Multiple mechanisms underlying the long duration of action of thienorphine, a novel partial opioid agonist for the treatment of addiction.

AIMS: It is considered that a long-acting therapy would be advantageous in the treatment of addiction. In a search for novel buprenorphine analogues, thienorphine was demonstrated to be an extremely long-acting orally active partial opioid agonist. This study explored the mechanisms underlying the long-lasting effects of thienorphine. METHODS: The binding kinetics of [(3) H]thienorphine were measured in membrane preparations expressing cloned rat opioid receptors. Flow cytometric analysis was used to determine the effect of thienorphine on the surface opioid receptor number. The long-lasting effects of thienorphine were also confirmed at the tissue level and in vivo. RESULTS: At 37°C, [(3) H]thienorphine showed rapid association with µ- and κ-opioid receptors, while its dissociation was sluggish and biphasic (K-1 = 0.21 min(-1) , K-2 = 0.0078 min(-1) for the µ-receptor; K-1 = 0.17 min(-1) , K-2 = 0.0042 min(-1) for the κ-receptor). Treatment with thienorphine for 24, 48, and 72 h downregulated surface µ-receptor in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of thienorphine on guinea pig ileum persisted for more than 120 min after prolonged washing. In vivo, thienorphine exhibited significant antagonism of morphine-induced antinociception for more than 7 days. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that multiple factors, including persistent receptor occupation and enhanced receptor downregulation, may contribute to the long-lasting effects of thienorphine that would be beneficial for its application in addiction treatment.

[Pharmacokinetics of 6beta-naltrexol after single and multiple intramuscular injections in Beagle dogs].

The pharmacokinetics of 6beta-naltrexol (6beta-NOL) following single intramuscular administration and multiple intramuscular injection once per day for seven days was studied in 4 Beagle dogs. Plasma concentration of 6beta-NOL in dogs was analyzed by a combination of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrochemical detection with naloxone (NLX) as internal standard. After single intramuscular injection of 0.2 mg x kg(-1) 6beta-NOL, the plasma concentration-time curve of the drug was found to fit to a two compartment model with first-order absorption. The main parameters of single dosing were as follows: t1/2alpha was (0.26 +/- 0.23) h, t1/2beta was (4.77 +/- 1.65) h, C(max) was (81.65 +/- 5.61) ng x mL(-1), t(peak) was (0.27 +/- 0.07) h, CL(s) was (1.20 +/- 0.06) L x kg(-1) x h(-1), V/F(c) was (1.94 +/- 0.15) L x kg(-1), and AUC(0-t) was (166.82 +/- 7.68) ng x h x mL(-1), separately. After multiple intramuscular injection of 0.2 mg x kg(-1) 6beta-NOL once per day for seven days, the plasma concentration-time curve of the drug fitted to a two compartment model with first-order absorption too. The main parameters of the last dosing were as follows: t1/2alpha was (0.19 +/- 0.18) h, t1/2beta was (5.79 +/- 1.50) h, C(max) was (79.82 +/- 10.5) ng x mL(-1), t(peak) was (0.18 +/- 0.08) h, CL(s) was (1.12 +/- 0.07) L x kg(-1) x h(-1), V/F(c) was (2.10 +/- 0.27) L x kg(-1), and AUC(0-t) was (173.23 +/- 9.49) ng x h x mL(-1), separately. The difference of the parameters between the first and the last dosing was not significant, showing that the plasma kinetics of 6beta-naltrexol was not changed after multiple administrations. In the course of multiple administration, the peak and valley concentration of plasma 6beta-naltrexol were (79.03 +/- 10.3) and (1.50 +/- 0.93) ng x mL(-1), respectively. No clear adverse events were noted during this study. These results showed that plasma 6beta-naltrexol fits to a two compartment model with first-order absorption in dog after intramuscular administration and their pharmacokinetic parameters were reported. There was no remarkable change on plasma pharmacokinetics of 6beta-naltrexol after multiple intramuscular administrations.

Thienorphine is a potent long-acting partial opioid agonist: a comparative study with buprenorphine.

A strategy in the development of new treatment for opioid addiction is to find partial opioid agonists with properties of long duration of action and high oral bioavailability. In a search for such compounds, thienorphine, a novel analog of buprenorphine, was synthesized. Here, we reported that, like buprenorphine, thienorphine bound potently and nonselectively to mu-, delta-, and kappa-opioid receptors stably expressed in CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cells and behaved as a partial agonist at mu-opioid receptor. However, some differences were observed between the pharmacological profiles of thienorphine and buprenorphine. In vitro, thienorphine was more potent than buprenorphine in inhibiting [3H]diprenorphine and stimulating guanosine 5'-O-(3-[35S]thio)triphosphate binding to rat mu-opioid receptor stably expressed in CHO cells. In vivo, thienorphine exhibited a less potent but more efficacious antinociceptive effect with an ED50 value of 0.25 mg/kg s.c. and more potent antimorphine effect with an ED50 value of 0.64 mg/kg intragastric, compared with buprenorphine. Additionally, the bioavailability of thienorphine was greatly higher than that of buprenorphine after oral administration. Moreover, compared with buprenorphine, thienorphine showed a similar long-lasting antinociceptive effect but a much longer antagonism of morphine-induced lethality (more than 15 days). These results indicate that thienorphine is a potent, long-acting partial opioid agonist with high oral bioavailability and may have possible application in treating addiction.