Approximately 25.8 million people, 8.3% of the population in the United States have diabetes mellitus (DM), which makes this disease one of the biggest public health problems facing this country. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by variable degrees of insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion, and increased glucose production. Currently, the insulin secretagogues known as sulfonylureas represent the major mainline drug class for long-term treatment. However, serious side effects, such as hypoglycemia and loss of potency with long-term use necessitate the development of novel insulin secretagogues. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have been reported to be involved in pancreatic insulin secretion. TRPA1 is a Ca2+-permeable nonselective cation channel. TRPA1 can be activated by molecules produced during oxidative glycolysis. TRPA1 may be an attractive candidate for drug development because of its involvement in the mechanism of insulin secretion. Previous studies have shown TRPA1 is expressed in rat pancreatic islets and that its activation promotes insulin release. This study was designed to determine if TRPA1 is expressed in mouse and human pancreatic β cells and whether it can promote insulin secretion. I demonstrated that TRPA1 is expressed in mouse and human pancreatic islets. I measured TRPA1-induced membrane currents using patch-clamp and used Ca2+ imaging to demonstrate that TRPA1 agonists induce Ca2+ influx in rat β cell-derived RINm5F cells. I confirmed that TRPA1 KO mice have no TRPA1 mRNA or protein in pancreatic β cells. I used isolated islet cells to demonstrate TRPA1-induced Ca2+ influx using Ca2+ imaging. By using pancreatic islets obtained from wild-type and TRPA1 KO mice, I determined that TRPA1 is important for insulin secretion. Finally, I determined that intraperitoneal administration of a TRPA1 agonist and antagonist affected blood glucose levels and plasma insulin levels in a manner consistent with the TRPA1 acting to increase insulin secretion. Furthermore, glucose tolerance was impaired in TRPA1 KO mice upon intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) challenge compared to wild-type mice. In summary, I have shown TRPA1 is expressed not only in rat pancreatic islets but also in mouse and human pancreatic islets. I confirmed the localization of TRPA1 in pancreatic β cells. All of the experimental results are consistent with the concept that TRPA1 acts as to increase the insulin-secreting capacity of pancreatic β cells. According to my data, TRPA1 may play a role in promoting insulin secretion in patients with T2DM. Therefore, pharmacological activation of TRPA1 may be a novel therapeutic method for the treatment of diabetes.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(薬学) / 甲第18214号 / 薬博第804号 / 新制||薬||237(附属図書館) / 31072 / 京都大学大学院薬学研究科生命薬科学専攻 / (主査)教授 金子 周司, 教授 髙倉 喜信, 教授 竹島 浩 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

Pain is a major personal and community burden throughout the world with currently limited treatment options for persistent pain due to unacceptable side effects, dependence or frank inefficacy. It is necessary to understand the anatomical and molecular pathways leading to pain to better cope with the current challenge of treating it.

No description available.

Ocotea puberula (Lauraceae) is a brazilian native tree, known in the South regions as canela guaicá or canela amarela. Its phytochemical composition includes several alkaloids of aporphinic type, some of them with biological activities already reported. Fruits collected in Curitiba, state of Paraná, were submitted to extraction and fractioning processes, allowing the isolation of an alkaloid identified as dicentrine, present as the majoritarian substance. In the present work we investigated the antinociceptive potential of the organic fractions obtained from O. puberula fruits extract and dicentrine (DCTN) isolated from the chloroform fraction (CF). Both CF and DCTN, given by oral route, were able to reduce the nociception induced by formalin and acetic acid with similar ID50, suggesting that the CF effect is due to the presence of DCTN. Hexanic (HF) or ethyl acetate (EAF) fractions had no antinociceptive effect. DCTN also presented antinociceptive effects in chronic models such as inflammatory (induced by intraplantar injection of Freund s complete adjuvant) and neuropathic (induced by partial sciatic nerve ligation), being able to reduce mechanical and cold hypersensitivity,with no changes in the response to heat. When evaluated against the thermo-receptors activation, DCTN administered either systemically (by oral route) or locally (by intraplantar route) reduced the nociception induced by cinnamaldehyde, a TRPA1 activator, but did not alter the response induced by capsaicin, a TRPV1 activator. The antinociceptive effect of DCTN was not affected by the pretreatment with antagonists of opioid, adrenergic or cannabinoid receptors, and neither by the pretreatment with an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis, suggesting that these descending mechanisms of pain control are not involved in the DCTN mechanism of action. On the other hand, DCTN was able to prevent the hypersensitivity induced by cAMP/PKA pathway activators, forskolin and PGE2, and it also reduced PKA activation, demonstrated by western blotting analysis, suggesting that DCTN may act by interaction with this signaling pathway. On the other hand, DCTN presented few or none action on the hypersensitivity induced by bradikinin or PMA, respectively, suggesting that the PLC/PKC pathway is not involved in DCTN antinociceptive action. Additionally, DCTN did not cause any sedative effect, neither alterations on motor activity or body temperature, and although daily treatment caused a slight increase in liver relative weight, alterations on AST, ALT or γ-GT levels were not observed. Together, these results demonstrate that DCTN has an important antinociceptive effect in acute and chronic models of pain, mainly of inflammatory origin, and its mechanism of action seems to involve an interaction with TRPA1 channels and the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway. In this way, DCTN may be considered a potential candidate to further pre-clinical and even clinical investigations for development of analgesic drugs. / A Ocotea puberula (Lauraceae) é uma árvore nativa brasileira, conhecida nos estados da região sul por canela guaicá ou canela amarela, cuja composição fitoquímica inclui diversos alcaloides do tipo aporfínicos, alguns dos quais com atividades biológicas já demonstradas. Frutos coletados na região de Curitiba, Paraná, foram submetidos a processos de extração e fracionamento, permitindo isolar um alcaloide identificado como dicentrina, presente como componente majoritário. Neste trabalho, foi investigado o potencial antinociceptivo das frações orgânicas obtidas a partir do extrato dos frutos de O. puberula e da dicentrina (DCTN) isolada da fração clorofórmica (FC). Tanto a FC quanto a DCTN, administradas por via oral, foram capazes de reduzir a nocicepção induzida pela formalina e pelo ácido acético, com DI50 semelhantes, sugerindo que o efeito de FC seja devido à presença da DCTN. As frações hexânica (FH) e acetato de etila (FAE), por sua vez, não apresentaram efeito antinociceptivo. A DCTN também apresentou efeito antinociceptivo em modelos crônicos, tanto inflamatório (injeção intraplantar de Adjuvante Completo de Freund) quanto neuropático (ligadura parcial do nervo ciático), sendo capaz de reduzir a hipersensibilidade mecânica e ao frio, porém sem alterar a resposta ao calor. Quando avaliada frente à ativação de termo-receptores, a DCTN administrada tanto por via sistêmica (via oral) quanto local (via intraplantar) reduziu a nocicepção induzida pelo cinamaldeído, um ativador de canais TRPA1, mas não alterou a resposta induzida pela capsaicina, um ativador de canais TRPV1. O efeito antinociceptivo da DCTN não foi revertido pelo pré-tratamento com antagonistas de receptores opióides, adrenérgicos ou canabinóides e nem pelo prétratamento com um inibidor da síntese de serotonina, sugerindo que estes sistemas descendentes de controle da dor não estão envolvidos no mecanismo de ação da DCTN. Por outro lado, a DCTN foi capaz de prevenir a hipersensibilidade induzida pelos ativadores da via AMPc/PKA, forscolina e PGE2, e também foi capaz de reduzir a ativação da PKA, demonstrada por análise de western blotting, sugerindo que a DCTN possa agir por interação com essa via de sinalização. Por outro lado, a DCTN apresentou pouca ou nenhuma ação frente à hipersensibilidade mecânica induzida pela bradicinina ou pelo PMA, respectivamente, o que sugere que a via PLC/PKC não está envolvida no seu efeito antinociceptivo. A DCTN não causou efeitos sedativos, alteração motora ou alteração na temperatura corporal dos animais e, embora o tratamento diário durante 14 dias tenha aumentado o peso relativo do fígado, não foram observadas alterações nos níveis sanguíneos de AST, ALT ou γ-GT. Coletivamente, os dados deste trabalho demonstram que a DCTN apresenta um importante efeito antinociceptivo em modelos de dor agudos e crônicos, principalmente de cunho inflamatório, e seu mecanismo de ação parece envolver interação com canais TRPA1 e com a via de sinalização AMPc/PKA. Desta forma, a DCTN constitui-se como uma potencial candidata para a continuidade de estudos pré-clínicos aprofundados, e futuramente clínicos, visando o desenvolvimento de fármacos analgésicos.

Detection of painful stimuli in the periphery is mediated by temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels which are expressed in primary afferent endings of free sensory neurons called nociceptors. TRP channels in nociceptors are involved in the detection of thermal, but also mechanical and chemical stimuli. Out of seven known types of temperature-sensitive TRP channels, three are responsible for detecting painful temperatures: vanilloid receptors TRPV1 (> 42 o C) and TRPV2 (> 52 o C) detect noxious heat, and ankyrin receptor TRPA1 detects noxious cold (< 17 o C). Better knowledge of TRP channel mechanisms of action is essential for understanding TRP channel functions and ultimately for the design of potential analgesics. New findings presented in this thesis clarify mechanisms of action of TRPV1 and TRPA1 receptors, focusing on camphor and voltage sensitivity of TRPV1 channels and calcium modulation of TRPA1 channels. The first topic discussed in this thesis is the mechanism of camphor sensitivity of TRPV1 receptor. Camphor is a naturally occurring substance known since time immemorial for its effective analgesic properties, yet its mechanism of action is not understood. Camphor is known to be a partial agonist of TRPV1 channel, a full agonist of TRPV3 channel, but also an inhibitor of...

Mechanotransduction is fundamental to many sensory processes, including balance, hearing and motor co-ordination. However, for such an essential feature, the mechanism(s) that underlie it are poorly understood. The mechanotransducing stretch receptors that relay information on the tonicity and length of skeletal muscles have been well-defined, particularly at the gross anatomical level, in a wide variety of species, encompassing both vertebrates and invertebrates. To date, there exists a wealth of data describing them, anatomically, as well as good electrophysiological data from stretch receptors of some larger organisms. However, comparatively few studies have succeeded in identifying putative mechanotransducing molecules in such systems. Nonetheless, this class of sensory mechanotransducers perhaps offer the best means of identifying molecules that permit the stretch-sensitivity of such endings, revealing new information about the underlying mechanisms of stretch receptors, and mechanoreceptors more generally. However, a different approach is clearly needed; a theoretical approach, utilising mathematical modelling, offers a powerful means of pooling the current wealth of knowledge on the reported electrophysiological behaviour of muscle stretch receptors. This study, therefore, develops an extended theoretical model of a stretch receptor system in order to reproduce, in silico, the reported behaviour of both vertebrate and invertebrate stretch receptors, within the same modelling environment, thus enabling the first quantitative framework for comparing these data, and moreover, making predictions of the likely roles of specific molecular entities within a stretch receptor system. Subsequently, this study utilises a model in vivo system to test these theoretical predictions. The genetic toolbox of D. melanogaster offers a wide range of tools that are extremely suitable for identifying mechanotransducing molecules in stretch receptors. However, very little is currently known about such endings in this organism. This study, therefore, firstly characterises a putative stretch receptor organ in larval Drosophila, the dbd neuron, via a novel experimental approach. It is shown that this neuron exhibits known properties of stretch receptors, as previously observed in other, similar organs. Furthermore, these observations bear out the predictions of the mathematical model. Having defined the dbd neuron as a muscle stretch receptor, pharmacological and genetic assays in this system, combined with predictions from the mathematical model, identify a key role for the recently-discovered DmPiezo protein as an amiloride-sensitive, mechanically-gated sodium channel (MNaC) in dbd neurons, with TRPA1 also acting in this system in a supporting role. These data confirm the essential role of an MNaC in mechanosensory systems, but also supply important evidence that, whilst the electrophysiological mechanisms in stretch receptors are remarkably similar across taxa, different species likely employ various molecular mechanisms to achieve this.

Acute inhalation of airborne pollutants alters cardiovascular function and has been shown to have its greatest affects on individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. Evidence suggests that pollutant-induced activation of airway sensory nerves via the gating of ion channels is critical to these systemic responses. Here, we have investigated the cardiovascular responses evoked by inhalation of AITC (TRPA1 agonist) and capsaicin (TRPV1 agonist) in healthy Sprague Dawley (SD) and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, and cardiovascular diseased Spontaneously Hypertensive (SH) rats. Inhalation of the agonists by healthy SD and WKY rats caused significant bradycardia, atrio-ventricular (AV) block and prolonged PR-Intervals. Inhalation of TRP agonists caused differential cardiovascular responses in the cardiovascular diseased SH rats, such that the TRP agonists evoked brady-tachy with AV block and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). Bradycardic responses to AITC were inhibited by the TRP channel blocker ruthenium red and the muscarinic antagonist atropine, but atropine did not prevent the tachycardic responses seen in the SH rats. Adrenergic inhibition with atenolol prevented the tachycardic responses, but did not prevent the bradycardic responses evoked by AITC in the SH rats. In healthy rats, AITC inhalation also caused a biphasic blood pressure response: a brief hypertensive phase followed by a hypotensive phase, while evoking hypertension in the SH rats. Atropine accentuated the hypertensive phase in all animals, while preventing the hypotension in the healthy animals. In all animals, AITC-evoked heart rate responses were not abolished by terazosin, the [U+F061]1 adrenoceptor inhibitor, which prevented the hypertensive responses. Anesthetics had profound effects on AITC-evoked bradycardia and AV block, which was abolished by urethane, ketamine and isoflurane. Nevertheless, AITC inhalation caused bradycardia and AV block in paralyzed and ventilated rats following pre-collicular decerebration. In conclusion, we provide evidence that activation of TRP channels expressed on nociceptive airway sensory nerves causes significant cardiovascular effects in healthy rats via reflex modulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and that these effects are exacerbated in cardiovascular diseased rats.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18233号 / 工博第3825号 / 新制||工||1586(附属図書館) / 31091 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科合成・生物化学専攻 / (主査)教授 森 泰生, 教授 濵地 格, 教授 梅田 眞郷 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, copyright ©American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5b10162. / 京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第19611号 / 医博第4118号 / 新制||医||1015(附属図書館) / 32647 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 齊藤 博英, 教授 渡邊 直樹, 教授 松原 和夫 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM