Discovery of the First Selective M4 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Antagonists with in Vivo Antiparkinsonian and Antidystonic Efficacy

Nonselective antagonists of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) that broadly inhibit all five mAChR subtypes provide an efficacious treatment for some movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease and dystonia. Despite their efficacy in these and other central nervous system disorders, antimuscarinic therapy has limited utility due to severe adverse effects that often limit their tolerability by patients. Recent advances in understanding the roles that each mAChR subtype plays in disease pathology suggest that highly selective ligands for individual subtypes may underlie the antiparkinsonian and antidystonic efficacy observed with the use of nonselective antimuscarinic therapeutics. Our recent work has indicated that the M-4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor has several important roles in opposing aberrant neurotransmitter release, intracellular signaling pathways, and brain circuits associated with movement disorders. This raises the possibility that selective antagonists of M-4 may recapitulate the efficacy of nonselective antimuscarinic therapeutics and may decrease or eliminate the adverse effects associated with these drugs. However, this has not been directly tested due to lack of selective antagonists of M-4. Here, we utilize genetic mAChR knockout animals in combination with nonselective mAChR antagonists to confirm that the M-4 receptor activation is required for the locomotor-stimulating and antiparkinsonian efficacy in rodent models. We also report the synthesis, discovery, and characterization of the first-in-class selective M-4 antagonists VU6013720, VU6021302, and VU6021625 and confirm that these optimized compounds have antiparkinsonian and antidystonic efficacy in pharmacological and genetic models of movement disorders.

Automated summary

Nonselective antagonists of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors have efficacy in treating movement disorders, but their adverse effects limit patient tolerability. Selective antagonists targeting the M-4 subtype show promise in replicating efficacy without adverse effects, although direct testing is needed. Genetic studies confirm the necessity of M-4 receptor activation for antiparkinsonian efficacy, and new selective M-4 antagonists have demonstrated effectiveness in rodent models of movement disorders.