Treatment with HC-070, a potent inhibitor of TRPC4 and TRPC5, leads to anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in mice.

BACKGROUND: Forty million adults in the US suffer from anxiety disorders, making these the most common forms of mental illness. Transient receptor potential channel canonical subfamily (TRPC) members 4 and 5 are non-selective cation channels highly expressed in regions of the cortex and amygdala, areas thought to be important in regulating anxiety. Previous work with null mice suggests that inhibition of TRPC4 and TRPC5 may have anxiolytic effects. HC-070 IN VITRO: To assess the potential of TRPC4/5 inhibitors as an avenue for treatment, we invented a highly potent, small molecule antagonist of TRPC4 and TRPC5 which we call HC-070. HC-070 inhibits recombinant TRPC4 and TRPC5 homomultimers in heterologous expression systems with nanomolar potency. It also inhibits TRPC1/5 and TRPC1/4 heteromultimers with similar potency and reduces responses evoked by cholecystokinin tetrapeptide (CCK-4) in the amygdala. The compound is >400-fold selective over a wide range of molecular targets including ion channels, receptors, and kinases. HC-070 IN VIVO: Upon oral dosing in mice, HC-070 achieves exposure levels in the brain and plasma deemed sufficient to test behavioral activity. Treatment with HC-070 attenuates the anxiogenic effect of CCK-4 in the elevated plus maze (EPM). The compound recapitulates the phenotype observed in both null TRPC4 and TRPC5 mice in a standard EPM. Anxiolytic and anti-depressant effects of HC-070 are also observed in pharmacological in vivo tests including marble burying, tail suspension and forced swim. Furthermore, HC-070 ameliorates the increased fear memory induced by chronic social stress. A careful evaluation of the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship reveals that substantial efficacy is observed at unbound brain levels similar to, or even lower than, the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) recorded in vitro, increasing confidence that the observed effects are indeed mediated by TRPC4 and/or TRPC5 inhibition. Together, this experimental data set introduces a novel, high quality, small molecule antagonist of TRPC4 and TRPC5 containing channels and supports the targeting of TRPC4 and TRPC5 channels as a new mechanism of action for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms.

A sensory neuronal ion channel essential for airway inflammation and hyperreactivity in asthma.

Asthma is an inflammatory disorder caused by airway exposures to allergens and chemical irritants. Studies focusing on immune, smooth muscle, and airway epithelial function revealed many aspects of the disease mechanism of asthma. However, the limited efficacies of immune-directed therapies suggest the involvement of additional mechanisms in asthmatic airway inflammation. TRPA1 is an irritant-sensing ion channel expressed in airway chemosensory nerves. TRPA1-activating stimuli such as cigarette smoke, chlorine, aldehydes, and scents are among the most prevalent triggers of asthma. Endogenous TRPA1 agonists, including reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation products, are potent drivers of allergen-induced airway inflammation in asthma. Here, we examined the role of TRPA1 in allergic asthma in the murine ovalbumin model. Strikingly, genetic ablation of TRPA1 inhibited allergen-induced leukocyte infiltration in the airways, reduced cytokine and mucus production, and almost completely abolished airway hyperreactivity to contractile stimuli. This phenotype is recapitulated by treatment of wild-type mice with HC-030031, a TRPA1 antagonist. HC-030031, when administered during airway allergen challenge, inhibited eosinophil infiltration and prevented the development of airway hyperreactivity. Trpa1(-/-) mice displayed deficiencies in chemically and allergen-induced neuropeptide release in the airways, providing a potential explanation for the impaired inflammatory response. Our data suggest that TRPA1 is a key integrator of interactions between the immune and nervous systems in the airways, driving asthmatic airway inflammation following inhaled allergen challenge. TRPA1 may represent a promising pharmacological target for the treatment of asthma and other allergic inflammatory conditions.

Enhanced interleukin (IL)-13 responses in mice lacking IL-13 receptor alpha 2.

Interleukin (IL)-13 has recently been shown to play important and unique roles in asthma, parasite immunity, and tumor recurrence. At least two distinct receptor components, IL-4 receptor (R)alpha and IL-13Ralpha1, mediate the diverse actions of IL-13. We have recently described an additional high affinity receptor for IL-13, IL-13Ralpha2, whose function in IL-13 signaling is unknown. To better appreciate the functional importance of IL-13Ralpha2, mice deficient in IL-13Ralpha2 were generated by gene targeting. Serum immunoglobulin E levels were increased in IL-13Ralpha2-/- mice despite the fact that serum IL-13 was absent and immune interferon gamma production increased compared with wild-type mice. IL-13Ralpha2-deficient mice display increased bone marrow macrophage progenitor frequency and decreased tissue macrophage nitric oxide and IL-12 production in response to lipopolysaccharide. These results are consistent with a phenotype of enhanced IL-13 responsiveness and demonstrate a role for endogenous IL-13 and IL-13Ralpha2 in regulating immune responses in wild-type mice.

IL-21 limits NK cell responses and promotes antigen-specific T cell activation: a mediator of the transition from innate to adaptive immunity.

IFNalpha/beta, IL-12, and IL-15 regulate NK cell activation and expansion, but signals triggering resolution of the NK response upon induction of adaptive immunity remain to be defined. We now report that IL-21, a product of activated T cells, may serve this function. Mice lacking IL-21R (IL-21R(-/-)) had normal NK cell development but no detectable responses to IL-21. IL-21 enhanced cytotoxic activity and IFNgamma production by activated murine NK cells but did not support their viability, thus limiting their duration of activation. Furthermore, IL-21 blocked IL-15-induced expansion of resting NK cells, thus preventing the initiation of further innate responses. In contrast, IL-21 enhanced the proliferation, IFNgamma production, and cytotoxic function of CD8(+) effector T cells in an allogeneic MLR. These observations suggest that IL-21 promotes the transition between innate and adaptive immunity.