A novel GABAB receptor positive allosteric modulator, ASP8062, exerts analgesic effects in a rat model of fibromyalgia.

Abstract

The gamma-aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptor agonist, the sodium salt of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), significantly improved pain, sleep disturbance and fatigue in fibromyalgia (FM) patients. However, the use of GABAB receptor agonists is limited by their undesirable side-effects. To clarify whether GABAB receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM) approach would achieve analgesia with less side-effects than GABAB receptor agonist in FM, we investigated the potential of a novel GABAB receptor PAM, ASP8062, for FM treatment. We examined the in vitro profiles of ASP8062, the effects of a GABAB receptor PAM and an agonist on pain in a rat model of FM, and the sleep/wake cycle, EEG during sleep stages and motor coordination in rats. ASP8062 showed PAM activity on human and rat GABAB receptors. Oral administration of ASP8062 significantly reversed the decrease in muscle pressure threshold in reserpine-induced myalgia rats. The analgesic effects of ASP8062 were significantly blocked by a GABAB receptor antagonist. ASP8062 had a significant effect on motor coordination at a 1000-fold higher dose than the analgesic dose in rats. ASP8062 significantly decreased total REM sleep time and frequency of sleep interruptions, and increased the power in delta waves frequency during non-REM sleep in rats. ASP8062, a novel GABAB receptor PAM, has therapeutic potential to exert analgesic effects with less side-effects compared to GABAB receptor agonists in patients with FM.

• Authors: Nobuhito Murai, Yuji Kondo, Shinobu Akuzawa, Takuma Mihara, Nobuyuki Shiraishi, Shuichiro Kakimoto, Mitsuyuki Matsumoto
• Journal: European journal of pharmacology (Eur J Pharmacol) Vol. 865 Pg. 172750 (Dec 15 2019) ISSN: 1879-0712 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 31647906 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• ASP8062
• Analgesics
• Morpholines
• Pyrimidines
• Receptors, GABA-B
• gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
• Reserpine
• Calcium

Topics

• Allosteric Regulation
• Analgesics (therapeutic use)
• Animals
• Calcium (metabolism)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Electroencephalography (drug effects)
• Fibromyalgia (chemically induced, drug therapy)
• HEK293 Cells
• Humans
• Male
• Morpholines (therapeutic use)
• Muscle, Skeletal (drug effects, physiology)
• Myalgia (chemically induced, drug therapy)
• Pyrimidines (therapeutic use)
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Receptors, GABA-B (metabolism)
• Reserpine
• Sleep (drug effects, physiology)
• gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (pharmacology)