Conformational Plasticity Enhances the Brain Penetration of a Metabolically Stable, Dual-Functional Opioid-Peptide CycloAnt

CycloAnt is an opioid peptide that produces potent and efficacious antinociception with significantly reduced side effects upon systemic administration in mice. To verify its CNS-mediated antinociception, we determined its binding affinity at the opioid receptors, its proteolytic stability in mouse serum, metabolic stability in mouse liver microsomes, and pharmacokinetics in mice. CycloAnt exhibited stability toward proteolytic degradation in serum and resistance against metabolism mediated by cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450s) and UDP-glucuronosyl transferases (UGTs) in mouse liver microsomes. A pharmacokinetic study of CycloAnt in mice confirmed that CycloAnt crossed the blood-brain barrier (BBB) with a brain-to-plasma ratio of 11.5%, a high extent of BBB transport for a peptide. To elucidate the structural basis underlying its BBB penetration, we investigated its conformation in water and DMSO using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The results show that CycloAnt displays an extended conformation in water with most amide NHs being exposed, while in less polar DMSO, it adopts a compact conformation with all amide NHs locked in intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The chameleonic property helps CycloAnt permeate the BBB.