Of intersest; links AMPA, NMDA & cannibinoids for neuroprotect
http://informahealth...archHistoryKey= NMDA receptor antagonism strategies
http://informahealth...archHistoryKey= AMPA
Introduction: AMPA receptors represent an interesting target to develop innovative therapeutic drugs such as positive allosteric modulators, a subclass of modulators known to potentiate the effect of glutamate through this kind of glutamatergic ionotropic receptors. The enhancement of AMPA signals is expected to be beneficial in the management of several neurological disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and learning–memory deficits linked to Alzheimer's disease. AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulators continue to be the object of intensive research as evidenced by the diversification in the range of chemotypes explored.
Areas covered: This article examines recent discoveries of new AMPA receptor modulators mainly described in the patent literature from 2008 to 2012.
Expert opinion: An important challenge is to discover an ideal drug candidate exhibiting appropriate in vivo activity after oral administration with an acceptable safety profile. The future remains promising because such compounds have proved to be able to stimulate the exp<b></b>ression of the neurotrophic factor BDNF, a unique property opening interesting perspectives in new therapeutic applications
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http://informahealth...archHistoryKey= 5 categories of Glycine antagonists here
Neurosci Bull. 2011 Aug;27(4):275-85. doi: 10.1007/s12264-011-1008-6.
Cannabinoid as a neuroprotective strategy in perinatal hypoxic-ischemic injury.
Alonso-Alconada D, Alvarez A, Hilario E.
Source
Department of Cell Biology and Histology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Vizcaya, Spain.
Abstract
Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia remains the single most important cause of brain injury in the newborn, leading to death or lifelong sequelae. Because of the fact that there is still no specific treatment for perinatal brain lesions due to the complexity of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic pathophysiology, the search of new neuroprotective therapies is of great interest. In this regard, therapeutic possibilities of the endocannabinoid system have grown lately. The endocannabinoid system modulates a wide range of physiological processes in mammals and has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in different paradigms of acute brain injury, acting as a natural neuroprotectant. Concerning perinatal asphyxia, the neuroprotective role of this endogenous system is emerging these years. The present review mainly focused on the current knowledge of the cannabinoids as a new neuroprotective strategy against perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Rev Neurol. 2011 Dec 16;53(12):758-64.
[Therapeutic potential of the endocannabinoid system in perinatal asphyxia].
[Article in Spanish]
Alonso-Alconada D, Álvarez A, Álvarez-Granda L, Hilario E.
Source
Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, Facultad de Medicina y Odontología, Universidad del País Vasco, Leioa, Vizcaya, España.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Perinatal asphyxia is the most frequent cause of neonatal brain injury and, despite advances in neonatology, it has not been possible to reduce its incidence. This is due to the difficulty to diagnose with precision the presence and onset of hypoxia and also to the existence of a limited period of time in which rescue strategies are effective. Thus, it is necessary to find out new and more effective therapeutic strategies, appearing the use of cannabinoids as a promising one.
DEVELOPMENT:
The endocannabinoid system modulates a wide range of physiological processes in mammals, being its participation in the retrograde system of signaling one of the most important, so it has been considered as an endogenous neuroprotective system. In experimental models of perinatal asphyxia, modulation of the endocannabinoid system through the administration of synthetic cannabinoids and endocannabinoids has demonstrated neuroprotective effects both in vitro and in vivo, by inhibition the intracellular calcium influx, decreasing the release of glutamate and cytokines, diminishing the inflammatory response and leading hypothermia. Moreover, it seems to play an important role in the development of the central nervous system, as it appears in the fetal period since the beginning.
CONCLUSION:
Modulation of the endocannabinoid system appears as a novel therapeutic strategy against neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
CNS Neurosci Ther. 2011 Dec;17(6):637-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-5949.2010.00195.x. Epub 2010 Sep 28.
The multiplicity of action of cannabinoids: implications for treating neurodegeneration.
Gowran A, Noonan J, Campbell VA.
Source
Department of Physiology, School of Medicine and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Abstract
The cannabinoid (CB) system is widespread in the central nervous system and is crucial for controlling a range of neurophysiological processes such as pain, appetite, and cognition. The endogenous CB molecules, anandamide, and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, interact with the G-protein coupled CB receptors, CB(1) and CB(2). These receptors are also targets for the phytocannabinoids isolated from the cannabis plant and synthetic CB receptor ligands. The CB system is emerging as a key regulator of neuronal cell fate and is capable of conferring neuroprotection by the direct engagement of prosurvival pathways and the control of neurogenesis. Many neurological conditions feature a neurodegenerative component that is associated with excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation, and certain CB molecules have been demonstrated to inhibit these events to halt the progression of neurodegeneration. Such properties are attractive in the development of new strategies to treat neurodegenerative conditions of diverse etiology, such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and cerebral ischemia. This article will discuss the experimental and clinical evidence supporting a potential role for CB-based therapies in the treatment of certain neurological diseases that feature a neurodegenerative component.
© 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
PMID:
20875047
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/20875047
http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/23855825 IDRA-21
Theor Biol Med Model. 2013 Jul 15;10:46. doi: 10.1186/1742-4682-10-46.
Identification of novel modulators for ionotropic glutamate receptor, iGluA2 by in-silico screening.
Padmanabhan B.
Source
Department of Biophysics, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India. paddy@nimhans.kar.nic.in
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluAs, IUPHAR nomenclature) are the major excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter receptors in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). iGluAs are potential therapeutic drug targets for various neurological disorders including ischemia, epilepsy, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. The known iGluA modulators, cyclothiazide (CTZ), IDRA-21, and other benzothiadiazide derivatives (ALTZ, HCTZ, and CLTZ) bind to the ligand-binding domain of flip-form of iGluA2 at the dimer interface, thereby increasing steady-state activation by reducing desensitization.
METHODS:
To discover new modulator compounds, we performed virtual screening for the ligand binding domain (LBD) of iGluA2 against NCI Diversity Set III library containing 1597 compounds, and subsequently performed binding-energy analysis for selected compounds. The crystal structure of rat iGluA2 S1S2J (PDB ID: 3IJO) was used for docking studies.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:
From this study, we obtained four compounds: (1) 10-2(methoxyethyl)-3-phenylbenzo[g]pteridine-2,4-dione, (2) 2-benzo[e]benzotriazol-2-yl-aniline, (3) 9-nitro-6H-indolo-(2,3,-b)quinoxaline, and (4) 1-hydroxy-n-(3-nitrophenyl)-2-napthamide. The binding mode of these four compounds is very similar to that of abovementioned established modulators: two molecules of each compound independently bind to the protein symmetrically at the dimer interface; occupy the subsites B, C, B' and C'; potentially interact with Ser518 and Ser775. Binding energy analysis shows that all the four hits are comparable to the drug molecule, CTZ, and hence, we propose that the discovered hits may be potential molecules to develop new chemical libraries for modulating the flip form of iGluA2 function.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC3718743/
Curr Drug Targets CNS Neurol Disord. 2004 Jun;3(3):181-94.
AMPA receptor potentiators for the treatment of CNS disorders.
O'Neill MJ, Bleakman D, Zimmerman DM, Nisenbaum ES.
Source
Eli Lilly and Co. Ltd., Lilly Research Centre, Erl Wood Manor, Windlesham, Surrey GU20 6PH, UK. Oneill_Michael_J@Lilly.com
Abstract
Glutamate alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors mediate most of the excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian central nervous system and also participate in forms of synaptic plasticity thought to underlie memory and learning, and the formation of neural networks during development. Molecular cloning techniques have shown that the AMPA receptor family is composed of four different subunits named GluR1-4 or GluRA-D (newly termed as Glu(A1)-Glu(A4)) and native AMPA receptors are most likely tetramers generated by the assembly of one or more of these subunits, yielding homomeric or heteromeric receptors. Additional complexity among AMPA receptors is conferred by alternative splicing of RNA for each subunit giving rise to flip and flop variants. Clinical and experimental data have suggested that positive modulation of AMPA receptors may be therapeutically effective in the treatment of cognitive deficits. Several classes of AMPA receptor potentiators have been reported, including pyrroliddones (piracetam, aniracetam), benzothiazides (cyclothiazide), benzylpiperidines (CX-516, CX-546) and more recently biarylpropylsulfonamides (LY392098, LY404187 and LY503430). These molecules enhance cognitive function in rodents, which appears to correlate with increased hippocampal activity. In addition, clinical studies have suggested that AMPA receptor modulators enhance cognitive function in elderly subjects, as well as patients suffering from neurological and psychiatric disorders. Several independent studies have suggested that AMPA receptors can increase BDNF exp<b></b>ression by both calcium-dependent and independent pathways. For example, recent studies have shown that AMPA receptors interact with the protein tyrosine kinase, Lyn. Activation of Lyn can recruit the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway and increase the exp<b></b>ression of BDNF. Therefore, in addition to directly enhancing glutamatergic synaptic transmission, AMPA receptor activation can increase the exp<b></b>ression of BDNF in vitro and in vivo. This may account for activity of AMPA receptor potentiators in rodent models predictive of antidepressant activity (forced swim and tail suspension tests). The increase in neurotrophin exp<b></b>ression also may contribute to the functional, neuroprotective and neurotrophic actions of LY404187 and LY503430 after infusion of 6-OHDA into the substantia nigra. In conclusion, several potent, selective and systemically active AMPA receptor potentiators have been reported. Data indicate that these molecules modulate glutamatergic transmission, enhance synaptic transmission, long-term potentiation (LTP) and increase neurotrophin exp<b></b>ression. Therefore, these AMPA receptor potentiators offer an exciting new class of drugs with potential for treating (1) cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, (2) depression, (3) slowing the progression and potentially enhancing recovery
Sorry bout the bad terminal used here, will update later