[Central cardiovascular and renal effects of atrial natriuretic peptide]

In 54 anesthetized rats, the changes in arterial blood pressure, heart rate and/or urine volume, urinary sodium excretion were observed following intracarotid, intrathecal and intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). The effects of ANP on the central actions of angiotensin II (AG II) were also examined. The results were as follows: (1) In the cross-circulation preparation of rat head, MAP of the recipient was unchanged and that of the donor was decreased in response to the administration of alpha-hANP (15 micrograms/kg) into the carotid artery of the recipient. (2) By injecting AP III (5 micrograms/kg) intrathecally, MAP, HR and urine volume (V) of the rats (n = 7) showed no change. (3) The ICV injection of AP III (20 micrograms/kg) did not result in changes in MAP, HR, and urinary sodium excretion (UNaV), but there was a transient and significant increase in V. (4) ICV injection of AG II (1 microgram/kg) resulted in an increase of MAP by 1.3 +/- 0.17 kPa (10 +/- 1.3 mmHg, n = 10, P less than 0.001), V by 106% (n = 6, P less than 0.01) and UNaV by 642% (P less than 0.01). (5) ICV injection of AP III 2 min prior to the injection of AG II by the same route, the central hypertensive effect induced by AG II was not affected, while the increments in V and UNaV were decreased significantly (P less than 0.05). The results indicate that (1) ANP is incapable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier owing to its large molecular size and therefore, the central mechanism is not involved in the hypotensive effect induced by intravenous injection of ANF and (2) the central diuretic and natriuretic actions of AG II may be markedly inhibited by ICV injection of ANP, thus indicating the existence of some central antagonistic interactions between AG II and ANP.

N(+)-glucuronidation of aliphatic tertiary amines, a general phenomenon in the metabolism of H1-antihistamines in humans

1. Representative drugs of the various structural classes of H1 antihistamines were chosen for study. The drugs chosen (class name in parentheses) were chlorpheniramine maleate and pheniramine maleate (alkylamines), diphenhydramine hydrochloride and doxylamine succinate (ethanolamines), pyrilamine maleate and tripelennamine hydrochloride (ethylenediamines), promethazine hydrochloride (phenothiazine), cyclizine lactate (piperazine) and terfenadine (miscellaneous). In each case oral dose(s) were administered over no more than 6 h to two healthy volunteers and the total urine collected for 36 h. 2. Metabolites from urine were separated by h.p.l.c. and individually collected prior to mass spectrometric analysis in the fast atom bombardment mode. The structure of each metabolite identified as a quaternary ammonium-linked glucuronide metabolite was confirmed by direct comparison of its mass spectrum and chromatographic behaviour with that of a synthetic authentic compound. 3. For eight of the nine drugs studied, metabolism by the N(+)-glucuronidation pathway was observed in each of the volunteers. Terfenadine was the exception. 4. The amount of each N(+)-glucuronide in the urine was estimated by h.p.l.c. analysis. The mean proportion of dose excreted as the metabolite was 14.3%, 6.5% and 4.0% for cyclizine, tripelennamine and diphenhydramine, respectively. Promethazine was the only case where the N(+)-glucuronide accounted for less than 1.0% of the administered dose in both volunteers examined.

Inhibition of binding of [3H]metolazone to rat kidney membrane by stilbene disulfonates

Thiazide diuretics inhibit an electroneutral chloride and sodium reabsorptive transport pathway in the renal distal convoluted tubule. [3H]Metolazone binds with high affinity to the drug recognition site on the thiazide-sensitive ion transporter. The molecular nature of this transporter is currently unknown. This report examines whether stilbene disulfonates [4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (DIDS) and 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid (SITS)], agents that have been used to identify other anion-transporting proteins, could be useful in the identification of the thiazide receptor. We found that high concentrations of DIDS or SITS were required to inhibit binding of [3H]metolazone to rat kidney membranes, with apparent IC50 values of 380 and 940 microM, respectively. The inhibition was due to a decrease in the number of binding sites without alteration in the affinity of the binding. The inhibition was not reversible, as judged by the inability of the inhibition to be reversed by removal of the DIDS or SITS from the membranes prior to equilibration with [3H]metolazone. Addition of 100 mM NaCl to the incubation medium did not protect the [3H]metolazone binding site from inhibition by DIDS. We infer that DIDS and SITS irreversibly inhibit binding of [3H]metolazone by reaction with the thiazide receptor at a site other than the anion-transporting site.

Solubilization of thiazide diuretic receptors from rat kidney membranes

Thiazide-type diuretics act at receptors to inhibit NaCl transport in the renal distal tubule. We solubilized high-affinity [3H]metolazone binding sites from rat kidney membranes with Triton X-100, which was more effective than several other detergents. Phosphatidylcholine and a mixture of proteinase inhibitors were needed to stabilize binding so that 57% of solubilized binding remained after 72 h at 4 degrees C. The affinities of solubilized (Kd = 11.4 +/- 0.5 nM) and membrane-bound receptors (Kd = 12.0 +/- 1.7 nM) were similar. The maximal number of binding sites/mg protein of solubilized receptors was 46 +/- 3% (n = 5) of membrane-bound receptors. Diuretics with a wide range of affinities had similar affinities for the solubilized and membrane-bound sites. Chloride inhibited and sodium stimulated the binding of [3H]metolazone to solubilized receptors, as they do with membrane-bound receptors. These studies demonstrate that, as judged by ligand binding, thiazide receptors can be solubilized in an active conformation and provide the basis for future purification and reconstitution.

[Left ventricle diastolic function in hypertensive patients and responses to captopril]

The LV diastolic function of 37 cases with primary hypertension were studied by measuring the diastolic filling blood stream at mitral orifice using pulsed Doppler echocardiography. 30/37 (81%) patients were found to have impaired LV diastolic function as compared with 30 normals of a group at similar age. After 4 weeks of oral captopril treatment in 20/37 patients, BP dropped in 19/20; LV diastolic function improved in 75-80%; left ventricular mass also regressed in 16/20 captopril treated patients (210 +/- 62 vs 171 +/- 46 g, P less than 0.01). It showed that captopril is not only effective in lowering blood pressure but also in improving the impaired LV diastolic function.

[Preparation of inside-out vesicles from red blood cell membranes and measurement for its Ca2+ uptake]

Sealed, inside-out red cell membrane vesicles (IOV) from rats were prepared by a modified method of Steck (1974). The preparation contained 70% of IOV. In the presence of ATP and Mg2+, these vesicles actively took up Ca2+ with a high efficiency and reproducibility. The intraassay coefficient of variance (C.V.) was 3.6% and the interassay C.V. was 13.58%. The active Ca2+ transport reached the maximal level in 10 minutes of incubation, and linearly correlated with the IOV concentration. The Ca2+ uptake rate in Wistar rats was 9.39 +/- 1.28 nmol/mg IOV protein/min. IOV rapidly lost Ca2+ when A23187 was added. The active transport was stimulated by calmodulin, and inhibited by trifluoperazine.