Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are frontline treatments for serious mental illness. Often, individual patients benefit only from some SGAs and not others. The mechanisms underlying this unpredictability in treatment efficacy remain unclear. All SGAs bind the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) and are traditionally considered antagonists for dopamine receptor signaling.
Here, we used a combination of two-photon calcium imaging, in vitro signaling assays, and mouse behavior to assess signaling by SGAs at D3R.
We report that some clinically important SGAs function as arrestin-3 agonists at D3R, resulting in modulation of calcium channels localized to the site of action potential initiation in prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons. We further show that chronic treatment with an arrestin-3 agonist SGA, but not an antagonist SGA, abolishes D3R function through postendocytic receptor degradation by GASP1 (G protein-coupled receptor-associated sorting protein-1).
These results implicate D3R-arrestin-3 signaling as a source of SGA variability, highlighting the importance of including arrestin-3 signaling in characterizations of drug action. Furthermore, they suggest that postendocytic receptor trafficking that occurs during chronic SGA treatment may contribute to treatment efficacy.

Structural modifications of the neuronal calcium channel blocker MONIRO-1, including constraining the phenoxyaniline portion of the molecule and replacing the guanidinium functionality with tertiary amines, led to compounds with significantly improved affinities for the endogenously expressed CaV2.2 channel in the SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line. These analogues also showed promising activity towards the CaV3.2 channel, recombinantly expressed in HEK293T cells. Both of these ion channels have received attention as likely targets for the treatment of neuropathic pain. The dibenzoazepine and dihydrobenzodiazepine derivatives prepared in this study show an encouraging combination of neuronal calcium ion channel inhibitory potency, plasma stability and potential to cross the blood-brain-barrier.

T-type calcium (Ca2+) channels play important physiological functions in excitable cells including cardiomyocyte. Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) has recently been reported to modulate various ion channels\' function. However the actions of PIP2 on the T-type Ca2+ channel remain unclear. To elucidate possible effects of PIP2 on the T-type Ca2+ channel, we applied patch clamp method to investigate recombinant CaV3.1- and CaV3.2-T-type Ca2+ channels expressed in mammalian cell lines with PIP2 in acute- and long-term potentiation. Short- and long-term potentiation of PIP2 shifted the activation and the steady-state inactivation curve toward the hyperpolarization direction of CaV3.1-ICa.T without affecting the maximum inward current density. Short- and long-term potentiation of PIP2 also shifted the activation curve toward the hyperpolarization direction of CaV3.2-ICa.T without affecting the maximum inward current density. Conversely, long-term but not short-term potentiation of PIP2 shifted the steady-state inactivation curve toward the hyperpolarization direction of CaV3.2-ICa.T. Long-term but not short-term potentiation of PIP2 blunted the voltage-dependency of current decay CaV3.1-ICa.T. PIP2 modulates CaV3.1- and CaV3.2-ICa.T not by their current density but by their channel gating properties possibly through its membrane-delimited actions.

New dihydropyrimidines bearing various lipophilic pharmacophores and functionalities at position 3 were designed and synthesized. The basic framework of the new compounds was designed to maintain the main structural requirements for calcium channel blocking activity of the known dihydropyridines and dihydropyrimidines calcium channel blockers. The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated as antagonists for CaV1.2 and CaV3.2 using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Seven compounds (4b, 4c, 6c, 9, 13c, 13e and 17b) showed promising dual calcium channel blocking activity and three compounds (13b, 14b and 17a) were selective against Cav3.2. Their drug-likeness has been assessed using Molinspiration and Molsoft softwares. Their physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetic profiles recommend that they can be considered as drug-like candidates.

Both N- and T-type calcium ion channels have been implicated in pain transmission and the N-type channel is a well-validated target for the treatment of neuropathic pain. An SAR investigation of a series of substituted aminobenzothiazoles identified a subset of five compounds with comparable activity to the positive control Z160 in a FLIPR-based intracellular calcium response assay measuring potency at both CaV2.2 and CaV3.2 channels. These compounds may form the basis for the development of drug leads and tool compounds for assessing in vivo effects of variable modulation of CaV2.2 and CaV3.2 channels.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the main cause of deaths worldwide. Up-to-date, hypertension is the most significant contributing factor to CVDs. Recent clinical studies recommend calcium channel blockers (CCBs) as effective treatment alone or in combination with other medications. Being the most clinically useful CCBs, 1,4-dihydropyridines (DHPs) attracted great interest in improving potency and selectivity. However, the short plasma half-life which may be attributed to the metabolic oxidation to the pyridine-counterparts is considered as a major limitation for this class. Among the most efficient modifications of the DHP scaffold, is the introduction of biologically active N3-substituted dihydropyrimidine mimics (DHPMs). Again, some potent DHPMs showed only in vitro activity due to first pass effect through hydrolysis and removal of the N3-substitutions. Herein, the synthesis of new N3-substituted DHPMs with various functionalities linked to the DHPM core via two-carbon spacer to guard against possible metabolic inactivation is described. It was designed to keep close structural similarities to clinically efficient DHPs and the reported lead DHPMs analogues, while attempting to improve the pharmacokinetic properties through better metabolic stability. Applying whole batch clamp technique, five compounds showed promising L- and T- type calcium channel blocking activity and were identified as lead compounds. Structure requirements for selectivity against Cav1.2 as well against Cav3.2 are described.

The pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)-27 modulates various biological processes, from the cellular level to function specification. However, the cardiac actions of this neuropeptide are still under intense studies. Using control (+|+) and mice lacking (-|-) either R-type (Cav2.3) or T-type (Cav3.2) Ca2+ channels, we investigated the effects of PACAP-27 on cardiac activity of spontaneously beating isolated perfused hearts. Superfusion of PACAP-27 (20nM) caused a significant increase of baseline heart frequency in Cav2.3(+|+) (156.9±10.8 to 239.4±23.4 bpm; p<0.01) and Cav2.3(-|-) (190.3±26.4 to 270.5±25.8 bpm; p<0.05) hearts. For Cav3.2, the heart rate was significantly increased in Cav3.2(-|-) (133.1±8.5 bpm to 204.6±27.9 bpm; p<0.05) compared to Cav3.2(+|+) hearts (185.7±11.2 bpm to 209.3±22.7 bpm). While the P wave duration and QTc interval were significantly increased in Cav2.3(+|+) and Cav2.3(-|-) hearts following PACAP-27 superfusion, there was no effect in Cav3.2(+|+) and Cav3.2(-|-) hearts. The positive chronotropic effects observed in the four study groups, as well as the effect on P wave duration and QTc interval were abolished in the presence of Ni2+ (50μM) and PACAP-27 (20nM) in hearts from Cav2.3(+|+) and Cav2.3(-|-) mice. In addition to suppressing PACAP\'s response, Ni2+ also induced conduction disturbances in investigated hearts. In conclusion, the most Ni2+-sensitive Ca2+ channels (R- and T-type) may modulate the PACAP signaling cascade during cardiac excitation in isolated mouse hearts, albeit to a lesser extent than other Ni2+-sensitive targets.

OBJECTIVE: T-type channel (TCC) CaV3.2 plays a pivotal role in pain transmission. In this study, we examined the effects of intrathecal TCC blockers on CaV3.2 expression in a L5/6 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) pain model. The neurotoxicity of TCC blockers were also evaluated.
METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) were used for right L5/6 SNL to induce neuropathic pain. Intrathecal infusion of saline or TCC blockers [mibefradil (0.7 μg/h) or ethosuximide (60 μg/h)] was started after surgery for 7 days. Fluorescent immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to determine the expression pattern and protein level of CaV3.2. Hematoxylin-eosin and toluidine blue staining were used to evaluate the neurotoxicity of tested agents.
RESULTS: Seven days after SNL, CaV3.2 protein levels were upregulated in ipsi-lateral L5/6 spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in immunofluorescence and Western blotting studies. Compared with the saline-treated group, rats receiving mibefradil or ethosuximide showed significant lower CaV3.2 expression in the spinal cord and DRG. No obvious histopathologic change in hematoxylin-eosin and toluidine blue staining were observed in all tested groups.
CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we demonstrate that SNL-induced CaV3.2 upregulation in the spinal cord and DRG was attenuated by intrathecal infusion of mibefradil or ethosuximide. No obvious neurotoxicity effects were observed in all the tested groups. Our data suggest that continuous intrathecal infusion of TCC blockers may be considered as a promising alternative for the treatment of nerve injury-induced pain.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is considered the third gasotransmitter following nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) in the mammalian body including the brain, heart, blood vessels, liver, kidney, pancreas, lung, gastrointestinal tract and reproductive organs. H2S is formed endogenously from L-cysteine by multiple enzymes, such as cystathionine-γ-lyase, cystathionine-β-synthase and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase in combination with cysteine aminotransferase, and participates in a variety of biological events through a number of target molecules. Exogenous and/or endogenous H2S enhances the activity of T-type Ca(2+) channels in NG108-15 cells and isolated dorsal root ganglion neurons that abundantly express Cav3.2, and in Cav3.2-transfected HEK293 cells. Cav3.2 mediates not only the H2S-induced enhancement of pain signals in nociceptor neurons, but also neuronal differentiation characterized by neuritogenesis and functional upregulation of high voltage-activated Ca(2+) channels in NG108-15 cells. In this review, we focus on the functional modulation by H2S of primarily Cav3.2 T-type Ca(2+) channels and the molecular mechanisms underlying the H2S-induced neuronal differentiation.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a gasotransmitter, is formed from l-cysteine by multiple enzymes including cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE). We have shown that an H2S donor, NaHS, causes hyperalgesia in rodents, an effect inhibited by knockdown of Cav3.2 T-type Ca(2+) channels (T-channels), and that NaHS facilitates T-channel-dependent currents (T-currents) in NG108-15 cells that naturally express Cav3.2. In the present study, we asked if endogenous and exogenous H2S participates in regulation of the channel functions in Cav3.2-transfected HEK293 (Cav3.2-HEK293) cells. dl-Propargylglycine (PPG), a CSE inhibitor, significantly decreased T-currents in Cav3.2-HEK293 cells, but not in NG108-15 cells. NaHS at 1.5mM did not affect T-currents in Cav3.2-HEK293 cells, but enhanced T-currents in NG108-15 cells. In the presence of PPG, NaHS at 1.5mM, but not 0.1-0.3mM, increased T-currents in Cav3.2-HEK293 cells. Similarly, Na2S, another H2S donor, at 0.1-0.3mM significantly increased T-currents in the presence, but not absence, of PPG in Cav3.2-HEK293 cells. Expression of CSE was detected at protein and mRNA levels in HEK293 cells. Intraplantar administration of Na2S, like NaHS, caused mechanical hyperalgesia, an effect blocked by NNC 55-0396, a T-channel inhibitor. The in vivo potency of Na2S was higher than NaHS. These results suggest that the function of Cav3.2 T-channels is tonically enhanced by endogenous H2S synthesized by CSE in Cav3.2-HEK293 cells, and that exogenous H2S is capable of enhancing Cav3.2 function when endogenous H2S production by CSE is inhibited. In addition, Na2S is considered a more potent H2S donor than NaHS in vitro as well as in vivo.