ABSTRACTMorphine is widely used to manage pain in patients, although the risk of side effects is significant. The use of biased agonists to the G protein of μ-opioid receptors has been suggested as a potential solution, although Oliceridine and PZM21 have previously failed to demonstrate benefits in clinical studies. An amplification-induced confusion in the process of comparing G protein and beta-arrestin pathways may account for previous biased agonist mis-identification. Here, we have devised a strategy to discover biased agonists with intrinsic efficacy. We computationally simulated 430,000 molecular dockings to the μ-opioid receptor to construct a compound library. Hits were then verified by experiment. Using the verified compounds, we performed simulations to build a second library with a common scaffold, and selected compounds which show biased features to μ and δ-opioid receptors through a cell-based assay. Three compounds (ID110460001, ID110460002, and ID110460003) with a dual biased agonistic effect for μ and δ-opioid receptors were identified. These candidates are full agonists for the μ-opioid receptor, and they show specific binding modes. Based on our findings, we expect our novel compound to act as a biased agonist than conventional drugs such as Oliceridine.
Evaluation of Agonistic Activity of Fluorinated and Nonfluorinated Fentanyl Analogs on μ-Opioid Receptor Using a Cell-Based Assay System