TY - JOUR
T1 - A plant-derived cocaine hydrolase prevents cocaine overdose lethality and attenuates cocaine-induced drug seeking behavior
AU - Larrimore, Katherine E.
AU - Kannan, Latha
AU - Kendle, R. Player
AU - Jamal, Tameem
AU - Barcus, Matthew
AU - Stefanko, Kathryn
AU - Kilbourne, Jacquelyn
AU - Brimijoin, Stephen
AU - Zhan, Chang Guo
AU - Neisewander, Janet
AU - Mor, Tsafrir S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2020/8/30
Y1 - 2020/8/30
N2 - Cocaine use disorders include short-term and acute pathologies (e.g. overdose) and long-term and chronic disorders (e.g. intractable addiction and post-abstinence relapse). There is currently no available treatment that can effectively reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cocaine overdose or that can effectively prevent relapse in recovering addicts. One recently developed approach to treat these problems is the use of enzymes that rapidly break down the active cocaine molecule into inactive metabolites. In particular, rational design and site-directed mutagenesis transformed human serum recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) into a highly efficient cocaine hydrolase with drastically improved catalytic efficiency toward (−)-cocaine. A current drawback preventing the clinical application of this promising enzyme-based therapy is the lack of a cost-effective production strategy that is also flexible enough to rapidly scale-up in response to continuous improvements in enzyme design. Plant-based expression systems provide a unique solution as this platform is designed for fast scalability, low cost and the advantage of performing eukaryotic protein modifications such as glycosylation. A Plant-derived form of the Cocaine Super Hydrolase (A199S/F227A/S287G/A328W/Y332G) we designate PCocSH protects mice from cocaine overdose, counters the lethal effects of acute cocaine overdose, and prevents reinstatement of extinguished drug-seeking behavior in mice that underwent place conditioning with cocaine. These results demonstrate that the novel PCocSH enzyme may well serve as an effective therapeutic for cocaine use disorders in a clinical setting.
AB - Cocaine use disorders include short-term and acute pathologies (e.g. overdose) and long-term and chronic disorders (e.g. intractable addiction and post-abstinence relapse). There is currently no available treatment that can effectively reduce morbidity and mortality associated with cocaine overdose or that can effectively prevent relapse in recovering addicts. One recently developed approach to treat these problems is the use of enzymes that rapidly break down the active cocaine molecule into inactive metabolites. In particular, rational design and site-directed mutagenesis transformed human serum recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) into a highly efficient cocaine hydrolase with drastically improved catalytic efficiency toward (−)-cocaine. A current drawback preventing the clinical application of this promising enzyme-based therapy is the lack of a cost-effective production strategy that is also flexible enough to rapidly scale-up in response to continuous improvements in enzyme design. Plant-based expression systems provide a unique solution as this platform is designed for fast scalability, low cost and the advantage of performing eukaryotic protein modifications such as glycosylation. A Plant-derived form of the Cocaine Super Hydrolase (A199S/F227A/S287G/A328W/Y332G) we designate PCocSH protects mice from cocaine overdose, counters the lethal effects of acute cocaine overdose, and prevents reinstatement of extinguished drug-seeking behavior in mice that underwent place conditioning with cocaine. These results demonstrate that the novel PCocSH enzyme may well serve as an effective therapeutic for cocaine use disorders in a clinical setting.
KW - Butyrylcholinesterase
KW - Cocaine addiction
KW - Cocaine hydrolase
KW - Cocaine overdose
KW - Plant biotechnology
KW - Plant-derived biologics
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U2 - 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109961
DO - 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109961
M3 - Article
C2 - 32387315
AN - SCOPUS:85084501581
SN - 0278-5846
VL - 102
JO - Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
JF - Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
M1 - 109961
ER -