Identification of Koumine as a Translocator Protein 18 kDa Positive Allosteric Modulator for the Treatment of Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain

Frontiers in Pharmacology
2021.0

Abstract

Koumine is an alkaloid that displays notable activity against inflammatory and neuropathic pain, but its therapeutic target and molecular mechanism still need further study. Translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) is a vital therapeutic target for pain treatment, and recent research implies that there may be allostery in TSPO. Our previous competitive binding assay hint that koumine may function as a TSPO positive allosteric modulator (PAM). Here, for the first time, we report the pharmacological characterization of koumine as a TSPO PAM. The results imply that koumine might be a high-affinity ligand of TSPO and that it likely acts as a PAM since it could delay the dissociation of H-3-PK11195 from TSPO. Importantly, the allostery was retained in vivo, as koumine augmented Ro5-4864-mediated analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in several acute and chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain models. Moreover, the positive allosteric modulatory effect of koumine on TSPO was further demonstrated in cell proliferation assays in T98G human glioblastoma cells. In summary, we have identified and characterized koumine as a TSPO PAM for the treatment of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Our data lay a solid foundation for the use of the clinical candidate koumine to treat inflammatory and neuropathic pain, further demonstrate the allostery in TSPO, and provide the first proof of principle that TSPO PAM may be a novel avenue for the discovery of analgesics.

Knowledge Graph

Similar Paper

Identification of Koumine as a Translocator Protein 18 kDa Positive Allosteric Modulator for the Treatment of Inflammatory and Neuropathic Pain
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2021.0
Koumine regulates macrophage M1/M2 polarization via TSPO, alleviating sepsis-associated liver injury in mice
Phytomedicine 2022.0
Dihydrokoumine, a dual-target analgesic with reduced side effects isolated from a traditional Chinese medicine
Journal of Advanced Research 2024.0
Effects of Koumine on Adjuvant- and Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Rats
Journal of Natural Products 2016.0
Discovery, Structure–Activity Relationships, and In Vivo Evaluation of Novel Aryl Amides as Brain Penetrant Adaptor Protein 2-Associated Kinase 1 (AAK1) Inhibitors for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2021.0
Exploring Translocator Protein (TSPO) Medicinal Chemistry: An Approach for Targeting Radionuclides and Boron Atoms to Mitochondria
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2021.0
Synthesis and Structure–Activity Relationship Studies in Translocator Protein Ligands Based on a Pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline Scaffold
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2011.0
Plant-Derived Cyclotides Modulate κ-Opioid Receptor Signaling
Journal of Natural Products 2021.0
Predicted Mode of Binding to and Allosteric Modulation of the μ-Opioid Receptor by Kratom’s Alkaloids with Reported Antinociception In Vivo
Biochemistry 2021.0
The Discovery and Hit-to-Lead Optimization of Tricyclic Sulfonamides as Potent and Efficacious Potentiators of Glycine Receptors
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2017.0