Patent Application: US-49472790-A

Abstract:
beta carbolines are naturally occurring fluorescent analogues of several classes of neurotransmitters , namely indoles , indoleamines and catecholamines . the fluorescent properties of the beta carboline , harmaline , has been used to assess serotonin uptake systems by direct visualization . this method may provide a tool to examine the mode of action of new or existing serotonergic active compounds or the efficacy of a serotonergic active compound for individual patients in need thereof .

Description:
this invention generally relates to methods which utilize beta carbolines as vital stains or markers for neurotransmitter systems . tests of the present invention have determined that beta carbolines are selectively taken up and stored by functioning neurotransmitter systems . beta carbolines are strongly fluorescent compounds and , when excited by ultraviolet radiation , emit visible light . therefore , the selective accumulation of a beta carboline within a living tissues may be visualized . serotonin accumulation in retina has been localized via autoradiographic studies ( using 3 h - serotonin ) and found to be associated with photoreceptor terminals , particularly in the outer plexiform layer ( fig2 ). this specific uptake of 3 h - serotonin is sensitive to light conditions during incubation periods . after 20 minutes in darkness , no accumulation of isotope is appreciated ( redburn and churchill 1987 ). this uptake is also sodium and temperature dependent . by understanding some of the regulatory physiology of this system , one can better approach the fate of serotonin , and consequently the expectations of harmaline as a neurotransmitter analogue . one aspect of the present invention is directed to the use of beta carbolines as non - toxic vital stains or markers for intracellular pools of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in living mammalian tissue . a method includes the steps of : d . observing fluorescence from said irradiated cells , said fluorescence being indicative of neurotransmitter receptor or storage sites . areas of concentrated fluorescence correspond to neurotransmitter reservoirs . tests of the present invention have established that harmaline , an investigated beta carboline that expresses a preference for serotonergic receptor and uptake site , is accumulated measurably in retinal neurons as well as blood tissues including leukocytes and platelets . once a desired neurotransmitter system for analysis is chosen , the appropriate fluorescent beta carboline is also selected which will interact with this neurotransmitter system . antagonist ( s ) which will block undesired interactions are also chosen . an adequate amount of this blocking agent is added to the tissue prior to adding beta carboline and subsequent neurotransmitter evaluation . for this experiment , the beta carboline , harmaline was used . this beta carboline exhibits strong fluorescence and interacts with the serotonin neurotransmitter system . prior to the use of a beta carboline to analyze blood tissues , blood was collected , then leukocytes and platelets were gradient separated utilizing a hypaque / centrifugation technique . the leukocytes were then re - suspended in culture media ( phosphate buffered saline ( pbs ) with bovine serum albumin ) at a concentration of 1 × 10 6 cells / mm 3 . the cells and platelets may then be incubated with a solution containing antagonist ( s ) or blockers of undesired neurotransmitter interactions . with harmaline , there is some amount of cross reactivity with the alpha - 2 ( noradrenaline ) receptor . as the blood cells and platelets both have alpha - 2 receptors , the noradrenaline antagonist , yohimbine was chosen to block undesired reactivity with these sites . cells were incubated for 10 minutes with a 100 μm solution of yohimbine . the cells were then divided into numerous samples which were each exposed to increasing concentrations of harmaline ( 1 μm to 100 μm concentrations were used ) for a period of five minutes each . these cells were then treated with fixative to stop accumulation and / or release of harmaline and washed with pbs to clear any excess . the labelled cells were then analyzed using both spectrophotofluorometry and ultraviolet flow cytometry . with the flow cytometry - analyzed tissue an experiment to detect the presence of imipramine , the serotonin uptake system antagonist , was implemented . in spectrophotofluorometry ( spf ), a volume of labeled cells in suspension are analyzed together , the sum of their emitted fluorescence recorded using a spectrophotofluorometer and compared with other samples with the same concentration of cells . it is important with this technique to remove as much of the fluorescent beta carboline from the surrounding media ( via washing with centrifugation ) as possible before analyzing the cells . this method assumes that the fluorescence emitted from a sum of collected sources ( cells ) increases proportionally with an individual source . using this method , an ec 50 value ( concentration needed to obtain 50 % of effect ) of 3 . 0 × 10 - 5 m was obtained with harmaline . preliminary data suggests that this may be an effective method of measuring changes in accumulation of beta carboline in a population of leukocytes and platelets . harmaline , a beta carboline which exhibits a propensity for serotonergic sites was used in conjunction with human lymphocytes , reported to have serotonin receptors and uptake sites . a robust accumulation of the beta carboline was observed , particularly in the lymphocytes . upon measuring the fluorescence , it was found that this accumulation is a saturable , concentration - dependant phenomena . with flow cytometry , a sample of cells was treated prior to analysis , as above . fluorescence of individual cells was then analyzed sequentially as they passed through detection beams of light in a micro - stream of fluid . using this method , literally emissions of cells , or &# 34 ; events &# 34 ; were analyzed and statistically computed to elicit accuracy of analysis . in addition , as individual cells are analyzed , more subtle changes in fluorescence ligand - cell association can be appreciated . there are some procedures for measuring the actual number of binding sites on cells which combine flow cytometry with steady - state fluorescence ( steinkamp and kramer 1979 ) or radiometric assays ( titus et al . 1981 ), while others employ fluorescent calibration standards ( sklar et al . 1984 ). with this widely accepted and utilized device available in many hospitals , it is possible to more accurately quantify , and determine the rate of , accumulation of fluorescent ligand in various solutions of cells or platelets exposed to beta carboline for various amounts of time . in a preliminary investigation of the use of the flow - cytometer instrument with lymphocytes and platelets treated with a beta carboline , harmaline , positive results were obtained . harmaline preferentially localizes at serotonergic sites as demonstrated by blocking with serotonin and with imipramine , and was measurably found to accumulate on both lymphocytes and platelets . this accumulation was found to be concentration dependant and exhibited saturation at 75 - 100 μm concentrations of harmaline at 5 minutes . an ec 50 value of 2 . 5 × 10 - 5 m was obtained . in an experiment which only briefly incubated cells and platelets with imipramine ( 25 μm ), a tricyclic antidepressant and serotonin uptake inhibitor , the measured harmaline accumulation was less . the ultraviolet light flow - cytometer should prove to be a most valuable instrument in the analysis of beta carboline accumulation on patient blood cells and platelets , and thus in the measurement of their neurotransmitter systems . one step in the above method is obtaining a viable tissue sample comprising a functional neurotransmitter system . according to one preferred embodiment , the tissue sample is obtained by first removing a predetermined quantity of blood from an individual . the quantity of blood is subsequently processed to isolate the leukocytes or the platelets . it is the leukocytes or platelets which constitute the preferred tissue sample comprising the neurotransmitter system to be stained . neurons or brain tissue itself may also be a tissue sample compromising a functioning neurotransmitter system . according to this embodiment , a sample of nervous tissue is biopsied and placed in a sustaining medium . another step in the inventive method is adding a quantity of a beta carboline to the tissue sample . preferably , the beta carboline compound is added as an aqueous solution having to achieve a concentration of from about 2 . 5 × 10 - 6 to about 2 . 5 × 10 - 2 mg / ml ( 10 nm - 100 μm ). particular useful beta carbolines include but are not limited to harmine , tetrohydroharmane , norharman , tetrahydronorharman , norharmane , and harmaline , with harmaline being a particularly preferred beta carboline useful in the practice of the present invention . a further step in the present invention is fluorescent imaging of a tissue sample . when imaged the tissue sample is exposed to ultraviolet radiation having of a wavelength of from about 300 to about 500 nm ( one particular useful wavelength being 370 nm ). instruments which may be used to image the tissue sample include a fluorescent microscope , a transmission spectrophotometer , an ultraviolet spectrophotometer , a spectrophotofluorometer and a flow cytometer with ultraviolet wavelength capability . however , the most preferred instrument to image the tissue sample , particularly in a clinical setting , is the flow cytometer . it is believed that an area of concentrated fluorescence is indicative of intracellular pools , or reservoirs , of neurotransmitters . other modes of beta carboline labeling such as with a radioisotope , for example , may also be useful for the identification of neurotransmitter - related sites or alterations thereof . it is believed that the beta carbolines of the present invention co - localize with endogenous neurotransmitters in intracellular pools . thus , it is should be noted , that the most preferred beta carbolines of present invention are also non - toxic to cells and that their uptake and concentration is influenced by the same physiologic parameters as is the neurotransmitter of interest , e . g ., serotonin , gaba or dopamine . tests according to the present invention include : 1 ) the investigation of the serotonin neurotransmitter system utilizing harmaline , a beta carboline purported to interact with serotonin sites somewhat selectively , and 2 ) investigation of the noradrenaline system using the beta carboline tetrahydronorharman , a beta carboline which has shown potent antagonism of the adrenergic system as well as less potent interaction with serotonin sites . one test of the serotonin site ligand , harmaline , is in the neuronal tissue of the rat retina . this tissue is known to contain intracellular serotonin . the serotonergic neurotransmitter system in rat retinal neurons has been previously studied and sites of serotonin accumulation have been identified ( redburn and churchill 1987 ) primarily using radiolabelled 3 h - serotonin ( see fig2 ). according to one test of the invention , it was determined that harmaline accumulated in living rat retina tissue in a specific manner . fixed sections of rat retina treated with harmaline showed a band of fluorescence accumulated within the outer plexiform layer homologous to autoradiographs with 3 h - serotonin shown in fig2 . harmaline was found to accumulate initially in outer segments of photoreceptors . later , fluorescence was observed in the soma of photoreceptor cells with a bright band of fluorescence accumulating in the outer plexiform layers ( fig3 frame a ). the harmaline present in the opl begins to dissipate when the stained retina is exposed to sodium - free buffer ( see fig3 frame b ). exposure of the stained retina to darkness stimulates harmaline release from the opl ( see fig3 frame c ). further , quantitative evaluation of harmaline accumulation was achieved by measuring the amount of fluorescence given off by harmaline when excited with uv - radiation . a light meter was used to generate data . the light meter gathered light emissions from the eyepiece of an ultraviolet microscope . harmaline &# 39 ; s excitation spectrum is 350 - 390 nm with emission spectra greatest at 480 and 560 nm in the visible range producing a blue green light . tissue was placed under a microscope in a sealed perfusion chamber through which oxygenated ( 95 % o 2 - 5 % co 2 ) buffer flowed . upon administration of harmaline , data from the light meter was standardized to units of harmaline concentration ( using standard curves ). with this apparatus it was found that the outer retina accumulated harmaline at a concentration 3 fold greater than the surrounding perfusate ( perfusion concentration - 5 μm harmaline ) and 3 fold greater than control tissue ( non - viable tissue ). see fig4 . further , it was found that this accumulation was sodium dependent , energy dependent and led to accumulation three times greater inside than outside the cell . harmaline made photoreceptor cells fluoresce with greatest concentrations in the outer plexiform layer at the photoreceptor terminals , demonstrating that harmaline provides a vital stain or marker for serotonergic transmitter pools . the analysis of a noradrenaline system using the beta carboline tetrahydronorharman ( thn ) could be tested using the method described with blood cells and platelets . cells and platelets would be collected , then pre - treated with solutions to block sites of the serotonin system in order to limit interactions to that of the noradrenergic system . cells would be first incubated for 10 minutes with the serotonin uptake blocker , imipramine at 100 μm , following which serotonin itself was added to make a concentration of 100 μm for an additional 5 minute incubation . the cells and platelets thusly prepared would then be incubated with the beta carboline , thn , at concentrations of 10 nm to 100 μm . upon measurement of fluorescent accumulation , saturation would be observed at a thn concentration of approximately 10 μm ( 1 × 10 - 5 m ) with and ec 50 value of approximately 2 . 0 × 10 - 6 m for the cells and platelets together . these values were obtained via extrapolation from pertinent literature on thn and noradrenaline . as shown in fig5 the uptake of 3 h - serotonin by retina is competitively inhibited by harmaline as well as antagonized by imipramine , chlormipramine and amitryptaline . another aspect of the present invention is generally directed to a method for evaluating the functioning of a neurotransmitter system in mammals . the inventive method generally includes the steps of : a . adding a quantity of a beta carboline to a mammalian tissue sample with a functioning neurotransmitter system , said beta carboline accumulating in the functioning neurotransmitter system of said sample ; and b . fluorescently imaging the sample , wherein areas of concentrated fluorescence correspond to reservoirs of beta carboline accumulated by the functioning neurotransmitter system . tests of the present invention have determined that both the rate and quantity of the beta carboline taken up into the neurotransmitter system are indicative of the functioning of this transport system . the rate of velocity of a reaction , ( here , the rate of uptake of the beta carboline ), may be obtained by measuring the reaction ( the accumulation of the beta carboline ) at various time intervals of exposure to various concentrations of substrate . these measurements may be used to construct a graph of effect ( beta carboline accumulation ) over time . the vmax ( maximum velocity ) of such a reaction may be determined and is related to the activity of that process according to the fundamentals of michaelis - menton enzyme analysis . in support of the hypothesis that beta carboline accumulation is mediated by active , living mechanisms rather than passive , non - specific attachment , a number of experiments were performed . active transport of neurotransmitters across the membrane of cells is an energy and sodium dependent phenomena . tests of the accumulation of beta carboline found it to indeed be both energy and sodium dependent . according to one test of the present inventive method , it was determined that incubating the tissue in sodium - free or cold buffer drastically changed the uptake of beta carboline by the uptake sites of the neurotransmitter system as is characteristic of amine membrane transport systems . according to one preferred embodiment , the beta carboline is used to determine the functioning of a neurotransmitter system in human tissue . it is believed that this method will be useful in clinically evaluating the psychopharmaceutical needs of a patient in need thereof . according to the invention method , the rate and quantity of beta carboline accumulated in a neurotransmitter system is indicative of how effectively the neurotransmitter system is functioning in the individual in question . the present inventive method should be beneficial in determining those individuals who would benefit from psychopharmacological therapy , since it is only those patients who have a defect in a neurotransmitter system who benefit from such therapy . therefore , a further aspect of the present invention is directed to a method of selecting and predicting the effectiveness of a proposed psychopharmacologic agent interacting with a neurotransmitter system in an individual , the method comprising the steps of : a . adding to a tissue sample from an individual , neurotransmitter agonists or antagonists which block undesired localization of beta carboline ; b . interacting the sample with a proposed or standardized psychopharmacologic agent used to affect the neurotransmitter system ; c . adding a quantity of a beta carboline which accumulates in the neurotransmitter system ; d . fluorescently imaging the tissue sample , wherein areas of concentrated fluorescence correspond to reservoirs of beta carboline accumulated ; and e . comparing beta carboline images to those obtained from a tissue sample obtained when step ( b ) is omitted . according to the method , the undesired localization of the beta carboline in the tissue sample is blocked so that a select neurotransmitter system may be studied . this is advantageous since the therapeutic action of several of the psychopharmaceutical agents is generally derived from the interaction with only one neurotransmitter system . the undesired localization of the beta carboline in the tissue sample is blocked by adding an antagonist to the sample which antagonizes and blocks the interaction of the beta carboline with the neurotransmitter systems not being studied . the psychopharmaceutical and the beta carboline are subsequently interacted with the tissue sample . preferably , the selected beta carboline interacts with the neurotransmitter system in a manner which is similar to the neurotransmitter which corresponds to the neurotransmitter system . therefore , by examining the effect that the psychopharmaceutical has on the uptake and storage of the beta carboline , the effect that the psychopharmaceutical has on the corresponding neurotransmitter may be extrapolated . this interaction may be studied by fluorescently imaging the sample . areas of concentrated fluorescence corresponding to reservoirs of beta carboline accumulated by the neurotransmitter system . as discussed above , the rate and quantity of the beta carboline accumulated in the neurotransmitter system is indicative not only of the functioning of the neurotransmitter system , but also of the effectiveness of the psychopharmaceutical in altering the functioning of the neurotransmitter system . this ability to determine a particular psychopharmaceutical &# 39 ; effect on a select neurotransmitter system is advantageous since this would be useful in identifying potential nonresponders to a particular agent . further , by comparing studies on the same individual before and after administration of the psychopharmaceutical agent , an overall determination may be made as to the effectiveness of a particular psychopharmaceutical , or potential effectiveness , on the particular pathology of that individual . a still further advantage is realized by interacting the tissue sample with various dosages of the psychopharmaceutical agent , and comparing those results to determine the most effective dosage for that particular patient . while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example , in the drawings and will have been herein described in detail . it should be understood , however , that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed , but on the contrary , the intention is to cover all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . citations in the following list are incorporated in pertinent part by reference herein for the reasons cited in the text . airaksinen , m . m ., a . 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