Discovery of a G Protein-Biased Radioligand for the Histamine H2 Receptor with Reversible Binding Properties

J Med Chem. 2020 Nov 12;63(21):13090-13102. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01494. Epub 2020 Oct 27.

Abstract

Currently employed histamine H2 receptor (H2R) radioligands possess several drawbacks, for example, high non-specificity, insurmountable binding, or short half-life. We report the synthesis and the chemical and pharmacological characterization of the highly stable carbamoylguanidine-type radioligand [3H]UR-KAT479 ([3H]23), a subtype selective histamine H2 receptor G protein-biased agonist. [3H]23 was characterized by saturation, kinetic, and competition binding assays at the human, guinea pig, and mouse H2 receptors (co-)expressed in HEK293(T) cells. [3H]23 reversibly bound to the respective H2Rs with moderate to high affinity (human/guinea pig/mouse Kd: 24/28/94 nM). In order to investigate the applicability of carbamoylguanidine-type ligands in animal studies elucidating the role of the H2R in the brain, we performed a preliminary partitioning experiment in the whole human/mouse blood, which indicated a low binding of [3H]23 to red blood cells. These properties turn [3H]23 into a powerful tool for the determination of binding affinities and demonstrate the promising pharmacokinetic profile of carbamoylguanidine-type ligands.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Erythrocytes / cytology
  • Erythrocytes / metabolism
  • Guinea Pigs
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Histamine Agonists / chemistry*
  • Histamine Agonists / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Isotope Labeling
  • Kinetics
  • Ligands*
  • Mice
  • Protein Binding
  • Receptors, Histamine H2 / chemistry
  • Receptors, Histamine H2 / genetics
  • Receptors, Histamine H2 / metabolism*
  • Thermodynamics
  • Tritium / chemistry

Substances

  • Histamine Agonists
  • Ligands
  • Receptors, Histamine H2
  • Tritium