Cardioprotective effects of N-hydroxyguanidine PR5 in myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion in rats

Investigations on the pharmacology of the cardioprotective guanidine ME10092

The guanidine compound ME10092 (1-(3,4-dimethoxy-2-chlorobenzylideneamino)-guanidine), which possesses a strong cardioprotective effect to ischemia-reperfusion, was assessed for different pharmacological actions that may underlie its cardioprotective effect. In the living rat ME10092 decreased the blood pressure and heart rate in a dose-dependent manner. We found ME10092 to bind to alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoreceptors with moderate affinity (Ki values 1-4 microM), and to block adrenaline-elicited contractile responses in isolated guinea pig aortas. Our results indicate that ME10092 possesses a certain anti-oxidant profile. Thus, in a competitive manner and with low affinity it inhibited the bovine milk xanthine oxidase enzyme, as well as NAD(P)H oxidase driven oxyradical formation in membrane fractions isolated from the rat brain. By using electron paramagnetic resonance we here show that, after its systemic administration, ME10092 modulates the nitric oxide (NO) content in several tissues of the rat in a time-dependent manner. However, in vitro ME10092 inhibited the activities of nitric oxide synthases nNOS and eNOS, but not that of iNOS. Our data give evidence that the cardioprotective effect of ME10092 could be mediated through pharmacological mechanisms that include some modulation of NO production, as well as possible inhibition of radical formation during ischemia-reperfusion.

In vivo measurements of the cerebral perfusion and cardiovascular effects of the novel guanidine ME10092 in the non-human primate, Papio ursinus

The novel guanidines N-(3,4-dimethoxy-2-chlorobenzylideneamino)-guanidine (ME 10092) and N-(3,4-dimethoxy-2-chlorobenzylideneamino)-N1-hydroxyguanidine (PR5) were recently reported to exhibit promising cardioprotective activities in myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion in rats. The current study investigated for the first time pharmacological effects of ME10092 in the primate, viz. the Cape baboon Papio ursinus. The effects of ME10092 (1 and 2 mg/kg doses) on the cerebral blood flow, heart rates and the systolic and diastolic blood pressure were investigated after intravenous injection to the baboon under anaesthesia. The cerebral perfusion effects of ME10092 were assessed using Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography according to the split-dose approach and 99mTc-hexamethyl-propylene amine oxime as brain perfusion tracer. The observation that the recovery times from the anaesthesia were unacceptably prolonged excluded doses beyond 2 mg/kg. The data indicate that no cerebral perfusion changes were induced at both the 1 and 2 mg/kg doses of ME10092. Both these doses of ME10092 showed blood pressure and heart rate effects, with the latter being more significant. Decreases in heart rate were seen directly after ME10092 administration reaching levels of about 20% for the 2 mg/kg dose and about 15% for the 1 mg/kg dose at around 6 min post drug administration. A transient decrease in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed for the higher dose. The blood pressure data further suggest an attenuation of the anaesthesia induced increase in pressure usually present in non-intervention studies. ME10092 clearly exhibits mycocardial effects in the non-human primate, similar to the effects previously observed in the ischaemia-reperfusion rat model, where ME10092 showed strong protection.

Synthesis and quantitative structure-activity relationship of hydrazones of N-amino-N'-hydroxyguanidine as electron acceptors for xanthine oxidase

A series of new N-hydroxyguanidines were synthesized and tested for electron acceptor activity on bovine milk xanthine oxidase using xanthine as reducing substrate. Manual inspection of the structure-activity data revealed that molecules containing nitro groups ("set A") show a different structure-activity relationship pattern compared to non-nitro compounds ("set B"). Accordingly separate QSAR models were built and validated for the two sets. Substantial differences were found in properties governing acceptor activity for the models, the only common property being sterical access to the imino nitrogen atom of the hydroxyguanidinimines. For set A molecules the presence of a nitro substituent at a certain distance range from the hydroxuguanidino group was most important. In addition, the presence of a nitro group in the ortho position interacting with NH(2) of the hydroxyguanidino group, and the mutual geometry of the phenyl ring, hydroxyguanidine, and imine groups was important for this set. By contrast, for set B molecules the acceptor activity was most influenced by the geometry of methoxy groups and the size and geometry of meta and para substituents of the phenyl ring.

Effect of trapidil in ischemia/reperfusion injury of peripheral nerves

OBJECTIVE

Ischemia plays an important role in the development of pathological changes in nerve tissue, and restoration of blood flow results in injury (ischemia/reperfusion [I/R] injury) mediated by toxic oxygen free radicals. Trapidil is currently used as a coronary artery vasodilating agent and is also used for the prevention of ischemic symptoms of cerebral vasospasm. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of trapidil on I/R injury and the ischemic tolerance of rat peripheral nerves.

METHODS

Preischemia or prereperfusion administration of trapidil (8 mg/kg) was evaluated in the rat sciatic nerve I/R injury model. Nerve tissue samples from the I/R injury site were assayed for malondialdehyde (MDA), nitrites, and nitrates, as markers of I/R injury, and pathological changes were evaluated by electron microscopy.

RESULTS

I/R resulted in an increase in MDA levels, which remained elevated for 2 weeks in control nerves. Rats that received trapidil before ischemia exhibited decreased MDA levels, and rats that received trapidil after the standard 3 hours of ischemia demonstrated increased tolerance to reperfusion, as reflected in significantly decreased MDA levels. Nitrite and nitrate levels in trapidil-treated rats were significantly higher than those in control animals. Histological evaluations of the sciatic nerve segments demonstrated that preischemia and postischemia trapidil treatments had a sparing effect against the myelin damage and axonal edema that are consistently noted in untreated ischemic reperfused nerves.

CONCLUSION

The results confirm that pretreatment with trapidil before the ischemic insult or before reperfusion provides marked protection against I/R injury in peripheral nerves.

The novel guanidine ME10092 protects the heart during ischemia-reperfusion

The novel guanidine N-(3,4-dimethoxy-2-chlorobenzylideneamino)-guanidine [ME10092; a metabolite to the strongly cardioprotective hydroxyguanidine N-(3,4-dimethoxy-2-chlorobenzylideneamino)-N'-hydroxyguanidine (PR5)] was administered intravenously to rats subjected to left coronary artery clamping followed by reperfusion. Administration of 1-10 mg/kg of ME10092 1 or 5 min before 10 min of coronary artery occlusion followed by 20 min reperfusion significantly and dose-dependently inhibited the reperfusion-induced burst of arrhythmia, and markedly improved the survival of the animals. This dose schedule also dose-dependently and significantly inhibited the ST-segment elevation seen on the ECG during the artery occlusion, and attenuated the secondary rise in ST-segment during the reperfusion. Even when ME10092 was administered 5 min after the start of the reperfusion, the ST-segment elevation became significantly attenuated. Administration of ME10092 (3 plus 1.5 mg/kg) to animals subjected to 1 h left coronary occlusion followed by 2 h reperfusion reduced the heart infarction size by about 40%. ME10092 also dose-dependently reduced the heart rate, both during normal conditions and during ischemia and reperfusion. Moreover, the highest dose of ME10092 used (10 mg/kg) strongly attenuated the reduction in blood pressure seen during 10 min left coronary occlusion, as well as it attenuated the rebound rise in blood pressure seen during the 20 min reperfusion phase; that is, resulting in a normalisation of the blood pressure disturbances caused by the ischemia-reperfusion. We also showed that after its p.o. administration, the PR5 hydroxyguanidine became completely metabolised to its guanidine ME10092, with no detectable traces of PR5 being present 30 and 60 min after the administration. Moreover, after the p.o. administration of ME10092, no signs of the formation of PR5 were seen on analysis of the rats' plasma. In view of the practically indistinguishable pharmacological effects of ME10092 and PR5, we suggest the strong cardioprotective effects of these compounds to be mediated by a direct effect by ME10092 per se.

N-Hydroxyguanidine compound 1-(3,4-dimethoxy- 2-chlorobenzylideneamino)-3-hydroxyguanidine inhibits the xanthine oxidase mediated generation of superoxide radical

We here show that the novel N-hydroxyguanidine derivative PR5 (1-(3, 4-dimethoxy-2-chlorobenzylideneamino)-3-hydroxyguanidine) is acting as an alternative electron acceptor in xanthine oxidase catalyzed oxidation of xanthine. The reduction product is the corresponding guanidine derivative 1-(3, 4-dimethoxy-2-chlorobenzylideneamino)guanidine (PR9). The reaction occurs under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Moreover, EPR measurements show that the action of PR5 is associated with the inhibition of superoxide radical formation seen under aerobic conditions. PR5 also supports xanthine oxidase catalyzed anaerobic oxidation of NADH. Kinetic studies indicate that increasing xanthine concentration significantly increases the apparent K(m) of PR5, but it remains unaltered by changing NADH concentration. Moreover, the molybdenum center inhibitor allopurinol inhibits the PR5-sustained oxidation of xanthine and NADH equally well, whereas the flavin adenine dinucleotide site inhibitor diphenyliodonium (DPI) markedly inhibits only the PR5-sustained oxidation of NADH. We suggest that PR5 binds and becomes reduced at the molybdenum center of the xanthine oxidase. We also found that both PR5 and its reduction product PR9 can inhibit the oxygen-sustained xanthine oxidase reaction. The properties of PR5 suggest that it is a member of a novel class of compounds which we have termed xanthine oxidase electron acceptor-inhibitor drugs. The potential use of xanthine oxidase electron acceptor-inhibitors in the prevention of free radical mediated tissue damage in organ ischemia-reperfusion diseases is discussed.