Development and validation of a HPLC electrochemical detection method to measure COMT activity as a tool in drug development.

The determination of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity is considered valuable for various pharmaceutical and biomedical research projects. A specific high performance liquid chromatography-coulometric electrochemical detection method, for the assay of COMT activity was developed by measuring the formation of normetanephrine from norepinephrine. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 reversed phase column with a mobile phase consisting of 10 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate buffer, 4 mM sodium 1-octanesulfonate, 0.17 mM ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid disodium salt, 6 % methanol and 4 % acetonitrile (pH ± 4.0). The detection of normetanephrine was achieved through electrochemical detection, with a coulometric cell potential setting of +450 mV. The flow rate was at 1 ml/min and the total run time was 45 min. The method was validated according to validation guidelines (Shabir 2006; European Medicines Agency 2011; US FDA 2018). The method was found to be linear (R² > 0.99) over the analytical range (100 to 2500 ng/ml) for all the analytes. All the other validation parameters (sensitivity, precision, accuracy, recovery and stability) were acceptable and within range. The method was applied for the determination of COMT activity in rat liver homogenate test samples. The known selective COMT inhibitor entacapone was used as test inhibitor. The results confirmed the ability of entacapone to inhibit COMT activity by decreasing the production of all the metabolites of norepinephrine.

The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by dantrolene and ondansetron.

PURPOSE: A virtual screening study has suggested that the skeletal muscle relaxant, dantrolene, and the antiemetic drug, ondansetron, may act as inhibitors of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Based on this proposal, the current study examines the AChE inhibitory properties of these drugs. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using AChE from human erythrocytes as enzyme source, it is shown that dantrolene and ondansetron inhibit AChE with IC(50) values of 12.8 µM and 37.1 µM, respectively. For comparison, the reference AChE inhibitors, tacrine and ranitidine, exhibit IC(50) values of 0.144 µM and 3.37 µM, respectively. By measuring the recoveries of enzyme activities after dilution of enzyme-inhibitor mixtures, it is further shown that dantrolene and ondansetron act as reversible AChE inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: By considering the typical plasma concentrations of dantrolene and ondansetron in humans at therapeutic doses, the pharmacological relevance of the AChE inhibitory potencies of these drugs is discussed. At typical plasma concentrations, ondansetron is unlikely to inhibit AChE under physiological conditions. The inhibition of AChE by ondansetron is therefore not of clinical relevance in humans. In contrast, after intravenous administration of dantrolene to humans, the typical plasma concentrations reached are similar to the recorded IC(50) value for the inhibition of AChE, and dantrolene may thus produce pharmacological significant inhibition of AChE. Further investigation is necessary to clarify the pharmacological relevance of the AChE inhibitory effect of dantrolene.

The inhibition of monoamine oxidase by phenformin and pentamidine.

A computational study has suggested that phenformin, an oral hypoglycaemic drug, may bind to the active sites of the monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B enzymes. The present study therefore investigates the MAO inhibitory properties of phenformin. Pentamidine, a structurally related diamidine compound, has previously been reported to be a MAO inhibitor and was included in this study as a reference compound. Using recombinant human MAO-A and MAO-B, this study finds that phenformin acts as a moderately potent MAO-A selective inhibitor with an IC50 value of 41 µM. Pentamidine, on the other hand, potently inhibits both MAO-A and MAO-B with IC50 values of 0.61 µM and 0.22 µM, respectively. An examination of the recoveries of the enzymatic activities after dilution and dialysis of the enzyme-inhibitor complexes shows that both compounds interact reversibly with the MAO enzymes. A kinetic analysis suggests that pentamidine acts as a competitive inhibitor with estimated Ki values of 0.41 µM and 0.22 µM for the inhibition of MAO-A and MAO-B, respectively. Phenformin also exhibited a competitive mode of MAO-A inhibition with an estimated Ki value of 65 µM. This study concludes that biguanide and amidine functional groups are most likely important structural features for the inhibition of the MAOs by phenformin and pentamidine, and compounds containing these and closely related functional groups should be considered as potential MAO inhibitors. Furthermore, the biguanide and amidine functional groups may act as useful moieties in the future design of MAO inhibitors.

The inhibition of monoamine oxidase by esomeprazole.

Virtual screening of a library of drugs has suggested that esomeprazole, the S-enantiomer of omeprazole, may possess binding affinities for the active sites of the monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B enzymes. Based on this finding, the current study examines the MAO inhibitory properties of esomeprazole. Using recombinant human MAO-A and MAO-B, IC50 values for the inhibition of these enzymes by esomeprazole were experimentally determined. To examine the reversibility of MAO inhibition by esomeprazole, the recoveries of the enzymatic activities after dilution of the enzyme-inhibitor complexes were evaluated. In addition, reversibility of inhibition was also examined by measuring the recoveries of enzyme activities after dialysis of enzyme-inhibitor mixtures. Lineweaver-Burk plots were constructed to evaluate the mode of MAO inhibition and to measure Ki values. The results document that esomeprazole inhibits both MAO-A and MAO-B with IC50 values of 23 µM and 48 µM, respectively. The interactions of esomeprazole with MAO-A and MAO-B are reversible and most likely competitive with Ki values for the inhibition of the respective enzymes of 8.99 µM and 31.7 µM. Considering the available pharmacokinetic data and typical therapeutic doses of esomeprazole, these inhibitory potencies are unlikely to be of pharmacological relevance in humans. The MAO inhibitory effects of esomeprazole should however be taken into consideration when using this drug in animal experiments where higher doses are often administered.

The inhibition of monoamine oxidase by 8-(2-phenoxyethoxy)caffeine analogues.

Previous studies have documented that substituted 8-oxycaffeines act as inhibitors of human monoamine oxidase (MAO) B. A particularly potent inhibitor among the reported compounds was 8-(2-phenoxyethoxy)caffeine with an IC50 value of 0.383 µM towards MAO-B. In an attempt to improve on the inhibition potency of this compound and to discover highly potent reversible MAO-B inhibitors, in the present study, a series of 8-(2-phenoxyethoxy)caffeine analogues containing various substituents on C4 of the phenoxy ring, were synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of human MAO-A and -B. The results show that the 8-(2-phenoxyethoxy)caffeine analogues are selective and reversible MAO-B inhibitors with the most potent homologue, 8-{2-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]ethoxy}caffeine, exhibiting an IC50 value of 0.061 µM. These highly potent inhibitors are useful leads in the design of therapies for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

A2A antagonist prevents dopamine agonist-induced motor complications in animal models of Parkinson's disease.

Adenosine A(2A) receptors, abundantly expressed on striatal medium spiny neurons, appear to activate signaling cascades implicated in the regulation of coexpressed ionotropic glutamatergic receptors. To evaluate the contribution of adenosinergic mechanisms to the pathogenesis of the response alterations induced by dopaminergic treatment, we studied the ability of the selective adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonist KW-6002 to prevent as well as palliate these syndromes in rodent and primate models of Parkinson's disease. In rats, KW-6002 reversed the shortened motor response produced by chronic levodopa treatment while reducing levodopa-induced hyperphosphorylation at S845 residues on AMPA receptor GluR1 subunits. In primates, KW-6002 evidenced modest antiparkinsonian activity when given alone. Once-daily coadministration of KW-6002 with apomorphine prevented the development of dyskinesias, which appeared in control animals 7-10 days after initiating apomorphine treatment. Animals initially given apomorphine plus KW-6002 for 3 weeks did not begin to manifest apomorphine-induced dyskinesias until 10-12 days after discontinuing the A(2A) antagonist. These results suggest that KW-6002 can attenuate the induction as well as the expression of motor response alterations to chronic dopaminergic stimulation in parkinsonian animals, possibly by blocking A(2A) receptor-stimulated signaling pathways. Our findings strengthen the rationale for developing A(2A) antagonists as an early treatment strategy for Parkinson's disease.

Inhibition of human MAO-A and MAO-B by a compound isolated from flue-cured tobacco leaves and its neuroprotective properties in the MPTP mouse model of neurodegeneration.

Prompted by the findings that smokers have lowered brain and blood platelet monoamine oxidase-A and -B activities compared to non-smokers and that smokers have a lowered incidence of Parkinson's disease, we have examined the neuroprotective properties of an MAO inhibitor, 2,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (TMN), which is present in the tobacco plant and smoke in the MPTP C57BL/6 mouse model of neurodegeneration. Dopamine (DA) levels in the striata of mice treated with TMN prior to the administration of MPTP were significantly higher than DA levels in the striata of mice receiving MPTP only, thus indicating a degree of neuroprotection in this model of Parkinson's disease. The potential consequences on MAO activity of long term exposure to this compound need to be evaluated. Furthermore, there is evidence for the presence of other inhibitors in the tobacco leaf and smoke, including compounds with irreversible MAO inhibitory properties. Although there is no evidence to link the lowered activities of MAO to the lowered incidence of Parkinson's disease in smokers, the neuroprotective effects of TMN in the MPTP mouse model suggest that such a relationship is worthy of further evaluation.

Neuroprotection by caffeine and A(2A) adenosine receptor inactivation in a model of Parkinson's disease.

Recent epidemiological studies have established an association between the common consumption of coffee or other caffeinated beverages and a reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease (PD). To explore the possibility that caffeine helps prevent the dopaminergic deficits characteristic of PD, we investigated the effects of caffeine and the adenosine receptor subtypes through which it may act in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) neurotoxin model of PD. Caffeine, at doses comparable to those of typical human exposure, attenuated MPTP-induced loss of striatal dopamine and dopamine transporter binding sites. The effects of caffeine were mimicked by several A(2A) antagonists (7-(2-phenylethyl)-5-amino-2-(2-furyl)-pyrazolo-[4,3-e]-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine (SCH 58261), 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine, and (E)-1,3-diethyl-8 (KW-6002)-(3,4-dimethoxystyryl)-7-methyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione) (KW-6002) and by genetic inactivation of the A(2A) receptor, but not by A(1) receptor blockade with 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine, suggesting that caffeine attenuates MPTP toxicity by A(2A) receptor blockade. These data establish a potential neural basis for the inverse association of caffeine with the development of PD, and they enhance the potential of A(2A) antagonists as a novel treatment for this neurodegenerative disease.

Neuroprotection in the MPTP Parkinsonian C57BL/6 mouse model by a compound isolated from tobacco.

Epidemiological evidence suggests a lower incidence of Parkinson's disease in smokers than in nonsmokers. This evidence, together with the lower levels of brain monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in smokers and the potential neuroprotective properties of MAO inhibitors, prompted studies which led to the isolation and characterization of 2,3,6-trimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (TMN), an MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitor which is present in tobacco and tobacco smoke. Results of experiments reported here provide evidence that this compound protects against the MPTP-mediated depletion of neostriatal dopamine levels in the C57BL/6 mouse. These results support the hypothesis that the inhibition of MAO by constituents of tobacco smoke may be related to the decreased incidence of Parkinson's disease in smokers.

Metabolic defects caused by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and by HPTP (the tetrahydropyridinyl analog of haloperidol), in rats.

The results of previous studies in the baboon have suggested that HPTP, the tetrahydropyridinyl analog of haloperidol causes a urinary biochemical marker profile similar to those seen in humans suffering from inborn errors of mitochondrial respiration. In order to identify a possible relationship between compromised cellular energy production and neuronal damage we now have compared the urinary profiles of rats treated with the pro-neurotoxin, MPTP as well as with HPTP. Significantly increased urinary excretion of lactic acid and 2-ethylhydracrylic acid in MPTP and HPTP treated rats was observed, indicating that both MPTP and HPTP and/or their respective metabolites cause mitochondrial inhibition in the rat.