2024-07-17 09:15:55
Light can be used to activate drugs in specific areas of the body using photopharmacology. This innovative method involves changing the chemical structure of a drug by adding a light-active molecular modifier, such as azobenzene. In this way, the drug can be activated only when exposed to a specific color of light, not in the dark.
Based on these principles, a research group led by the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has developed photosynthetic derivatives of carbamazepine, an antiepileptic drug widely used in medicine, to combat some types of neuropathic pain, such as trigeminal nerve neuralgia.
These compounds, which have an analgesic effect after being activated with light, have the ability to block nerve signals locally and on demand. The compounds synthesized by the researchers are activated at long wavelengths that allow them to pass through muscle and bone.
The two compounds that have been synthesized, carbazopine-1 and carbadiazocine, show photopharmacological activity, giving light to restore the function of hippocampal neurons and the condition of zebrafish larvae.
These in vivo experiments allow us to observe anxiety-related behaviors, which appear in sudden swimming movements. As Luisa Camerin, IBEC researcher and first author of the study, explains: “When we shine light on the larvae that have been exposed to these compounds with a specific wavelength, the drug works and the larvae moving quickly. By changing the length, its movement is reduced again, showing the restorative effect of the composition on the nervous system.”
Zebrafish larvae have been used in research experiments. (Photo: IBEC)
In addition, carbadiazocin has also shown analgesic properties: “We have observed, in rat models developed in the laboratory of Esther Berrocoso at the University of Cádiz, that carbadiazocin has an analgesic effect against neuropathic pain without anesthetic symptoms, sedation or poisoning. These results allow us to demonstrate a simple and reliable treatment with non-invasive light,” explains Pau Gorostiza, ICREA research professor, principal investigator at IBEC and member of the Networked Biomedical Research Center for Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBERBBN) in Spain.
Neuropathic pain is caused by injuries or diseases of the somatosensory system, such as lumbar radiculopathy (“sciatica”), diabetic neuropathy, and chronic pain. Treatment of this type of pain often requires opioids, pain relievers that are more powerful than common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen. However, its use is controversial due to its uneven effectiveness, the need for high doses that can cause tolerance and addiction, and systemic side effects such as constipation, nausea, dizziness, and drowsiness.
In this field, light-based treatments are gaining importance in medicine because of their ability to target specific areas of the body, increasing the effectiveness of treatment and reducing the side effects of systemic drugs.
The team is already working on the next step planned for this project, which is to activate drugs using infrared band light that penetrates deep into tissues, and use portable infrared light sources such as lasers or electroluminescent diodes (LEDs).
This research is part of the PHOTOTHERAPORT project, managed by the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia (IBEC).
The study is titled “Photoswitchable Carbamazepine Analogs for In Vivo Neuroinvasive Neuroinhibition.” And it was published in the academic journal Angewandte Chemie. (Source: IBEC)
#Fireactivated #drugs #treat #neuropathic #pain