Characterization of a novel, brain-penetrating CB1 receptor inverse agonist: metabolic profile in diet-induced obese models and aspects of central activity.

Pharmacologic antagonism of cannabinoid 1 receptors (CB1 receptors) in the central nervous system (CNS) suppresses food intake, promotes weight loss, and improves the metabolic profile. Since the CB1 receptor is expressed both in the CNS and in peripheral tissues, therapeutic value may be gained with CB1 receptor inverse agonists acting on receptors in both domains. The present report examines the metabolic and CNS actions of a novel CB1 receptor inverse agonist, compound 64, a 1,5,6-trisubstituted pyrazolopyrimidinone. Compound 64 showed similar or superior binding affinity, in vitro potency, and pharmacokinetic profile compared to rimonabant. Both compounds improved the metabolic profile in diet-induced obese (DIO) rats and obese cynomolgus monkeys. Weight loss tended to be greater in compound 64-treated DIO rats compared to pair-fed counterparts, suggesting that compound 64 may have metabolic effects beyond those elicited by weight loss alone. In the CNS, reversal of agonist-induced hypothermia and hypolocomotion indicated that compound 64 possessed an antagonist activity in vivo. Dosed alone, compound 64 suppressed extinction of conditioned freezing (10 mg/kg) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (30 mg/kg), consistent with previous reports for rimonabant, although for REM sleep, compound 64 was greater than threefold less potent than for metabolic effects. Together, these data suggested that (1) impairment of extinction learning and REM sleep suppression are classic, centrally mediated responses to CB1 receptor inverse agonists, and (2) some separation may be achievable between central and peripheral effects with brain-penetrating CB1 receptor inverse agonists while maintaining metabolic efficacy. Furthermore, chronic treatment with compound 64 contributes to evidence that peripheral CB1 receptor blockade may yield beneficial outcomes that exceed those elicited by weight loss alone.

Oxysterols direct immune cell migration via EBI2.

Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 2 (EBI2, also known as GPR183) is a G-protein-coupled receptor that is required for humoral immune responses; polymorphisms in the receptor have been associated with inflammatory autoimmune diseases. The natural ligand for EBI2 has been unknown. Here we describe the identification of 7α,25-dihydroxycholesterol (also called 7α,25-OHC or 5-cholesten-3ß,7α,25-triol) as a potent and selective agonist of EBI2. Functional activation of human EBI2 by 7α,25-OHC and closely related oxysterols was verified by monitoring second messenger readouts and saturable, high-affinity radioligand binding. Furthermore, we find that 7α,25-OHC and closely related oxysterols act as chemoattractants for immune cells expressing EBI2 by directing cell migration in vitro and in vivo. A critical enzyme required for the generation of 7α,25-OHC is cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H). Similar to EBI2 receptor knockout mice, mice deficient in CH25H fail to position activated B cells within the spleen to the outer follicle and mount a reduced plasma cell response after an immune challenge. This demonstrates that CH25H generates EBI2 biological activity in vivo and indicates that the EBI2-oxysterol signalling pathway has an important role in the adaptive immune response.

Identification and characterization of a small molecule antagonist of human VPAC(2) receptor.

The neuropeptides vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) and their class II G protein-coupled receptors VPAC(1), VPAC(2), and PAC(1) play important roles in human physiology. No small molecule modulator has ever been reported for the VIP/PACAP receptors, and there is a lack of specific VPAC(2) antagonists. Via high-throughput screening of 1.67 million compounds, we discovered a single small molecule antagonist of human VPAC(2), compound 1. Compound 1 inhibits VPAC(2)-mediated cAMP accumulation with an IC(50) of 3.8 microM and the ligand-activated beta-arrestin2 binding with an IC(50) of 2.3 microM. Compound 1 acts noncompetitively in Schild analysis. It is a specific VPAC(2) antagonist with no detectable agonist or antagonist activities on VPAC(1) or PAC(1). Compound 2, a close structural analog of compound 1, was also found to be weakly active. To our surprise, compound 1 is completely inactive on the closely related mouse VPAC(2). Chimera experiments indicate that compounds 1 and 2 bind to the seven transmembrane (7TM) region of the receptor as opposed to the N-terminal extracellular domain, where the natural ligand binds. Compound 1, being the first small molecular antagonist that is specific for VPAC(2), and the only VPAC(2) antagonist molecule known to date that allosterically interacts with the 7TM region, will be a valuable tool in further study of VPAC(2) and related receptors. This study also highlights the opportunities and challenges facing small molecule drug discovery for class II peptide G protein-coupled receptors.

Lipid G protein-coupled receptor ligand identification using beta-arrestin PathHunter assay.

A growing number of orphan G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been reported to be activated by lipid ligands, such as lysophosphatidic acid, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), and cannabinoids, for which there are already well established receptors. These new ligand claims are controversial due to either lack of independent confirmations or conflicting reports. We used the beta-arrestin PathHunter assay system, a newly developed, generic GPCR assay format that measures beta-arrestin binding to GPCRs, to evaluate lipid receptor and ligand pairing. This assay eliminates interference from endogenous receptors on the parental cells because it measures a signal that is specifically generated by the tagged receptor and is immediately downstream of receptor activation. We screened a large number of newly "deorphaned" receptors (GPR23, GPR92, GPR55, G2A, GPR18, GPR3, GPR6, GPR12, and GPR63) and control receptors against a collection of approximately 400 lipid molecules to try to identify the receptor ligand in an unbiased fashion. GPR92 was confirmed to be a lysophosphatidic acid receptor with weaker responses to farnesyl pyrophosphate and geranylgeranyl diphosphate. The putative cannabinoid receptor GPR55 responded strongly to AM251, rimonabant, and lysophosphatidylinositol but only very weakly to endocannabinoids. G2A receptor was confirmed to be an oxidized free fatty acid receptor. In addition, we discovered that 3,3'-diindolylmethane, a dietary molecule from cruciferous vegetables, which has known anti-cancer properties, to be a CB(2) receptor partial agonist, with binding affinity around 1 microm. The anti-inflammatory effect of 3,3'-diindolylmethane in RAW264.7 cells was shown to be partially mediated by CB(2).