigeminal neuralgia. CONCLUSION: Our study unveiled robust circadian rhythms in the trigeminal ganglion at the behavioral, transcriptomic, and pharmacogenetic levels. These results support a fundamental role of the clock in pain pathophysiology. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Several headache diseases, such as migraine and cluster headache, have headaches that occur at the same time each day. We learned that the trigeminal ganglion, an important pain structure in several headache diseases, has a 24-hour cycle that might be related to this daily cycle of headaches. Our genetic analysis suggests that some medications may be more effective in treating migraine and cluster headache when taken at specific times of the day.

PACAP-PAC1 receptor inhibition is effective in opioid induced hyperalgesia and medication overuse headache models.

Opioids prescribed for pain and migraine can produce opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) or medication overuse headache (MOH). We previously demonstrated that pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) is upregulated in OIH and chronic migraine models. Here we determined if PACAP acts as a bridge between opioids and pain chronification. We tested PACAP-PAC1 receptor inhibition in novel models of opioid-exacerbated trigeminovascular pain. The PAC1 antagonist, M65, reversed chronic allodynia in a model which combines morphine with the migraine trigger, nitroglycerin. Chronic opioids also exacerbated cortical spreading depression, a correlate of migraine aura; and M65 inhibited this augmentation. In situ hybridization showed MOR and PACAP co-expression in trigeminal ganglia, and near complete overlap between MOR and PAC1 in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis and periaqueductal gray. PACAPergic mechanisms appear to facilitate the transition to chronic headache following opioid use, and strategies targeting this system may be particularly beneficial for OIH and MOH.

Bridging the gap between preclinical scientists, clinical researchers, and clinicians: From animal research to clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Collaborations amongst researchers and clinicians with complementary areas of expertise enhance knowledge for everyone and can lead to new discoveries. To facilitate these interactions, shared language and a general understanding of how colleagues in different subfields of headache and headache research approach their work are needed. METHODS: This narrative review focuses on research methods applied in animal studies, human studies including clinical trials, and provides an overview of clinical practice. RESULTS: For animal studies, we describe concepts needed to evaluate the quality and relevance of preclinical studies. For human research, fundamental concepts of neuroimaging, quantitative sensory testing, genetic and epidemiological research methods, and clinical research methodology that are commonly used in headache research are summarized. In addition, we provide an understanding of what guides headache clinicians, and summarize the practical approach to migraine management in adults and children. CONCLUSIONS: It is hoped that this review facilitates further dialogue between clinicians and researchers that will help guide future research efforts and implementation of research findings into clinical practice.

Delta opioid receptors in Nav1.8 expressing peripheral neurons partially regulate the effect of delta agonist in models of migraine and opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Migraine is one of the most common pain disorders and causes disability in millions of people every year. Delta opioid receptors (DOR) have been identified as a novel therapeutic target for migraine and other headache disorders. DORs are present in both peripheral and central regions and it is unclear which receptor populations regulate migraine-associated effects. The aim of this study was to determine if DOR expressed in peripheral nociceptors regulates headache associated endpoints and the effect of delta agonists within these mouse models. We used a conditional knockout, in which DOR was selectively deleted from Nav1.8 expressing cells. Nav1.8-DOR mice and loxP control littermates were tested in models of chronic migraine-associated allodynia, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, migraine-associated negative affect, and aura. Nav1.8-DOR and loxP mice had comparable effect sizes in all of these models. The anti-allodynic effect of the DOR agonist, SNC80, was slightly diminished in the nitroglycerin model of migraine. Intriguingly, in the OIH model the peripheral effects of SNC80 were completely lost in Nav1.8-DOR mice while the cephalic effects remained intact. Regardless of genotype, SNC80 continued to inhibit conditioned place aversion associated with nitroglycerin and decreased cortical spreading depression events associated with migraine aura. These results suggest that DOR in Nav1.8-expressing nociceptors do not critically regulate the anti-migraine effects of delta agonist; and that brain-penetrant delta agonists would be a more effective drug development strategy.

Migraine and peripheral pain models show differential alterations in neuronal complexity.

OBJECTIVE: Our laboratory has recently shown that there is a decrease in neuronal complexity in head pain processing regions in mouse models of chronic migraine-associated pain and aura. Importantly, restoration of this neuronal complexity corresponds with anti-migraine effects of known and experimental pharmacotherapies. The objective of the current study was to expand this work and examine other brain regions involved with pain or emotional processing. We also investigated the generalizability of our findings by analyzing neuronal cytoarchitectural changes in a model of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a peripheral pain disorder. METHODS: We used the nitroglycerin (NTG) model of chronic migraine-associated pain in which mice receive 10 mg/kg NTG every other day for 9 days. Cortical spreading depression (CSD), a physiological corelate of migraine aura, was evoked in anesthetized mice using KCl. CRPS was induced by tibial fracture followed by casting. Neuronal cytoarchitecture was visualized with Golgi stain and analyzed with Simple Neurite Tracer. RESULTS: In the NTG model, we previously showed decreased neuronal complexity in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC) and periaqueductal gray (PAG). In contrast, we found increased neuronal complexity in the thalamus and no change in the amygdala or caudate putamen in this study. Following CSD, we observed decreased neuronal complexity in the PAG, in line with decreases in the somatosensory cortex and TNC reported with this model previously. In the CRPS model there was decreased neuronal complexity in the hippocampus, as reported by others; increased complexity in the PAG; and no change within the somatosensory cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively these results demonstrate that alterations in neuronal complexity are a feature of both chronic migraine and chronic CRPS. However, each type of pain presents a unique cytoarchitectural signature, which may provide insight on how these pain states differentially transition from acute to chronic conditions.

Seq-ing the mechanisms of migraine.

The trigeminal ganglia (TG) play a crucial role in migraine pathophysiology. In this issue of Neuron, Yang et al. developed a single-cell atlas profiling the transcriptome and epigenome of mouse and human TG, thus providing a roadmap for therapeutic targeting.

Alternative Splicing Mechanisms Underlying Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia.

Prolonged use of opioids can cause opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). The impact of alternative splicing on OIH remains partially characterized. A study of the absolute and relative modes of action of alternative splicing further the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying OIH. Differential absolute and relative isoform profiles were detected in the trigeminal ganglia and nucleus accumbens of mice presenting OIH behaviors elicited by chronic morphine administration relative to control mice. Genes that participate in glutamatergic synapse (e.g., Grip1, Grin1, Wnk3), myelin protein processes (e.g., Mbp, Mpz), and axon guidance presented absolute and relative splicing associated with OIH. Splicing of genes in the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor pathway was detected in the nucleus accumbens while splicing in the vascular endothelial growth factor, endogenous cannabinoid signaling, circadian clock system, and metabotropic glutamate receptor pathways was detected in the trigeminal ganglia. A notable finding was the prevalence of alternatively spliced transcription factors and regulators (e.g., Ciart, Ablim2, Pbx1, Arntl2) in the trigeminal ganglia. Insights into the nociceptive and antinociceptive modulatory action of Hnrnpk were gained. The results from our study highlight the impact of alternative splicing and transcriptional regulators on OIH and expose the need for isoform-level research to advance the understanding of morphine-associated hyperalgesia.

Neuronal complexity is attenuated in preclinical models of migraine and restored by HDAC6 inhibition.

Migraine is the sixth most prevalent disease worldwide but the mechanisms that underlie migraine chronicity are poorly understood. Cytoskeletal flexibility is fundamental to neuronal-plasticity and is dependent on dynamic microtubules. Histone-deacetylase-6 (HDAC6) decreases microtubule dynamics by deacetylating its primary substrate, α-tubulin. We use validated mouse models of migraine to show that HDAC6-inhibition is a promising migraine treatment and reveal an undiscovered cytoarchitectural basis for migraine chronicity. The human migraine trigger, nitroglycerin, produced chronic migraine-associated pain and decreased neurite growth in headache-processing regions, which were reversed by HDAC6 inhibition. Cortical spreading depression (CSD), a physiological correlate of migraine aura, also decreased cortical neurite growth, while HDAC6-inhibitor restored neuronal complexity and decreased CSD. Importantly, a calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist also restored blunted neuronal complexity induced by nitroglycerin. Our results demonstrate that disruptions in neuronal cytoarchitecture are a feature of chronic migraine, and effective migraine therapies might include agents that restore microtubule/neuronal plasticity.

Migraines are a common brain disorder that affects 14% of the world's population. For many people the main symptom of a migraine is a painful headache, often on one side of the head. Other symptoms include increased sensitivity to light or sound, disturbed vision, and feeling sick. These sensory disturbances are called aura and they often occur before the headache begins. One particularly debilitating subset of migraines are chronic migraines, in which patients experience more than 15 headache days per month. Migraine therapies are often only partially effective or poorly tolerated, making it important to develop new drugs for this condition, but unfortunately, little is known about the molecular causes of migraines. To bridge this gap, Bertels et al. used two different approaches to cause migraine-like symptoms in mice. One approach consisted on giving mice nitroglycerin, which dilates blood vessels, produces hypersensitivity to touch, and causes photophobia in both humans and mice. In the second approach, mice underwent surgery and potassium chloride was applied onto the dura, a thick membrane that surrounds the brain. This produces cortical spreading depression, an event that is linked to migraine auras and involves a wave of electric changes in brain cells that slowly propagates across the brain, silencing brain electrical activity for several minutes. Using these approaches, Bertels et al. studied whether causing chronic migraine-like symptoms in mice is associated with changes in the structures of neurons, focusing on the effects of migraines on microtubules. Microtubules are cylindrical protein structures formed by the assembly of smaller protein units. In most cells, microtubules assemble and disassemble depending on what the cell needs. Neurons need stable microtubules to establish connections with other neurons. The experiments showed that provoking chronic migraines in mice led to a reduction in the numbers of connections between different neurons. Additionally, Bertels et al. found that inhibiting HDAC6 (a protein that destabilizes microtubules) reverses the structural changes in neurons caused by migraines and decreases migraine symptoms. The same effects are seen when a known migraine treatment strategy, known as CGRP receptor blockade, is applied. These results suggest that chronic migraines may involve decreased neural complexity, and that the restoration of this complexity by HDAC6 inhibitors could be a potential therapeutic strategy for migraine.

Delta opioid receptor regulation of calcitonin gene-related peptide dynamics in the trigeminal complex.

ABSTRACT: Migraine is highly prevalent and is the sixth leading cause worldwide for years lost to disability. Therapeutic options specifically targeting migraine are limited, and delta opioid receptor (DOP) agonists were recently identified as a promising pharmacotherapy. The mechanisms by which DOPs regulate migraine are currently unclear. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has been identified as an endogenous migraine trigger and plays a critical role in migraine initiation and susceptibility. The aim of this study was to determine the behavioral effects of DOP agonists on the development of chronic migraine-associated pain and to investigate DOP coexpression with CGRP and CGRP receptor (CGRPR) in the trigeminal system. Chronic migraine-associated pain was induced in mice through repeated intermittent injection of the known human migraine trigger, nitroglycerin. Chronic nitroglycerin resulted in severe chronic cephalic allodynia which was prevented with cotreatment of the DOP-selective agonist, SNC80. In addition, a corresponding increase in CGRP expression in the trigeminal ganglia and trigeminal nucleus caudalis was observed after chronic nitroglycerin, an augmentation that was blocked by SNC80. Moreover, DOP was also upregulated in these head pain-processing regions following the chronic migraine model. Immunohistochemical analysis of the trigeminal ganglia revealed coexpression of DOP with CGRP as well as with a primary component of the CGRPR, RAMP1. In the trigeminal nucleus caudalis, DOP was not coexpressed with CGRP but was highly coexpressed with RAMP1 and calcitonin receptor-like receptor. These results suggest that DOP agonists inhibit migraine-associated pain by attenuating CGRP release and blocking pronociceptive signaling of the CGRPR.

Enhanced Understanding of Molecular Interactions and Function Underlying Pain Processes Through Networks of Transcript Isoforms, Genes, and Gene Families.

INTRODUCTION: Molecular networks based on the abundance of mRNA at the gene level and pathway networks that relate families or groups of paralog genes have supported the understanding of interactions between molecules. However, multiple molecular mechanisms underlying health and behavior, such as pain signal processing, are modulated by the abundances of the transcript isoforms that originate from alternative splicing, in addition to gene abundances. Alternative splice variants of growth factors, ion channels, and G-protein-coupled receptors can code for proteoforms that can have different effects on pain and nociception. Therefore, networks inferred using abundance from more agglomerative molecular units (eg, gene family, or gene) have limitations in capturing interactions at a more granular level (eg, gene, or transcript isoform, respectively) do not account for changes in the abundance at the transcript isoform level. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relative benefits of network inference using abundance patterns at various aggregate levels. METHODS: Sparse networks were inferred using Gaussian Markov random fields and a novel aggregation criterion was used to aggregate network edges. The relative advantages of network aggregation were evaluated on two molecular systems that have different dimensions and connectivity, circadian rhythm and Toll-like receptor pathways, using RNA-sequencing data from mice representing two pain level groups, opioid-induced hyperalgesia and control, and two central nervous system regions, the nucleus accumbens and the trigeminal ganglia. RESULTS: The inferred networks were benchmarked against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes reference pathways using multiple criteria. Networks inferred using more granular information performed better than networks inferred using more aggregate information. The advantage of granular inference varied with the pathway and data set used. DISCUSSION: The differences in inferred network structure between data sets highlight the differences in OIH effect between central nervous system regions. Our findings suggest that inference of networks using alternative splicing variants can offer complementary insights into the relationship between genes and gene paralog groups.

A non-convulsant delta-opioid receptor agonist, KNT-127, reduces cortical spreading depression and nitroglycerin-induced allodynia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if the non-convulsant delta-opioid receptor (DOR) agonist, KNT-127, could inhibit migraine-associated endpoints. BACKGROUND: The DOR has been identified as a therapeutic target for migraine. However, the development of delta agonists is limited as some ligands have seizurogenic properties, which may be related to their ability to induce receptor internalization. While both pro- and non-convulsant delta agonists can reduce migraine-associated allodynia, only the proconvulsant agonist, SNC80, has been shown to decrease cortical spreading depression (CSD). It is unclear if the ability of delta agonists to modulate cortical activity is related to the same signaling mechanisms that produce proconvulsant effects. METHODS: The effects of the non-convulsant delta agonist, KNT-127, were examined. Repetitive CSD was induced in female C57BL6/J (n = 6/group) mice by continuous application of KCl and the effect of KNT-127/vehicle (Veh) on both local field potentials and optical intrinsic signals was determined. To assess the effect of KNT-127 on established chronic migraine-associated pain, male and female C57BL6/J mice were treated with nitroglycerin (NTG; 10 mg/kg, ip) every other day for 9 days and tested with KNT-127 (5 mg/kg, sc) or Veh on day 10 (n = 6/group). DOR-enhanced green fluorescent protein mice (n = 4/group) were used to confirm the internalization properties of KNT-127 in the trigeminal ganglia, trigeminal nucleus caudalis, and somatosensory cortex. RESULTS: KNT-127 inhibited CSD events (t(10)  = 3.570, p = 0.0051). In addition, this delta agonist also reversed established cephalic allodynia in the NTG model of chronic migraine (F(1, 20)  = 12.80, p < 0.01). Furthermore, KNT-127 caused limited internalization of DOR in key migraine processing regions. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the antimigraine effects of DOR agonists can be separated from their proconvulsant effects. This data provides valuable information for the continued development of delta agonists for the treatment of migraine.