Pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of JNJ-40411813, a positive allosteric modulator of the mGlu2 receptor

Compounds modulating metabotropic glutamate type 2 (mGlu2) receptor activity may have therapeutic benefits in treating psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and anxiety. The pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of a novel mGlu2 receptor-positive allosteric modulator (PAM), 1-butyl-3-chloro-4-(4-phenyl-1-piperidinyl)-2(1H)-pyridinone (JNJ-40411813/ADX71149) are described here. JNJ-40411813 acts as a PAM at the cloned mGlu2 receptor: EC(50) = 147 ± 42 nmol/L in a [(35)S]GTPγS binding assay with human metabotropic glutamate type 2 (hmGlu2) CHO cells and EC(50) = 64 ± 29 nmol/L in a Ca(2+) mobilization assay with hmGlu2 G(α16) cotransfected HEK293 cells. [(35)S]GTPγS autoradiography on rat brain slices confirmed PAM activity of JNJ-40411813 on native mGlu2 receptor. JNJ-40411813 displaced [(3)H]JNJ-40068782 and [(3)H]JNJ-46281222 (mGlu2 receptor PAMs), while it failed to displace [(3)H]LY341495 (a competitive mGlu2/3 receptor antagonist). In rats, JNJ-40411813 showed ex vivo mGlu2 receptor occupancy using [(3)H]JNJ-46281222 with ED(50) of 16 mg/kg (p.o.). PK-PD modeling using the same radioligand resulted in an EC(50) of 1032 ng/mL. While JNJ-40411813 demonstrated moderate affinity for human 5HT(2A) receptor in vitro (K(b) = 1.1 μmol/L), higher than expected 5HT(2A) occupancy was observed in vivo (in rats, ED(50) = 17 mg/kg p.o.) due to a metabolite. JNJ-40411813 dose dependently suppressed REM sleep (LAD, 3 mg/kg p.o.), and promoted and consolidated deep sleep. In fed rats, JNJ-40411813 (10 mg/kg p.o.) was rapidly absorbed (C(max) 938 ng/mL at 0.5 h) with an absolute oral bioavailability of 31%. Collectively, our data show that JNJ-40411813 is an interesting candidate to explore the therapeutic potential of mGlu2 PAMs, in in vivo rodents experiments as well as in clinical studies.