Development of a Highly Potent Analogue and a Long-Acting Analogue of Oxytocin for the Treatment of Social Impairment-Like Behaviors

J Med Chem. 2019 Apr 11;62(7):3297-3310. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01691. Epub 2019 Apr 2.

Abstract

The nonapeptide hormone oxytocin (OT) has pivotal brain roles in social recognition and interaction and is thus a promising therapeutic drug for social deficits. Because of its peptide structure, however, OT is rapidly eliminated from the bloodstream, which decreases its potential therapeutic effects in the brain. We found that newly synthesized OT analogues in which the Pro7 of OT was replaced with N-( p-fluorobenzyl)glycine (2) or N-(3-hydroxypropyl)glycine (5) exhibited highly potent binding affinities for OT receptors and Ca2+ mobilization effects by selectively activating OT receptors over vasopressin receptors in HEK cells, where 2 was identified as a superagonist ( EMax = 131%) for OT receptors. Furthermore, the two OT analogues had a remarkably long-acting effect, up to 16-24 h, on recovery from impaired social behaviors in two strains of CD38 knockout mice that exhibit autism spectrum disorder-like social behavioral deficits, whereas the effect of OT itself rapidly diminished.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1 / genetics
  • Animals
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder / drug therapy*
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder / metabolism
  • Behavior, Animal
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / genetics
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Oxytocin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Oxytocin / pharmacokinetics
  • Oxytocin / pharmacology
  • Receptors, Oxytocin / agonists
  • Social Behavior*

Substances

  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Receptors, Oxytocin
  • Oxytocin
  • Cd38 protein, mouse
  • ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1
  • Calcium