Thyroid hormone deiodinases response in brain of spontaneausly hypertensive rats after hypotensive effects induced by mandibular extension.

PURPOSE: The deiodinases activate or inactivate the thyroid hormones (TH) in virtually all tissues in both physiological and pathological conditions. The three deiodinases, DIO1, DIO2, and DIO3, have different catalytic functions and regulate TH tissue distribution. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the modulation of gene expression of the deiodinases and TH transporters and protein levels of DIO1 in parietal and frontal areas of cerebral cortex of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), after two successive mandibular extensions (ME). METHODS: ME was performed on anesthetized rats by a dilatator appropriately designed and real-time PCR and western blotting techniques were employed for gene expression and protein level study. RESULTS: Mean blood pressure (MBP) significantly decreased in 2ME-treated rats when compared to sham-operated rats (p < 0.001) and this decrease lasted for the entire observation period. In gene expression analysis, in 2ME-treated rats we did not observe any significant variation of DIO1 and DIO3 with respect to the sham-operated rats. Differently, DIO2 gene expression significantly increased in frontal area of 2ME-treated rats, with respect to sham-operated rats (p < 0.01). Furthermore, in parietal area, protein levels of DIO1 in 2ME-treated rats were significantly higher than in sham-operated rats (p < 0.01). Moreover MCT8 and OATP1C1 both resulted significantly higher (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001) in sham frontal cortex. CONCLUSION: In summary, our data on SHRs, while confirming the hypotensive effect of two MEs, show that the treatment also solicits the three deiodinases production in the cerebral cortex.

Renin-Angiotensin System Responds to Prolonged Hypotensive Effect Induced by Mandibular Extension in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

There is an ongoing interest in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) contribution either to pathological mechanisms leading to hypertension (mainly regarding the ACE/AngII/AT1R axis), or, to RAS protective and pro-regenerative actions, primarily ascribed to the mediation of the AT2R and the MAS1 receptor. In the present study, we evaluated the modulation of gene expression and protein levels of "deleterious" (ACE/AngII/AT1R) and "protective" [ACE/AngII/AT2R and ACE2/Ang(1-7)/MAS1 arms] RAS components in parietal and frontal areas of cerebral cortex of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), after two periods of mandibular extensions (MEs). Blood pressure, BP and heart rate, HR were also measured. While no significant changes in BP and HR were present in the sham operated (SO) group, in rats after two MEs (2-ME rats), BP displayed a marked decrease (p < 0.001) at ME2, and remained then stably low for the subsequent observation period. In gene expression analysis, in SHRs undergoing two MEs, either in parietal or frontal cortex, we did not observe any significant variation of AT2R and ACE2 with respect to SO rats. In contrast, we observed a decrease in Mas1 gene expression in parietal area (p < 0.01) and an increase in frontal region (p < 0.01). AT1R and ACE gene expression was significantly higher in 2-ME rats than SO in parietal cortex (p < 0.05) but no difference was observed in the frontal area. Concerning protein levels, in parietal area, AT1R and AT2R did not change whereas MAS1 significantly decreased in 2-ME rats (p < 0.05). In frontal area, both AT1R and AT2R significantly decreased in 2-ME rats (p < 0.05), whereas MAS1 did not significantly change. Gene expression analysis in normotensive (NT) rats revealed the non-detectability of AT1R in both parietal and frontal zone. In parietal area, AT2R (p < 0.0001) and Mas1 (p < 0.01) were significantly decreased in 2-ME NT rats, when compared to SO, and ACE and ACE2 resulted not detectable whereas there was some expression of these genes after 2-ME procedure. In conclusion, our data in rat models indicated that a 2-ME procedure induced a hypotensive response and that a modulation of gene expression and protein levels of RAS components occurred in different cerebral cortex areas.

3-Hydroxy-1H-quinazoline-2,4-dione derivatives as new antagonists at ionotropic glutamate receptors: molecular modeling and pharmacological studies.

Based on our 3-hydroxy-7-chloroquinazoline-2,4-dione derivatives, previously reported as antagonists at ionotropic glutamate receptors, we synthesized new 3-hydroxyquinazoline-2,4-diones bearing a trifluoromethyl group at the 7-position and different groups at position 6. Glycine/NMDA, AMPA and kainate receptor binding data showed that the 7-trifluoromethyl residue increased AMPA and kainate receptor affinity and selectivity, with respect to the 7-chlorine atom. Among the probed 6-substituents, the 6-(1,2,4-triazol-4-yl) group (compound 8) was the most advantageous for AMPA receptor affinity and selectivity. Derivative 8 demonstrated to be effective in decreasing neuronal damage produced by oxygen and glucose deprivation in organotypic rat hippocampal slices and also showed anticonvulsant effects in pentylenetetrazole-induced convulsions. The previously reported kainate receptor antagonist 6-(2-carboxybenzoyl)-amino-7-chloro-3-hydroxyquinazoline-2,4-dione 3 prevented the failure of neurotransmission induced by oxygen and glucose deprivation in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a new set of pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazolines as glycine/N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor antagonists.

Previous studies have shown that 8-chloro-5,6-dihydro-5-oxo-pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-2-carboxylates (PQZ series) represent a family of glycine/N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) and/or (R,S)-2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazol-4-yl)propionic acid (AMPA) and/or kainic acid (KA) receptor antagonists. Moreover, some groups have been identified that introduced in suitable positions of the PQZ 2-carboxylate framework shift affinity and selectivity toward glycine/NMDA receptor. These substituents are a carboxylate function at position-1 and/or a chlorine atom at position-9. In this paper we report a study on some new 5,6-dihydro-5-oxo-pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-1-carboxylates bearing at position-2 a lipophilic amide group or lacking substituent at this same position. All the newly synthesised compounds were evaluated for their binding at glycine/NMDA, AMPA and KA receptors. These studies led to the identification of some new PQZ derivatives endowed with good glycine/NMDA receptor affinity and selectivity and to better definition of the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of this class of compounds.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 9-heteroaryl substituted 7-chloro-4,5-dihydro-4-oxo-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline-2-carboxylates (TQX) as (R,S)-2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazol-4-yl)propionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonists.

In this paper, we report a study on some new 4,5-dihydro-4-oxo-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline-2-carboxylate derivatives (TQXs), bearing a nitrogen-containing heterocycle at position-9, and designed as (R,S)-2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazol-4-yl)propionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonists. These compounds ensue from the structural modification of previously reported 8-heteroaryl-TQXs which were endowed with high affinity and selectivity for the AMPA receptor. All the newly synthesized compounds were biologically evaluated for their binding at the AMPA receptor. Gly/N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) and kainic acid (KA) high-affinity binding assays were performed to assess the selectivity of the reported derivatives toward the AMPA receptor. This study produced some new TQXs which are less potent than the reference compounds, and endowed with a mixed AMPA and Gly/NMDA receptor binding affinity. To rationalize the experimental findings, a molecular modeling study was performed by docking some TQX derivatives to the AMPA receptor model.

Novel AMPA and kainate receptor antagonists containing the pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline ring system: Synthesis and structure-activity relationships.

This paper reports the synthesis and AMPA, Gly/NMDA, and KA receptor binding affinities of a new set of 1,9-disubstituted-8-chloro-pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-2-carboxylates 2-34. Binding data show that, in general, compounds 2-34 bind to the AMPA receptor with good affinity and selectivity. In particular, the obtained results indicate that the contemporary presence of a 1,2-dicarboxylic acid moiety and suitable benzo-substituents on the PQZ system is important to gain selective AMPA receptor antagonists. Moreover, this study shows that the presence of a 2-carboxybenzoylamino substituent at position-9 (compounds 33-34) is important for obtaining selective KA receptor antagonists. Some selected compounds were also tested for their functional antagonistic activity at both AMPA and NMDA receptor-ion channels.

Structural investigation of the 7-chloro-3-hydroxy-1H-quinazoline-2,4-dione scaffold to obtain AMPA and kainate receptor selective antagonists. Synthesis, pharmacological, and molecular modeling studies.

In this paper, the study of new 7-chloro-3-hydroxy-1H-quinazoline-2,4-dione derivatives, designed as AMPA and kainate (KA) receptor antagonists, is reported. Some derivatives bear different carboxy-containing alkyl chains on the 3-hydroxy group, while various heterocyclic rings or amide moieties are present at the 6-position of other compounds. Binding data at Gly/NMDA, AMPA, and high-affinity KA receptors showed that the presence of the free 3-hydroxy group is of paramount importance for a good affinity at all three investigated receptors, while introduction of some 6-heterocyclic moieties yielded AMPA-selective antagonists. The most significant result was the finding of the 6-(2-carboxybenzoylamino)-3-hydroxy-1H-quinazolin-2,4-dione 12, which possesses good affinity for high-affinity and low-affinity KA receptors (Ki=0.62 microM and 1.6 microM, respectively), as well as good selectivity. To rationalize the trend of affinities of the reported derivatives, an intensive molecular modeling study was carried out by docking compounds to models of the Gly/NMDA, AMPA, and KA receptors.

1-Substituted pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazolines as novel Gly/NMDA receptor antagonists: synthesis, biological evaluation, and molecular modeling study.

A new set of 5,6-dihydro-pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-2-carboxylates (2-18), bearing different substituents (COOEt, Cl, Br, CH(3), and COOH) at position-1, were synthesized in order to investigate the influence of various groups at this specific position on Gly/NMDA receptor affinity and/or selectivity. All the herein reported compounds were evaluated for their binding at the Gly/NMDA, AMPA, and KA receptors. Some selected compounds were also tested for their functional antagonistic activity at both the AMPA and NMDA receptor-ion channels. The results obtained in this study have highlighted that a C-1 lipophilic substituent on the pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-2-carboxylate core shifts selectivity toward the Gly/NMDA receptor, while a C-1 anionic carboxylate residue is able to increase affinity toward this receptor subtype. In particular, the 2-carboxylic acids 15 and 16, bearing a chlorine atom at position-1, are not only potent (K(i)=0.18 and 0.16muM, respectively), but also highly Gly/NMDA versus AMPA selective (selectivity ratio>500). Furthermore, the 1,2-dicarboxylic acids 13 and 14 are endowed with the highest Gly/NMDA receptor binding activity (K(i)=0.09 and 0.059muM, respectively), among the pyrazoloquinazoline series of derivatives. A molecular modeling study has been carried out to better understand receptor affinity and selectivity of these new pyrazoloquinazoline derivatives.

Synthesis and pharmacological studies at the Gly/NMDA, AMPA and Kainate receptors of new oxazolo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-one derivatives bearing different substituents at position-2 and on the fused benzo ring.

The synthesis and biological evaluation at the Gly/NMDA, AMPA and Kainate receptors of new oxazolo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-one derivatives are reported. Different substituents were introduced at the 2-position (mercapto, carbonyl and methyl groups) and on the fused benzo ring (chlorine atom(s) and trifluoromethyl group). Among the herein reported compounds, the 2-mercapto-derivatives 1-4 showed the highest Gly/NMDA affinities, comparable to that of 5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid. The most active compound was the 7-chloro-substituted derivative 1 (Ki=0.082 microM) which possesses a Gly/NMDA selectivity of 50- and 500-fold with respect to AMPA and KA receptors, respectively. Functional antagonism studies performed on some selected 2-mercapto compounds, at both AMPA and NMDA receptor-ion channels, assessed the antagonistic properties of these derivatives. SAR studies pointed out the importance of the concurrent presence of electron-rich moieties at both the 2- and 3-positions of the oxazolo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-one framework. In fact, the 3-sp2-nitrogen atom plays a significant role in reinforcing the hydrogen bond that the 4-carbonyl oxygen probably forms with the arginine residue (R523) of the Gly/NMDA receptor site. The presence of 2-substituent able to form a hydrogen bonding interaction was also proved to be important for a good Gly/NMDA receptor affinity.

Synthesis of novel N1-substituted bicyclic pyrazole amino acids and evaluation of their interaction with glutamate receptors.

N1-substituted bicyclic pyrazole amino acids (S)-9a-9c and (R)-9a-9c, which are conformationally constrained analogues of glutamic acid, were prepared via a strategy based on a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The new amino acids were tested for activity at ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors. Some of them turned out to be selective for the NMDA receptors, where they behaved as weak antagonists. The biological activity is mainly due to the interaction with the glutamate binding site, and not with the glycine co-agonist site.

3-hydroxy-quinazoline-2,4-dione as a useful scaffold to obtain selective Gly/NMDA and AMPA receptor antagonists.

The synthesis and Gly/NMDA, AMPA and KA receptor binding activities of some 3-hydroxy-quinazoline-2,4-dione derivatives are reported. The binding data, together with functional antagonism studies, showed that the 3-hydroxy-quinazoline-2,4-dione moiety can be considered a useful scaffold to obtain selective Gly/NMDA and AMPA receptor antagonists. In fact, introduction of chlorine atom(s) on precise position(s) of the benzofused moiety yielded Gly/NMDA selective antagonists, while the presence of the 6-(1,2,4-triazol-4-yl) group shifted the affinity and selectivity towards the AMPA receptor.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of analogues of 7-chloro-4,5-dihydro-4- oxo-8-(1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (TQX-173) as novel selective AMPA receptor antagonists.

In recent papers (Catarzi, D.; et al. J. Med. Chem. 2000, 43, 3824-3826; 2001, 44, 3157-3165) we reported chemical and biological studies on 4,5-dihydro-4-oxo-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline-2-carboxylates (TQXs) bearing different nitrogen-containing heterocycles at position-8. In particular, from these studies it emerged that both the 7-chloro-4,5-dihydro-4-oxo-8-(1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a] quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid TQX-173 (compound B) and its corresponding ethyl ester (compound A) were the most active and selective compounds of this series. In pursuing our investigation on the structure-activity relationships of these TQX derivatives, different electron-withdrawing groups (CF(3), NO(2)) were introduced at position 7 on the TQX ring system, replacing the 7-chloro substituent of B and of other selected 8-heteroaryltriazoloquinoxaline-2-carboxylates previously described. All the newly synthesized compounds were biologically evaluated for their binding at the Gly/NMDA, AMPA, and KA high-affinity receptors. Gly/NMDA binding assays were performed to assess the selectivity of the reported compounds toward the AMPA receptor. Compounds endowed with micromolar binding affinity for the KA high-affinity binding site were also evaluated for their binding at the KA low-affinity receptor. Some selected compounds were also tested for their functional antagonist activity at the AMPA and NMDA receptor-ion channel complex. The results obtained in this study have pointed out that 4,5-dihydro-7-nitro-4-oxo-8-(3-carboxypyrrol-1-yl)-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (9b) and its corresponding ethyl ester (9a) are the most potent and selective AMPA receptor antagonists reported to date among the TQX series.

Characterization of the mechanism of anticonvulsant activity for a selected set of putative AMPA receptor antagonists.

A selected set of 1-aryl-7,8-methylenedioxy-2,3-benzodiazepin-4-ones and their analogues were evaluated for their ability to bind the competitive and noncompetitive sites of the AMPA receptors complex as well as to the glycine site of the NMDA receptors. The results put in evidence that most of the test compounds, despite a close structural similarity with GYKI 52466, possess a significantly different pharmacological profile.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a new set of pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-2-carboxylates as novel excitatory amino acid antagonists.

In recent papers (Catarzi, D.; et al. J. Med. Chem. 1999, 42, 2478-2484; 2000, 43, 3824-3826; 2001, 44, 3157-3165) we reported the synthesis of a set of 4,5-dihydro-4-oxo-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]quinoxaline-2-carboxylates (TQXs) that were active at the Gly/NMDA and/or AMPA receptors. In the present work the synthesis and Gly/NMDA, AMPA, and KA receptor binding affinities of a set of 5,6-dihydro-5-oxo-pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-2-carboxylates 1a,b-4a,b, 5a, 6a, and 7a,b-9a,b, (+/-)-5,6-dihydro-pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-2,5-dicarboxylates 10a,b and 11a,b, and (+/-)-1,5,6,10b-tetrahydro-5-oxo-pyrazolo[1,5-c]quinazoline-2-carboxylates 12a,b-14a,b are reported. The binding results indicate that compounds 1a,b-4a,b, 5a, 6a, and 7a,b-9a,b show good Gly/NMDA and/or AMPA receptor binding affinities, demonstrating that the pyrazoloquinazoline tricyclic system is an adequate alternative to the triazoloquinoxaline framework for anchoring at both receptor types. Moreover, the inactivity of the 2,5-dicarboxylate derivatives 10a,b and 11a,b at the Gly/NMDA and AMPA receptors indicates that the presence of a glycine moiety in the southern portion of the pyrazoloquinazoline framework is deleterious for receptor-ligand interaction. Finally, the binding data of compounds 12a,b-14a,b indicate that lack of planarity in the northeastern region of the molecules shifts selectivity toward the Gly/NMDA receptor, depending on the benzofused substitutions. In general, the pyrazoloquinazoline derivatives herein reported were inactive at the KA receptor. A study of the functional antagonism at both the AMPA receptor and the NMDA receptor-ion channel complex was also performed on some selected compounds.