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μ-Opioid receptors are among the most studied G protein-coupled receptors because of the therapeutic value of agonists, such as morphine, that are used to treat chronic pain. However, these drugs have significant side effects, such as respiratory suppression, constipation, allodynia, tolerance, and dependence, as well as abuse potential. Efforts to fine tune pain control while alleviating the side effects of drugs, both physiological and psychological, have led to the development of a wide variety of structurally diverse agonist ligands for the μ-opioid receptor, as well as compounds that target κ- and δ-opioid receptors. In recent years, the identification of allosteric ligands for some G protein-coupled receptors has provided breakthroughs in obtaining receptor subtype-selectivity that can reduce the overall side effect profiles of a potential drug. However, positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) can also have the specific advantage of only modulating the activity of the receptor when the orthosteric agonist occupies the receptor, thus maintaining spatial and temporal control of receptor signaling in vivo. This second advantage of allosteric modulators may yield breakthroughs in opioid receptor research and could lead to drugs with improved side-effect profiles or fewer tolerance and dependence issues compared with orthosteric opioid receptor agonists. Here, we describe the discovery and characterization of μ-opioid receptor PAMs and silent allosteric modulators, identified from high-throughput screening using a β-arrestin–recruitment assay.

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The excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate has been implicated in both migraine and persistent pain. The identification of the kainate receptor GLU K5 in dorsal root ganglia, the dorsal horn, and trigeminal ganglia makes it a target of interest for these indications. We examined the in vitro and in vivo pharmacology of the competitive GLU K5 -selective kainate receptor antagonist LY466195 [(3S,4aR,6S,8aR), the most potent GLU K5 antagonist described to date. Comparisons were made to the competitive GLU K5 /␣-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist LY293558 [(3S,4aR,6R,8aR)-6-[2-(1(2)H-tetrazole-5-yl)ethyl]-decahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid], other decahydroisoquinoline GLU K5 receptor antagonists, and the noncompetitive AMPA receptor antagonist LY300168 [1-(4-aminophenyl)-4-methyl-7,8-methylenedioxy-5H-2,3-benzodi-azepine]. When characterized electrophysiologically in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons, LY466195 antagonized kainate (30 M)-induced currents with an IC 50 value of 0.045 Ϯ 0.011 M. In HEK293 cells transfected with GLU K5 , GLU K2 /GLU K5 , or GLU K5 /GLU K6 receptors, LY466195 produced IC 50 values of 0.08 Ϯ 0.02, 0.34 Ϯ 0.17, and 0.07 Ϯ 0.02 M, respectively. LY466195 was efficacious in a dural plasma protein extravasation (PPE) model of migraine with an ID 100 value of 100 g/kg i.v. LY466195 was also efficacious in the c-fos migraine model, with a dose of 1 g/kg i.v. significantly reducing the number of Fos-positive cells in the rat nucleus caudalis after electrical stimulation of the trigeminal ganglion. Furthermore, LY466195 showed no contractile activity in the rabbit saphenous vein in vitro. The diethyl ester prodrug of LY466195 was also efficacious in the same PPE and c-fos models after oral administration at doses of 10 and 100 g/kg, respectively while having no N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist-like behavioral effects at oral doses up to 100 mg/kg.Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and can act at three major types of ligand-gated ion channels that are defined by the activity of the subtype-selective agonists N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), kainate, and ␣-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) (Collingridge and Lester, 1989). Five kainate receptors subtypes have been cloned and classified as either high-affinity (GLU K1 and GLU K2 ) or lowArticle, publication date, and citation information can be found at

Some N3-substituted analogues of willardiine such as 11 and 13 are selective kainate receptor antagonists. In an attempt to improve the potency and selectivity for kainate receptors, a range of analogues of 11 and 13 were synthesized with 5-substituents on the uracil ring. An X-ray crystal structure of the 5-methyl analogue of 13 bound to GLUK5 revealed that there was allowed volume around the 4- and 5-positions of the thiophene ring, and therefore the 4,5-dibromo and 5-phenyl (67) analogues were synthesized. Compound 67 (ACET) demonstrated low nanomolar antagonist potency on native and recombinant GLUK5-containing kainate receptors (KB values of 7 +/- 1 and 5 +/- 1 nM for antagonism of recombinant human GLUK5 and GLUK5/GLUK2, respectively) but displayed IC50 values >100 microM for antagonism of GLUA2, GLUK6, or GLUK6/GLUK2.

Morphine and other agonists of the μ-opioid receptor are used clinically for acute and chronic pain relief and are considered to be the gold standard for pain medication. However, these opioids also have significant side effects, which are also mediated via activation of the μ-opioid receptor. Since the latter half of the twentieth century, researchers have sought to tease apart the mechanisms underlying analgesia, tolerance and dependence, with the hope of designing drugs with fewer side effects. These efforts have revolved around the design of orthosteric agonists with differing pharmacokinetic properties and/or selectivity profiles for the different opioid receptor types. Recently, μ-opioid receptor-positive allosteric modulators (μ-PAMs) were identified, which bind to a (allosteric) site on the μ-opioid receptor separate from the orthosteric site that binds an endogenous agonist. These allosteric modulators have little or no detectable functional activity when bound to the receptor in the absence of orthosteric agonist, but can potentiate the activity of bound orthosteric agonist, seen as an increase in apparent potency and/or efficacy of the orthosteric agonist. In this review, we describe the potential advantages that a μ-PAM approach might bring to the design of novel therapeutics for pain that may lack the side effects currently associated with opioid therapy. LINKED ARTICLESThis article is part of a themed section on Opioids: New Pathways to Functional Selectivity. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx

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