Discovery of Kynurenines Containing Oligopeptides as Potent Opioid Receptor Agonists.

Discovery of Kynurenines Containing Oligopeptides as Potent Opioid Receptor Agonists.

Szűcs, Edina;Stefanucci, Azzurra;Dimmito, Marilisa Pia;Zádor, Ferenc;Pieretti, Stefano;Zengin, Gokhan;Vécsei, László;Benyhe, Sándor;Nalli, Marianna;Mollica, Adriano;
Biomolecules 2020 Vol. 10
237
szcs2020discoverybiomolecules

Abstract

Kynurenine (kyn) and kynurenic acid (kyna) are well-defined metabolites of tryptophan catabolism collectively known as "kynurenines", which exert regulatory functions in host-microbiome signaling, immune cell response, and neuronal excitability. Kynurenine containing peptides endowed with opioid receptor activity have been isolated from natural organisms; thus, in this work, novel opioid peptide analogs incorporating L-kynurenine (L-kyn) and kynurenic acid (kyna) in place of native amino acids have been designed and synthesized with the aim to investigate the biological effect of these modifications. The kyna-containing peptide () binds selectively the m-opioid receptor with a Ki = 1.08 ± 0.26 (selectivity ratio m/d/k = 1:514:10000), while the L-kyn-containing peptide () shows a mixed binding affinity for m, d, and k-opioid receptors, with efficacy and potency (E = 209.7 + 3.4%; LogEC = -5.984 + 0.054) higher than those of the reference compound DAMGO. This novel oligopeptide exhibits a strong antinociceptive effect after i.c.v. and s.c. administrations in in vivo tests, according to good stability in human plasma (t = 47 min).

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