Istradefylline, sold under the brand name Nourianz, is a medication used as an add-on treatment to

levodopa -DOPA, also known as levodopa and -3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, is an amino acid that is made and used as part of the normal biology of some plants and animals, including humans. Humans, as well as a portion of the other animals that utilize -DOPA ...

carbidopa Carbidopa (Lodosyn) is a drug given to people with Parkinson's disease in order to inhibit peripheral metabolism of levodopa. This property is significant in that it allows a greater proportion of administered levodopa to cross the blood–br ...

in adults with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

(PD) experiencing "off" episodes. Istradefylline reduces "off" periods resulting from long-term treatment with the antiparkinson drug

. An "off" episode is a time when a patient's medications are not working well, causing an increase in PD symptoms, such as tremor and difficulty walking. Relatively common side effects include involuntary muscle movements (

dyskinesia Dyskinesia refers to a category of movement disorders that are characterized by involuntary muscle movements, including movements similar to tics or chorea and diminished voluntary movements. Dyskinesia can be anything from a slight tremor of t ...

), constipation, hallucinations, dizziness and, much like its parent molecule

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...

, nausea and sleeplessness. The U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

(FDA) considers it to be a

first-in-class medication A first-in-class medication is a pharmaceutical that uses a "new and unique mechanism of action" to treat a particular medical condition. While the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research tracks first-in-class medicat ...

Mechanism of action

Istradefylline is a selective

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

at the adenosine A_2A receptor (A2AR), but the precise mechanism by which it exerts its therapeutic effect in Parkinson's disease is unknown. However, it is known that dimers of these receptors form

heterotetramer A tetrameric protein is a protein with a quaternary structure of four subunits (tetrameric). Homotetramers have four identical subunits (such as glutathione S-transferase), and heterotetramers are complexes of different subunits. A tetramer ca ...

s with the dimers of dopamine D₂ receptors (D2R) within

striatum The striatum, or corpus striatum (also called the striate nucleus), is a nucleus (a cluster of neurons) in the subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain. The striatum is a critical component of the motor and reward systems; receives glutamate ...

Adenosine Adenosine ( symbol A) is an organic compound that occurs widely in nature in the form of diverse derivatives. The molecule consists of an adenine attached to a ribose via a β-N9-glycosidic bond. Adenosine is one of the four nucleoside building ...

acts as an endogenous A2AR agonist, but also as a

negative allosteric modulator In pharmacology and biochemistry, allosteric modulators are a group of substances that bind to a receptor to change that receptor's response to stimulus. Some of them, like benzodiazepines, are drugs. The site that an allosteric modulator binds t ...

(NAM) within these tetramers towards D2Rs, thus inhibiting the D2R mediated effects of

dopamine Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic compound, organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine const ...

, an endogenous D2R agonist. Istradefylline is believed to bind an A2AR within an A2AR-D2R-tetramer and function as a NAM towards the other A2AR (instead of D2R), thus inhibiting the effects of adenosine and enhancing the movement (locomotion) promoting effects exerted by dopamine via D2R. However, at high istradefylline concentration, it causes locomotion depression akin to

(which is a broad-spectrum adenosine receptor antagonist), and might do so by displacing adenosine, and working as a NAM towards D2R (instead of A2AR).

History

It was first approved in Japan in 2013. The effectiveness of Nourianz in treating "off" episodes in patients with Parkinson's disease who are already being treated with levodopa/carbidopa was shown in four 12-week placebo-controlled clinical studies that included a total of 1,143 participants. In all four studies, people treated with Nourianz experienced a statistically significant decrease from baseline in daily "off" time compared to patients receiving a placebo. It was approved for medical use in the United States in 2019. and approval was granted to Kyowa Kirin, Inc.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar , Medicine Adenosine receptor antagonists Alkene derivatives CYP3A4 inhibitors Phenol ethers Xanthines