KATP channel openers of the benzopyran type reach their binding site via the cytosol

Some cannabinoid receptor ligands and their distomers are direct-acting openers of SUR1 K(ATP) channels

Here, we examined the chronic effects of two cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) inverse agonists, rimonabant and ibipinabant, in hyperinsulinemic Zucker rats to determine their chronic effects on insulinemia. Rimonabant and ibipinabant (10 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹) elicited body weight-independent improvements in insulinemia and glycemia during 10 wk of chronic treatment. To elucidate the mechanism of insulin lowering, acute in vivo and in vitro studies were then performed. Surprisingly, chronic treatment was not required for insulin lowering. In acute in vivo and in vitro studies, the CB1 inverse agonists exhibited acute K channel opener (KCO; e.g., diazoxide and NN414)-like effects on glucose tolerance and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) with approximately fivefold better potency than diazoxide. Followup studies implied that these effects were inconsistent with a CB1-mediated mechanism. Thus effects of several CB1 agonists, inverse agonists, and distomers during GTTs or GSIS studies using perifused rat islets were unpredictable from their known CB1 activities. In vivo rimonabant and ibipinabant caused glucose intolerance in CB1 but not SUR1-KO mice. Electrophysiological studies indicated that, compared with diazoxide, 3 μM rimonabant and ibipinabant are partial agonists for K channel opening. Partial agonism was consistent with data from radioligand binding assays designed to detect SUR1 K(ATP) KCOs where rimonabant and ibipinabant allosterically regulated ³H-glibenclamide-specific binding in the presence of MgATP, as did diazoxide and NN414. Our findings indicate that some CB1 ligands may directly bind and allosterically regulate Kir6.2/SUR1 K(ATP) channels like other KCOs. This mechanism appears to be compatible with and may contribute to their acute and chronic effects on GSIS and insulinemia.

Impact of the nature of the substituent at the 3-position of 4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides on their opening activity toward ATP-sensitive potassium channels

The synthesis of diversely substituted 3-isopropoxy-, 3-isopropylsulfanyl-, 3-isopropylsulfinyl-, and 3-isobutyl-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides is described. Their activity on pancreatic β-cells (inhibitory effect on the insulin releasing process) and on vascular and uterine smooth muscle tissues (myorelaxant effects) was compared to that of previously reported K(ATP) channel openers belonging to 3-isopropylamino-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides. The present study aimed at evaluating the impact on biological activity of the isosteric replacement of the NH group of 3-alkylamino-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides by a O, S, S(═O), or CH(2) group. By comparing compounds bearing identical substituents, the following rank order of potency on pancreatic β-cells was observed: 3-isopropylamino > 3-isobutyl > 3-isopropoxy > 3-isopropylsulfanyl > 3-isopropylsulfinyl-substituted 4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides (NH > CH(2) > O > S > S(═O)). A molecular modeling study revealed that 3-isopropoxy-, 3-isopropylsulfanyl-, and 3-isopropylamino-substituted compounds adopted a similar low-energy conformation (preferred orientation of the isopropyl chain). Moreover, no direct relationship was detected between the conformational freedom of the different classes of benzothiadiazines (from the most to the lowest conformationally constrained compounds: NH > O > S > CH(2)) and their biological activity on insulin-secreting cells. Therefore, the present study confirmed the critical role of the NH group at the 3-position for the establishment of a strong hydrogen bond responsible for optimal activity expressed by 3-alkylamino-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides on insulin-secreting cells. Radioisotopic and fluorimetric experiments conducted with 7-chloro-3-isopropoxy-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxide 10c demonstrated that such a compound, bearing a short branched O-alkyl group instead of the NH-alkyl group at the 3-position, also behaved as a specific K(ATP) channel opener. Lastly, the present work further identified 3-(alkyl/aralkyl)sulfanyl-substituted 7-chloro-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides as a class of promising myorelaxant drugs acting on uterine smooth muscles, at least in part, through the activation of K(ATP) channels.