Peripheral antinociceptive effects of inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase in a rat model of inflammatory pain.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is degraded primarily by monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL). We compared peripheral antinociceptive effects of JZL184, a novel irreversible MGL inhibitor, with the reversible MGL-preferring inhibitor URB602 and exogenous 2-AG in rats. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH Nociception in the formalin test was assessed in groups receiving dorsal paw injections of vehicle, JZL184 (0.001-300 µg), URB602 (0.001-600 µg), 2-AG (ED(50)), 2-AG + JZL184 (at their ED(50)), 2-AG + URB602 (at their ED(50)), AM251 (80 µg), AM251 + JZL184 (10 µg), AM630 (25 µg) or AM630 + JZL184 (10 µg). Effects of MGL inhibitors on endocannabinoid accumulation and on activities of endocannabinoid-metabolizing enzymes were assessed. KEY RESULTS Intra-paw administration of JZL184, URB602 and 2-AG suppressed early and late phases of formalin pain. JZL184 and URB602 acted through a common mechanism. JZL184 (ED(50) Phase 1: 0.06 ± 0.028; Phase 2: 0.03 ± 0.011 µg) produced greater antinociception than URB602 (ED(50) Phase 1: 120 ± 51.3; Phase 2: 66 ± 23.9 µg) or 2-AG. Both MGL inhibitors produced additive antinociceptive effects when combined with 2-AG. Antinociceptive effects of JZL184, like those of URB602, were blocked by cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB(1)) and cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB(2)) antagonists. JZL184 suppressed MGL but not fatty-acid amide hydrolase or N-arachidonoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D activities ex vivo. URB602 increased hind paw 2-AG without altering anandamide levels. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS MGL inhibitors suppressed formalin-induced pain through peripheral CB(1) and CB(2) receptor mechanisms. MGL inhibition increased paw skin 2-AG accumulation to mediate these effects. MGL represents a target for the treatment of inflammatory pain.

Guindon J ，Guijarro A ，Piomelli D ，Hohmann AG ... -  《-》

The antinociceptive effects of intraplantar injections of 2-arachidonoyl glycerol are mediated by cannabinoid CB2 receptors.

Guindon J ，Desroches J ，Beaulieu P 《-》

Alterations in endocannabinoid tone following chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: effects of endocannabinoid deactivation inhibitors targeting fatty-acid amide hydrolase and monoacylglycerol lipase in comparison to reference analgesics following c

Cisplatin, a platinum-derived chemotherapeutic agent, produces mechanical and coldallodynia reminiscent of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in humans. The endocannabinoid system represents a novel target for analgesic drug development. The endocannabinoid signaling system consists of endocannabinoids (e.g. anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)), cannabinoid receptors (e.g. CB(1) and CB(2)) and the enzymes controlling endocannabinoid synthesis and degradation. AEA is hydrolyzed by fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) whereas 2-AG is hydrolyzed primarily by monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL). We compared effects of brain permeant (URB597) and impermeant (URB937) inhibitors of FAAH with an irreversible inhibitor of MGL (JZL184) on cisplatin-evoked behavioral hypersensitivities. Endocannabinoid modulators were compared with agents used clinically to treat neuropathy (i.e. the opioid analgesic morphine, the anticonvulsant gabapentin and the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline). Cisplatin produced robust mechanical and cold allodynia but did not alter responsiveness to heat. After neuropathy was fully established, groups received acute intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of vehicle, amitriptyline (30 mg/kg), gabapentin (100 mg/kg), morphine (6 mg/kg), URB597 (0.1 or 1 mg/kg), URB937 (0.1 or 1 mg/kg) or JZL184 (1, 3 or 8 mg/kg). Pharmacological specificity was assessed by coadministering each endocannabinoid modulator with either a CB(1) (AM251 3 mg/kg), CB(2) (AM630 3 mg/kg), TRPV1 (AMG9810 3 mg/kg) or TRPA1 (HC030031 8 mg/kg) antagonist. Effects of cisplatin on endocannabinoid levels and transcription of receptors (CB(1), CB(2), TRPV1, TRPA1) and enzymes (FAAH, MGL) linked to the endocannabinoid system were also assessed. URB597, URB937, JZL184 and morphine reversed cisplatin-evoked mechanical and cold allodynia to pre-cisplatin levels. By contrast, gabapentin only partially reversed the observed allodynia while amitriptyline, administered acutely, was ineffective. CB(1) or CB(2) antagonists completely blocked the anti-allodynic effects of both FAAH (URB597, URB937) and MGL (JZL184) inhibitors to mechanical and cold stimulation. By contrast, the TRPV1 antagonist AMG9810 blocked the anti-allodynic efficacy of both FAAH inhibitors, but not the MGL inhibitor. By contrast, the TRPA1 antagonist HC30031 did not attenuate anti-allodynic efficacy of any endocannabinoid modulator. When the levels of endocannabinoids were examined, cisplatin increased both anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) levels in the lumbar spinal cord and decreased 2-AG levels (but not AEA) in dorsal hind paw skin. RT-PCR showed that mRNA for FAAH, but not other markers, was upregulated by cisplatin treatment in lumbar spinal cord. The present studies demonstrate that cisplatin alters endocannabinoid tone and that inhibition of endocannabinoid hydrolysis alleviates chemotherapy-induced mechanical and cold allodynia. The anti-allodynic effects of FAAH and MGL inhibitors are mediated by CB(1) and CB(2) cannabinoid receptors, whereas TRPV1, but not TRPA1, -dependent mechanisms contribute to the anti-allodynic efficacy of FAAH (but not MGL) inhibitors. Strikingly, endocannabinoid modulators potently suppressed cisplatin-evoked allodynia with a rapid onset and showed efficacy that equaled or exceeded that of major classes of anti-neuropathic pain medications used clinically. Thus, inhibition of endocannabinoid hydrolysis, via FAAH or MGL inhibitors, represents an efficacious pharmacological approach for suppressing chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain.

Guindon J ，Lai Y ，Takacs SM ，Bradshaw HB ，Hohmann AG ... -  《-》

Inhibitors of monoacylglycerol lipase, fatty-acid amide hydrolase and endocannabinoid transport differentially suppress capsaicin-induced behavioral sensitization through peripheral endocannabinoid mechanisms.

Monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL) and fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) degrade the endocannabinoids 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA), respectively. Pharmacological inhibition of these enzymes in the periphery may elucidate the role of endocannabinoids in controlling nociceptive transmission. We compared effects of the MGL inhibitor JZL184, the FAAH inhibitor URB597, and the endocannabinoid uptake inhibitor VDM11, administered locally in the paw, on behavioral hypersensitivities produced by capsaicin, the pungent ingredient in hot chili peppers. Intradermal capsaicin (10 microg i.pl.) produced nocifensive behavior, thermal hyperalgesia, and mechanical allodynia in rats. JZL184 (100 microg i.pl.) suppressed capsaicin-induced nocifensive behavior and thermal hyperalgesia without altering capsaicin-evoked mechanical allodynia. Effects of JZL184 were blocked by either the CB(1) antagonist AM251 (80 microg i.pl.) or the CB(2) antagonist AM630 (25 microg i.pl.). URB597 (75 microg i.pl.) suppressed capsaicin-induced mechanical allodynia without altering capsaicin-evoked thermal hyperalgesia or nocifensive behavior. Effects of URB597 were blocked by AM251 (80 microg i.pl.), but not by AM630 (25 microg i.pl.). VDM11 (100 microg i.pl.) suppressed capsaicin-evoked hypersensitivity for all three dependent measures (nocifensive behavior, thermal hyperalgesia, and mechanical allodynia), suggesting an additive effect following putative elevation of both AEA and 2-AG. The VDM11-induced suppression of capsaicin-evoked nocifensive behavior and thermal hyperalgesia was blocked by either AM251 (80 microg i.pl.) or AM630 (25 microg i.pl.), as observed with JZL184. The VDM11-induced suppression of capsaicin-evoked mechanical allodynia was blocked by AM251 (25 microg i.pl.) only, as observed with URB597. Thus, peripheral inhibition of enzymes hydrolyzing 2-AG and AEA suppresses capsaicin-evoked behavioral sensitization with distinct patterns of pharmacological specificity and in a non-overlapping and modality-specific manner. Modulation of endocannabinoids in the periphery suppressed capsaicin-evoked nocifensive behavior and thermal hyperalgesia through either CB(1) or CB(2) receptor mechanisms but suppressed capsaicin-evoked mechanical allodynia through CB(1) mechanisms only. Inhibition of endocannabinoid transport was more effective in suppressing capsaicin-induced sensitization compared to inhibition of either FAAH or MGL alone. These studies are the first to unveil the effects of pharmacologically increasing peripheral endocannabinoid levels on capsaicin-induced behavioral hypersensitivities. Our data suggest that 2-AG, the putative product of MGL inhibition, and AEA, the putative product of FAAH inhibition, differentially suppress capsaicin-induced nociception through peripheral cannabinoid mechanisms.

Spradley JM ，Guindon J ，Hohmann AG 《-》

Endocannabinoids decrease neuropathic pain-related behavior in mice through the activation of one or both peripheral CB₁ and CB₂ receptors.

The two most studied endocannabinoids are anandamide (AEA), principally catalyzed by fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), mainly hydrolyzed by monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL). Inhibitors targeting these two enzymes have been described, including URB597 and URB602, respectively. Several recent studies examining the contribution of CB₁ and/or CB₂ receptors on the peripheral antinociceptive effects of AEA, 2-AG, URB597 and URB602 in neuropathic pain conditions using either pharmacological tools or transgenic mice separately have been reported, but the exact mechanism is still uncertain. Mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia were evaluated in 436 male C57BL/6, cnr1KO and cnr2KO mice in the presence or absence of cannabinoid CB₁ (AM251) or CB₂ (AM630) receptor antagonists in a mouse model of neuropathic pain. Peripheral subcutaneous injections of AEA, 2-AG, WIN55,212-2 (WIN; a CB₁/CB₂ synthetic agonist), URB597 and URB602 significantly decreased mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. These effects were inhibited by both cannabinoid antagonists AM251 and AM630 for treatments with 2-AG, WIN and URB602 but only by AM251 for treatments with AEA and URB597 in C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, the antinociceptive effects for AEA and URB597 were observed in cnr2KO mice but absent in cnr1KO mice, whereas the effects of 2-AG, WIN and URB602 were altered in both of these transgenic mice. Complementary genetic and pharmacological approaches revealed that the anti-hyperalgesic effects of 2-AG and URB602 required both CB₁ and CB₂ receptors, but only CB₂ receptors mediated its anti-allodynic actions. The antinociceptive properties of AEA and URB597 were mediated only by CB₁ receptors.

Desroches J ，Charron S ，Bouchard JF ，Beaulieu P ... -  《-》