f-13640 and Dyskinesia--Drug-Induced

Long-term treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) with l-DOPA typically leads to development of l-DOPA induced dyskinesia (LID). Amantadine, an NMDA antagonist, attenuates LID, but with limited efficacy and considerable side-effects. NLX-112 (also known as befiradol or F13640), a highly selective and efficacious 5-HT. The effects of NLX-112 (0.03, 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg PO) on established LID evoked by acute challenge with l-DOPA (27.5 ± 3.8 mg/kg PO) were assessed in MPTP-treated cynomolgus macaques. Amantadine (10 mg/kg PO) was tested as a positive control. Plasma exposure of NLX-112 (0.1 mg/kg PO) was determined.. NLX-112 significantly and dose-dependently reduced median LID levels by up to 96% during the first hour post-administration (0.3 mg/kg). Moreover, NLX-112 reduced the duration of 'bad on-time' associated with disabling LID by up to 48% (0.3 mg/kg). In contrast, NLX-112 had negligible impact on the anti-parkinsonian benefit of l-DOPA. NLX-112 exposure peaked at ~50 ng/ml at 30 min post-administration but decreased to ~15 ng/ml at 2h. Amantadine reduced by 42% 'bad on-time' associated with l-DOPA, thereby validating the model.. These data show that, in MPTP-lesioned cynomolgus macaques, NLX-112 exerts robust anti-dyskinetic effects, without reducing the anti-parkinsonian benefit of l-DOPA. These observations complement previous findings and suggest that selective and high efficacy activation of 5-HT

Topics: Amantadine; Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine Agents; Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced; Female; Levodopa; Macaca fascicularis; Parkinsonian Disorders; Piperidines; Pyridines; Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists

Although l-DOPA alleviates the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), it elicits troublesome l-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in a majority of PD patients after prolonged treatment. This is likely due to conversion of l-DOPA to dopamine as a 'false neurotransmitter' from serotoninergic neurons. The highly selective and efficacious 5-HT1A receptor agonist, NLX-112 (befiradol or F13640) shows potent activity in a rat model of LID (suppression of Abnormal Involuntary Movements, AIMs) but its anti-AIMs effects have not previously been investigated following repeated administration. Acute administration of NLX-112 (0.04 and 0.16 mg/kg i.p.) reversed l-DOPA (6 mg/kg)-induced AIMs in hemiparkinsonian rats with established dyskinesia. The activity of NLX-112 was maintained following repeated daily i.p. administration over 14 days and was accompanied by pronounced decrease of striatal 5-HT extracellular levels, as measured by in vivo microdialysis, indicative of the inhibition of serotonergic activity. A concurrent blunting of l-DOPA-induced surge in dopamine levels on the lesioned side of the brain was observed upon NLX-112 administration and these neurochemical responses were also seen after 14 days of treatment. NLX-112 also suppressed the expression of AIMs in rats that were being primed for dyskinesia by repeated l-DOPA administration. However, when treatment of these rats with NLX-112 was stopped, l-DOPA then induced AIMs with scores that resembled those of control rats. The present study shows that the potent anti-AIMs activity of NLX-112 is maintained upon repeated administration and supports the ongoing clinical development of NLX-112 as a novel antidyskinetic agent for PD patients receiving l-DOPA treatment.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Dyskinesia Agents; Corpus Striatum; Cross-Over Studies; Dopamine; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Glutamic Acid; Levodopa; Male; Microdialysis; Oxidopamine; Parkinsonian Disorders; Piperidines; Pyridines; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A; Serotonin; Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists

L-DOPA is the gold-standard treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), but induces troublesome dyskinesia after prolonged treatment. This is associated with the 'false neurotransmitter' conversion of L-DOPA to dopamine by serotonin neurons projecting from the raphe to the dorsal striatum. Reducing their activity by targeting pre-synaptic 5-HT1A receptors should thus be an attractive therapeutic strategy, but previous 5-HT1A agonists have yielded disappointing results. Here, we describe the activity of a novel, highly selective and potent 5-HT1A agonist, NLX-112 (also known as befiradol or F13640) in rat models relevant to PD and its associated affective disorders. NLX-112 (0.16 mg/kg, i.p.) potently and completely reversed haloperidol-induced catalepsy in intact rats and abolished L-DOPA-induced Abnormal Involuntary Movements (AIMs) in hemiparkinsonian rats, an effect that was reversed by the selective 5-HT1A antagonist, WAY100635. In microdialysis experiments, NLX-112 profoundly decreased striatal 5-HT extracellular levels, indicative of inhibition of serotonergic function. NLX-112 also blunted the L-DOPA-induced surge in dopamine levels on the lesioned side of the brain, an action that likely underlies its anti-dyskinetic effects. NLX-112 (0.16 mg/kg, i.p.) robustly induced rotations in hemiparkinsonian rats, suggesting that it has a motor facilitatory effect. Rotations were abolished by WAY100635 and were ipsilateral to the lesioned side, suggesting a predominant stimulation of the dopamine system on the non-lesioned side of the brain. NLX-112 also efficaciously reduced immobility time in the forced swim test (75% reduction at 0.16 mg/kg, i.p.) and eliminated stress-induced ultrasonic vocalization at 0.08 mg/kg, i.p., effects consistent with potential antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like properties. In other tests, NLX-112 (0.01-0.16 mg/kg, i.p.) did not impair the ability of L-DOPA to rescue forepaw akinesia in the cylinder test but decreased rotarod performance, probably due to induction of flat body posture and forepaw treading which are typical of 5-HT1A agonists upon acute administration. However, upon repeated administration of NLX-112 (0.63 mg/kg, i.p., twice a day), flat body posture and forepaw treading subsided within 4 days of treatment. Taken together, these observations suggest that NLX-112 could exhibit a novel therapeutic profile, combining robust anti-dyskinetic properties without impairing the therapeutic properties of L-DOPA, and with add

Topics: Adrenergic Agents; Animals; Antiparkinson Agents; Brain; Catalepsy; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Interactions; Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced; Female; Haloperidol; Levodopa; Movement; Neurotransmitter Agents; Oxidopamine; Piperidines; Psychomotor Performance; Pyridines; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists; Serotonin Syndrome; Swimming; Vocalization, Animal