Potentiation of M1 Muscarinic Receptor Reverses Plasticity Deficits and Negative and Cognitive Symptoms in a Schizophrenia Mouse Model.

Schizophrenia patients exhibit deficits in signaling of the M1 subtype of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and also display impaired cortical long-term depression (LTD). We report that selective activation of the M1 mAChR subtype induces LTD in PFC and that this response is completely lost after repeated administration of phencyclidine (PCP), a mouse model of schizophrenia. Furthermore, discovery of a novel, systemically active M1 positive allosteric modulator (PAM), VU0453595, allowed us to evaluate the impact of selective potentiation of M1 on induction of LTD and behavioral deficits in PCP-treated mice. Interestingly, VU0453595 fully restored impaired LTD as well as deficits in cognitive function and social interaction in these mice. These results provide critical new insights into synaptic changes that may contribute to behavioral deficits in this mouse model and support a role for selective M1 PAMs as a novel approach for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Evaluation of tizanidine as a marker of canine CYP1A2 activity.

The dog CYP1A2 enzyme is likely an important contributor to the metabolism of veterinary drugs. Dog CYP1A2 is expressed in liver, plus it is inducible and polymorphic, creating the potential for intersubject differences in pharmacokinetics. Hence, the ability to probe dog CYP1A2 activity and inhibition is relevant toward veterinary drug development and drug-drug interaction assessment. Previous studies have relied on human probes with questionable specificity for CYP1A2, so it was hypothesized that recombinant CYP1A2 could be used to find a specific CYP1A2 substrate. Intrinsic clearance experiments demonstrated that tizanidine was a substrate of CYP1A2. Profiling of tizanidine metabolites generated by CYP1A2 identified the imidazole metabolite that was detectable in dog plasma. The imidazole metabolite was subsequently used to evaluate tizanidine as a CYP1A2 probe. Co-administration of the CYP1A inhibitor enrofloxacin with tizanidine significantly decreased (30%; n = 3) the formation of the imidazole metabolite vs. control experiments. As enrofloxacin is a weak inhibitor, further studies are required to confirm the sensitivity of tizanidine as an in vivo probe. However, tizanidine may be a more selective CYP1A2 probe than phenacetin when conducting in vitro studies due to the presence of other phenacetin-metabolizing enzymes in dog liver microsomes.

Synthesis and biological characterization of a series of novel diaryl amide M1 antagonists.

Utilizing a combination of high-throughput and multi-step synthesis, SAR in a novel series of M(1) acetylcholine receptor antagonists was rapidly established. The efforts led to the discovery the highly potent M(1) antagonists 6 (VU0431263), and 8f (VU0433670). Functional Schild analysis and radioligand displacement experiments demonstrated the competitive, orthosteric binding of these compounds; human selectivity data are presented.

Ectopic lingual thyroid: a case report.

A rare case of lingual thyroid of massive size is being reported in a 28-year-old female patient who presented with dysphonia, fullness in the throat, dysphagia and breathing difficulties. Fibre-optic nasopharyngoscopy revealed a sessile mass occupying the whole of the oro and hypopharynx. The mass was excised and histopathological examination was reported as thyroid tissue. Postoperatively the patient remained euthyroid and did not require thyroxine supplements since the hypoplastic thyroid gland in the prelaryngeal region remained functional.

Redox-activated, hypoxia-selective DNA cleavage by quinoxaline 1,4-di-N-oxide.

Quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide (4) is the historical prototype for modern heterocyclic N-oxide antitumor agents such as 3-amino-1,2,4-benzotriazine 1,4-dioxide (tirapazamine, 1) and 3-amino-2-quinoxalinecarbonitrile 1,4-dioxide (11). Early experiments in bacterial cell lines suggested that enzymatic, single-electron reduction of quinoxaline 1,4-dioxides under low-oxygen (hypoxic) conditions leads to DNA damage. Here the ability of quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide to cleave DNA has been explicitly characterized using in vitro assays. The hypoxia-selective DNA-cleaving properties of 4 reported here may provide a chemical basis for understanding the cytotoxic and mutagenic activities of various quinoxaline 1,4-dioxide antibiotics.

Pyrimido[1,2-alpha]purin-10(3H)-one: a reactive electrophile in the genome.

Malondialdehyde and base propenal react with deoxyguanosine residues in DNA to form an exocyclic adduct, pyrimido[1, 2-alpha]purin-10(3H)-one (1), that has been detected at high levels in genomic DNA of healthy humans. Previous studies have shown that tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane adds to 1 at elevated pH, forming an enaminoimine (2), but it is uncertain whether 1 reacts directly or hydrolyzes under basic conditions to N(2)-(3-oxo-1-propenyl)deoxyguanosine (3) prior to amine addition. We report that 1 reacts at neutral pH with hydroxylamines to form oximes. The rate of reaction of 1 with hydroxylamines at pH 7 is at least 150 times faster than the rate of hydrolysis of 1 to 3. Thus, 1 is directly reactive to nucleophiles. These observations indicate that 1 is an electrophile in the human genome that may react with cellular nucleophiles to form novel cross-linked adducts.

Direct evidence for bimodal DNA damage induced by tirapazamine.

The ability of tirapazamine (1, 3-amino-1,2,4-benzotriazine 1, 4-dioxide, SR4233) to fix DNA radical lesions is demonstrated by studying the reaction between the antitumor drug and an oligonucleotide radical that is independently produced at a defined site within a biopolymer. Using beta-mercaptoethanol as a competitor, it was determined that tirapazamine traps a C1'-nucleotide radical with a rate constant of approximately 2 x 10(8) M-1 s-1. Product and isotopic labeling studies suggest that tirapazamine reacts with the radical via covalent adduct formation, resulting primarily from reaction at the N-oxide oxygen. Intermediate covalent adducts could not be observed, but are postulated to decompose to the alkaline labile 2'-deoxyribonolactone lesion. These experiments affirm recent proposals suggesting that tirapazamine can serve as a surrogate for O2 in converting DNA radicals into toxic strand damage events.

Abnormal nerve conduction in impotent patients with diabetes mellitus.

The etiology of impotence in the diabetic population has not been clearly defined. To assess this problem, 24 impotent diabetic subjects, 21 nonimpotent diabetic subjects, and 10 subjects with psychogenic impotence were compared with nocturnal monitoring of penile tumescence and rigidity, penile arterial blood flow, and nerve conduction of the pudendal nerve. There was no statistical difference in mean age or duration of diabetes among the various study groups. All diabetic subjects who presented with complaints of impotence had severe abnormalities on nocturnal erection monitoring. There was no significant difference in the mean penile brachial index between impotent and nonimpotent diabetic subjects (P = .335). In contrast, there was a significant difference in bulbocavernosus-reflex latency times (P less than .001) between impotent (mean latency 48.4 ms) and nonimpotent (mean latency 38.7 ms) diabetic subjects. This study strongly suggests that impotence in the diabetic population is secondary to functional abnormalities of pelvic nerves and that the bulbocavernosus-reflex latency time is an excellent diagnostic test for assessing function of pelvic nerves in the diabetic individual.

The pathogenesis of obesity.

This article clarifies current understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of obesity, the most common metabolic disorder in humans. Among the factors covered are adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy, setpoint hypothesis, disorders of energy intake, disorders of energy expenditure, thermic effect of food, adaptive thermogenesis, and biochemical defects resulting in obesity.

Purification, characterization, and amino acid sequence of rat anaphylatoxin (C3a).

C3a anaphylatoxin derived from the third component of complement has been isolated from rat serum and its complete amino acid seuqence determined. A three-step purification procedure was employed that consisted of gel filtration on Sephadex G-100, followed by chromatography of the anaphylatoxin-containing pool on carboxymethylcellulose. A subsequent separation on DEAE-Sephadex resolved C3a from minor contaminating peptides. Biological studies have shown that purified rat anaphylatoxin is approximately twice as active as human or porcine C3a when tested for smooth-muscle contraction. In addition to the active form of rat anaphylatoxin, a serum carboxypeptidase B inactivated form of C3a (C3ades-Arg) was purified from rat serum and utilized in subsequent structural studies. Sequence analysis of rat C3a was facilitated by a long automated Edman degradation which established the first 55 residues of the anaphylatoxin. Overlapping peptides were generated by cyanogen bromide and trypsin, and the resultant fragments were sequenced by either automated or manual Edman procedures. The primary structure of rat C3a is 70% identical to the previously determined structures of human and porcine anaphylatoxin. Antisera raised to the purified rat peptide do not cross-react immunologically by Ouchterlony analysis with either human or porcine C3a.