Biology Allosteric regulation Cocaine use disorder Cocaine abuse Dopamine transporter
Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is an enduring and multifaceted health issue marked by uncontrollable cocaine use, despite harmful consequences. In the U.S., around 1.5 million people are affected by this disorder out of an estimated 2.2 million frequent users. Chronic cocaine misuse leads to numerous health problems, especially affecting the cardiovascular and neurological systems. Presently, there is no FDA- sanctioned drug treatment for CUD, underscoring the urgency to create effective therapies. Current treatment methods include psychosocial support and medication approaches using other psychostimulants such as amphetamines or GABAergic substances such as baclofen, though these have limited success and non-negligible side effects. We suggest a new treatment approach using dopamine transporter (DAT) allosteric modulators, which may mitigate cocaine's impact by altering structural conformations of DAT. This study aims to analyze four new analogs of two known allosteric modulators, KM822 and sydnocarb. Using structure/function studies including site-directed mutagenesis, dose response inhibition assays, and biotinylation protection studies, we've determined how each analog binds to DAT and its interaction with the allosteric site. Early animal trial results indicate that one of the compounds, FSM-3-174, diminishes cocaine-induced behavioral changes, showing promise as a potential CUD therapy.
Metrics
17 File views/ downloads
25 Record Views
Details
Title
Characterizing Novel Allosteric Modulators for Human Dopamine Transporter
Creators
Fuyu Yang
Contributors
Ole V. Mortensen (Advisor)
Awarding Institution
Drexel University
Degree Awarded
Master of Science (M.S.)
Publisher
Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Number of pages
vi, 52 pages
Resource Type
Thesis
Language
English
Academic Unit
College of Medicine; Pharmacology and Physiology; Drexel University
Other Identifier
991021874713604721
Research Home Page
Browse by research and academic units
Learn about the ETD submission process at Drexel
Learn about the Libraries’ research data management services