Optical Control of a Delayed Rectifier and a Two-Pore Potassium Channel with a Photoswitchable Bupivacaine.

Photoswitchable blockers of potassium channels can be used to optically control neuronal excitability and hold great promise for vision restoration. Here, we report a series of improved photoswitchable blockers that are furnished with a new pharmacophore based on the local anesthetic bupivacaine. These azobupivacaines (ABs) enable optical control over the delayed rectifier channel K2.

Photopharmacological control of bipolar cells restores visual function in blind mice.

Photopharmacological control of neuronal activity using synthetic photochromic ligands, or photoswitches, is a promising approach for restoring visual function in patients suffering from degenerative retinal diseases. Azobenzene photoswitches, such as AAQ and DENAQ, have been shown to restore the responses of retinal ganglion cells to light in mouse models of retinal degeneration but do not recapitulate native retinal signal processing. Here, we describe diethylamino-azo-diethylamino (DAD), a third-generation photoswitch that is capable of restoring retinal ganglion cell light responses to blue or white light.

AzoCholine Enables Optical Control of Alpha 7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Neural Networks.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are essential for cellular communication in higher organisms. Even though a vast pharmacological toolset to study cholinergic systems has been developed, control of endogenous neuronal nAChRs with high spatiotemporal precision has been lacking. To address this issue, we have generated photoswitchable nAChR agonists and re-evaluated the known photochromic ligand, BisQ.