An offline-addition format for identifying GPCR modulators by screening 384-well mixed compounds in the FLIPR

Although fluorescence imaging plate reader (FLIPR)-based assays have been widely used in high-throughput screening, improved efficiencies in throughput and fidelity continue to be investigated. This study presents an offline compound addition protocol coupled with a testing strategy using mixtures of compounds in a 384-well format to identify antagonists of the neurokinin-1 receptor expressed in the human astrocytoma cell line (U373 MG). Substance P evoked a concentration-dependent increase in intracellular cellular Ca(2+) with an EC(50) value of 0.30 +/- 0.17 nM, which was inhibited by neurokinin-1 (NK1) antagonists L-733,060 and L-703,606. Test compounds, as mixtures of 10 compounds/well, were added to the cells offline using an automated dispensing unit and incubated prior to performing the assay in the FLIPR. Using the offline protocol, a higher through put of ~200,000 compounds was achieved in an 8-h working day, and several novel structural classes of compounds were identified as antagonists for the NK1 receptor. These studies demonstrate that the offline compound addition format using a mixture of compounds in a 384-well FLIPR assay provides an efficient platform for screening and identifying modulators for G-protein-coupled receptors.