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Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs Approach to Treatment of Sleep-disordered Breathing

Authors :
Vsevolod Y. Polotsky
Huy Pho
Lenise Jihe Kim
Carla Freire
Jordi Bonaventura
Luiz G.S. Branco
Mateus R. Amorim
Michael Michaelides
Luiz Ubirajara Sennes
Michael J Brennick
Alan R. Schwartz
Rachel Lee
Meaghan E Cabassa
Stone R Streeter
Richard G. Spencer
David D. Fuller
Kenneth Fishbein
Thomaz Fleury Curado
Source :
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
American Thoracic Society, 2021.

Abstract

Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea is recurrent upper airway obstruction caused by a loss of upper airway muscle tone during sleep. The main goal of our study was to determine if designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) could be used to activate the genioglossus muscle as a potential novel treatment strategy for sleep apnea. We have previously shown that the prototypical DREADD ligand clozapine-N-oxide increased pharyngeal diameter in mice expressing DREADD in the hypoglossal nucleus. However, the need for direct brainstem viral injections and clozapine-N-oxide toxicity diminished translational potential of this approach, and breathing during sleep was not examined.Objectives: Here, we took advantage of our model of sleep-disordered breathing in diet-induced obese mice, retrograde properties of the adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) viral vector, and the novel DREADD ligand J60.Methods: We administered AAV9-hSyn-hM3(Gq)-mCherry or control AAV9 into the genioglossus muscle of diet-induced obese mice and examined the effect of J60 on genioglossus activity, pharyngeal patency, and breathing during sleep.Measurements and Main Results: Compared with control, J60 increased genioglossus tonic activity by greater than sixfold and tongue uptake of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose by 1.5-fold. J60 increased pharyngeal patency and relieved upper airway obstruction during non-REM sleep.Conclusions: We conclude that following intralingual administration of AAV9-DREADD, J60 can activate the genioglossus muscle and improve pharyngeal patency and breathing during sleep.

Details

ISSN :
15354970 and 1073449X
Volume :
203
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....ffd291f4e4c9d871496a2a9d38f0706c