Pharmacokinetics of clonidine in the rat and cat

Adrenergic pharmacology: focus on the central nervous system

Norepinephrine and epinephrine are involved in the control of several important functions of the central nervous system (CNS), including sleep, arousal, mood, appetite, and autonomic outflow. Catecholamines control these functions through activation of a family of adrenergic receptors (ARs). The ARs are divided into three subfamilies (alpha1, alpha2, and beta) based on their pharmacologic properties, signaling mechanisms, and structure. ARs in the CNS are targets for several therapeutic agents used in the treatment of depression, obesity, hypertension, and other diseases. Not much is known, however, about the role of specific AR subtypes in the actions of these drugs. In this paper, we provide an overview of adrenergic pharmacology in the CNS, focusing on the pharmacologic properties of subtype-selective AR agonists and antagonists, the accessibility of these drugs to the CNS, and the distribution of ARs in different areas of the brain.

Agmatine, a novel hypothalamic amine, stimulates pituitary luteinizing hormone release in vivo and hypothalamic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone release in vitro

Agmatine, a clonidine displacing substance and imidazoline receptor agonist, was recently isolated from bovine brain and shown to be present in the rat hypothalamus. Since clonidine can stimulate the release of pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH), we tested the hypothesis that agmatine may similarly act in the rat to stimulate the hypothalamic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH)-pituitary LH axis. Administration of agmatine intracerebroventricularly rapidly augmented the release of LH in a dose-related fashion in ovariectomized, ovarian steroid-primed rats. Additionally, agmatine enhanced the in vitro efflux of LH releasing hormone from the median eminence-arcuate nucleus of the hypothalami of rats similarly pretreated with steroids. These studies imply that the endogenous imidazoline receptor agonist, agmatine, may serve as an excitatory neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in the hypothalamic control of LH release and we suggest that the previously reported excitatory effects of clonidine on LH release may be attributed to stimulation by clonidine of imidazoline receptors.

Reward summation and the effects of pimozide, clonidine, and amphetamine on fixed-interval responding for brain stimulation

Two models of reward summation were examined in 16 rats lever pressing for intracranial stimulation under fixed-interval (FI) reinforcement. The first model examined rate-frequency functions and the second model traded off frequency and train duration. The second model was selected to assess the effects of three drugs on reward summation. Both clonidine and pimozide inhibited FI self-stimulation, but pimozide's effect could not be distinguished from a performance deficit. Two amphetamine isomers facilitated self-stimulation in a manner suggesting enhanced reinforcement. The dextro isomer was four times more effective than the levo isomer to facilitate self-stimulation. This study shows that the combination of the FI schedule with a reward-summation model is well suited for evaluating the effects of drugs on self-stimulation. The advantages of this model are that inter-reinforcement intervals are separated, which minimizes priming and stimulation aftereffects, and more responding does not increase stimulation availability, thus eliminating rate-dependency effects.

N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline, an irreversible receptor inactivator, as a tool for measurement of α2-adrenoceptor occupancy in vivo

In rats treatment with N-ethoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ) induces a dose-dependent decrease in the number of alpha 2-adrenoceptors. Prior injection of alpha-adrenergic agents such as yohimbine and clonidine protect alpha 2-adrenoceptors against the effects of EEDQ. The ED50 values for yohimbine and clonidine were 10.27 and 5.83 mumol/kg, respectively.

Increase in insulin response to glucose in the rat chronically treated with clonidine

Effect of chronic clonidine treatment on the response to glucose of rat pancreatic B-cells was investigated. Clonidine treatment was carried out for 10 days by dissolving the drug into drinking water at a concentration of 10 micrograms/ml. Control rats were given drug-free tap water. Serum insulin responses to glucose (750 mg/kg, i.v.) of clonidine-treated rats were much smaller than those of control rats. However, after 1 day's withdrawal of clonidine, the rise in the serum insulin level induced by glucose was approximately 2-fold larger in clonidine-treated rats as compared to that in control rats. Since clonidine treatment decreased body weight of the rat by 10%-20% in 10 days, the same experiments were carried out with rats whose body weight loss was made comparable to that of clonidine-treated rats by restricting food for 10 days. Then, some animals of the group thus treated had food-restriction discontinued for 1 day. In both of the above two groups, no increment in glucose-induced rise in serum insulin level was observed. Islets of Langerhans isolated from clonidine-treated rats showed pronounced insulin releasing capacity in response to glucose. Insulin content per islet of the clonidine-treated rat was slightly larger than that of control rat. These results indicate that the enhancement of serum insulin response to glucose following clonidine treatment is mainly attributable to the hyper-responsiveness developed in the pancreatic B-cells.

The involvement of central alpha adrenoceptors in the antihypertensive actions of methyldopa and clonidine in the rat

The antihypertensive effects of methyldopa and clonidine result from agonist activity at alpha adrenoceptor sites within the brain. Methyldopa is converted enzymatically to alpha-methylnoradrenaline in noradrenergic neurones in rat brain and replaces the natural transmitter, noradrenaline. Radioligand receptor studies show that alpha-methylnoradrenaline differs from noradrenaline in being much more selective (70 times) for the alpha 2 subclass of adrenoceptors than noradrenaline and it is likely that the antihypertensive action of methyldopa results from selective activation of alpha 2 adrenoceptors by alpha-methylnoradrenaline in the nucleus tractus solitarius and the anterior hypothalamus. Radioligand studies also show that clonidine is a selective alpha 2 adrenoceptor agonist although it probably interacts with alpha 1 adrenoceptors at higher concentrations. With regard to a withdrawal syndrome after cessation of clonidine treatment, the cardiovascular and behavioural components can now be characterised in a rat model. The components include increases in basal blood pressure and heart rate, as well as increases in cardiovascular reactivity and also increases in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, body shakes and tremor which is reminiscent of an opiate withdrawal syndrome. Increased central noradrenergic activity is involved in this syndrome and alpha 1 and alpha 2 adrenoceptors mediate opposing effects on the REM sleep rebound component.

Integrated pharmacokinetic-dynamic modeling of drugs acting on the CNS

This paper has attempted to review some of the possibilities we have today to describe the relationships between the kinetics of a drug and the pharmacodynamic responses. In the future we should place a great deal of effort not only on a detailed evaluation of drug absorption and disposition in the body but also on a much more careful characterization of the dose (concentration)-effect relationships. This should be done in vivo, in order to be able to evaluate the complex character of an observed pharmacological effect, and in a dose range as wide as possible. Although not discussed in the present communication, the possibility of active metabolites must always be considered.

Relationship between the cardiovascular effects and steady-state kinetics of clonidine in hypertension. Demonstration of a therapeutic window in man

Clonidine was given orally as monotherapy in increasing daily doses from 3.1 to 25.7 micrograms/kg to patients with essential hypertension (n = 6). When a steady state concentration in plasma was reached at each dose level, the blood pressure (BP) and heart rate were measured during a dosage interval. Effect time-plasma concentration data were submitted to nonlinear regression analysis, which showed that the observed BP effects could be dissociated into depressor and pressor components. A window for the anti-hypertensive effect was established. At a plasma clonidine concentration of 0.65 +/- 0.07 ng/ml 50% of the maximal depressor effect was found, and it was only separated by a factor of 2 from the half maximal pure pressor concentration in plasma. No relationship between the change in heart rate and the plasma clonidine was observed. The findings strengthen the importance of close monitoring of clonidine therapy.

Tissue pharmacokinetics of clonidine in rats

The antihypertensive drug clonidine exhibits nonlinear pharmacokinetics in man and rats after intravenous injection. In order to define the basis of this nonlinearity, tissue kinetics of clonidine in rats were determined at three dose levels. It was found that tissue concentrations of clonidine were linearly related to dose increases in most organs with the exception of the heart, suggesting that there was a limited binding capacity in this organ. The rate of disappearance of clonidine from most tissues was best described by a monoexponential curve with half-lives of 30 to 120 min. An exception was the stomach, and clonidine accumulated in this organ, probably due to a pH partitioning effect of this weak base. Renal clearance of clonidine in rats was also examined and found to decrease by approximately 40% when the dose was increased from 50 microgram/kg to 250 microgram/kg. It was concluded that renal clearance and and possibly fecal clearance could explain the nonlinear pharmacokinetics of clonidine.

Effects of clonidine infusion and withdrawal on blood pressure and behaviour in the rat. A preliminary study

Clonidine (10 micrograms/kg/hr) was administered continuously to normotensive rats for 5 days using osmotic minipumps. This treatment attenuated the episodic fluctuations in blood pressure normally observed during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. However, 18-24 hr after withdrawal of clonidine, pronounced fluctuations in blood pressure superimposed upon tonic increases in pressure as well as muscular twitching and irregular respiration were seen during sleep. These responses were abolished by an injection of clonidine or phentolamine. The results demonstrate that after withdrawal of clonidine administration, an increased lability of blood pressure occurs during sleep and probably results from an increased frequency and duration of REM sleep.

Clonidine kinetics in man--evidence for dose dependency and changed pharmacokinetics during chronic therapy

1 Clonidine kinetics were studied in 21 patients with essential hypertension. All received two bolus i.v. injections in the mean dose range of (0.78--3.36 micrograms kg-1) and one single oral dose (mean dose 1.7--2.3 micrograms kg-1) on separate occasions. The kinetics were also studied in some of these patients after multiple therapeutic oral dose (mean dose 1.1 or 1.9 micrograms kg-1) twice daily during a dosage interval after 6--12 months monotherapy with clonidine. The multiple oral dosage was based on the therapeutic response. 2 With increasing i.v. doses the rate constants (alpha, beta) decreased and the plasma clearance was reduced by 74% (9.94--2.61 ml min-1 kg-1) indicating dose-dependent kinetics. The volume of distribution (Vd beta) did not change with dose in contrast to the volume of the plasma compartment (Vc) which was increased at the highest doses. 3 The single oral dose kinetics agreed with the i.v. kinetics at comparable dose. The bioavailability was 90%. 4 During multiple oral dosing the elimination rate constants decreased compared to the single dose. The plasma clearance increased (7.18 ml min-1 kg-1) compared to the corresponding single dose (4.17 ml min-1 kg-1). The latter change was probably caused by the decrease in bioavailability to about 65%. 5 The pharmacodynamic properties of the drug could explain the changes in pharmacokinetics with increased dose and during multiple doses.

Multiple receptor responses: a new concept to describe the relationship between pharmacological effects and pharmacokinetics of a drug: studies on clonidine in the rat and cat

The time course of an observed pharmacological effect is affected not only by the kinetics of the drug levels at the site of action but also by parameters such as the slope and maximum effect of the functional relationship between drug level and response. Using clonidine as a test drug, it was found that the kinetics of its effects on blood pressure and pain responses cannot be described by the time course of clonidine levels in the blood, brain, or the hypothetical tissue compartment of the two-compartment characteristics of this drug. However, the results can be explained assuming that the observed pharmacological effects of a drug are composed of the sum of responses from at least two receptor sites with different slopes and maximal effects. The effect of intravenously administered clonidine on blood pressure in the rat was found to be related to the blood concentrations at least at two receptor sites with opposite effects, one leading to a hypertensive and the other to a hypotensive response. Predictions indicate that a maximum decrease of arterial blood pressure is obtained when the steady-state blood concentration of clonidine is about 1 ng/ml and that no effect is seen at 10 ng/ml. Higher levels will produce an increase of the pressure. The kinetics of the analgesic effect of clonidine in the rat could best be related to the brain levels if the observed effect was considered to be derived from the sum of activity at two receptor sites each producing analgesia. The kinetics of the effects of clonidine on the nictitating membrane of the cat was found to be determined by the kinetics of the drug in the peripheral compartment of the two-compartment open model. Consideration of multiple receptor responses is suggested for future studies on the relationship between the kinetics of drug levels and pharmacological responses.