Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors: effect on angiotensin II- and oxytocin-induced contractions in rat uterine smooth muscle

Relaxant effect of tetrazepam on rat uterine smooth muscle: role of calcium movement

Tetrazepam is a benzodiazepine derivative clinically used as a muscle relaxant. The aim of the present work was to examine its effect on uterine smooth muscle of the rat in estrus. Tetrazepam required micromolar concentrations to relax contractile responses induced by KCl and acetylcholine in Ca2+ solution, but not oxytocin-induced contraction. In Ca(2+)-free solution, tetrazepam inhibited Ca(2+)-induced contractions in depolarized uterus and vanadate-induced contractions. We suggest that tetrazepam relaxes contractile responses induced by activation of voltage-sensitive calcium channels and receptor-operated calcium channels with little selectivity or that it antagonizes the effect of calcium at subsequent steps, possibly intracellular stores sensitive to vanadate but not sensitive to oxytocin. The inhibition of contraction of rat uterus is not related to high-affinity peripheral benzodiazepine binding sites.

Influences of sodium on the contraction induced by oxytocin in rat testicular capsule

1. The effect of tetrodotoxin (5 microM), monensin (10 microM) and the replacement of Na+ by choline (choline medium) on the contractions of the rat testicular capsule induced by oxytocin (50 and 200 nM) have been studied. 2. The sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin did not modify the oxytocin contraction. 3. The sodium ionophore monensin produces contraction of rat testicular capsule and reduces the oxytocin-induced contraction. The monensin contraction is inhibited by amiloride (0.1 mM). 4. Replacement of Na+ by choline increases the contraction induced by oxytocin and KCl (60 mM) but inhibits that induced by noradrenaline (3 microM). 5. The increase of contraction due to oxytocin in choline medium is inhibited by amiloride (50 microM and 1 mM) and when calcium is suppressed of the incubation medium.

Mechanisms involved in the effects of phenidone, diclofenac and ethacrynic acid in rat uterus in vitro

1. The effects of phenidone (P, 10(-4)-10(-3) M), sodium diclofenac (D, 10(-5)-10(-4) M) and ethacrynic acid (E, 10(-5)-10(-4) M), proposed as inhibitors of eicosanoid synthesis, on the contractions of rat uterus induced by several agonists have been studied. 2. P, D and E inhibit the motility induced by oxytocin (4 mU/ml) (IC50: 4.62 x 10(-4), 2.55 x 10(-4) and 2.98 x 10(-5) M, respectively). 3. P (10(-3) M), D (10(-4) M) and E (10(-4) M) also inhibit the contraction induced by methacholine (10(-5) M), prostaglandin F2a (10(-6) M) and CaCl2 (6 mM), and relaxed, in a dose-dependent way, the tonic component of contraction to KCl (60 mM) (IC50: 5.81 x 10(-4), 6.67 x 10(-5) and 7.55 x 10(-5) M, respectively). 4. The CaCl2 (0.1-10 mM) reverted the relaxation of KCl contraction produced by P, but not by D or E. None of the inhibitions on CaCl2 (6 mM) are reverted by Bay K 8644. 5. D and E also relaxed the tonic contraction to vanadate (10(-4) M) in uterus incubated in calcium free solution P, enhances the vanadate-induced contractions.

Effects of inhibitors of eicosanoid synthesis in the uterus of ovariectomized rats and rats in natural oestrus: relation with calcium

1. The effects of 4 inhibitors of eicosanoid synthesis (ESIs)--mepacrine (MEP, 10(-5) - 3 x 10(-4) M), nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDHGA, 10(-6) - 2 x 10(-5) M), indomethacin (IND, 2 x 10(-6) M and 2 x 10(-5) M) and imidazole (IMI, 10(-5) M and 10(-4) M)--on the motility induced by oxytocin (OT, 0.5 and 4 mU/ml) in uterus of rats in natural oestrus and of ovariectomized rats have been studied. 2. MEP, NDHGA and IND, but not IMI, inhibited the motility induced by both concentrations of OT in natural oestrus. Ovariectomy enhanced the effects of all ESIs, except the one of MEP. 3. MEP and NDHGA, but not IND or IMI, inhibited the contractions induced by methacholine (10(-5) M) and prostaglandin F2a (10(-6) M) and relaxed in a dose-dependent way the tonic component of the contractile response to KCl 60 mM (DI50: 6.14 +/- 0.38 and 1.38 +/- 0.29 x 10(-5) M, respectively). 4. CaCl2 (0.1-10 mM) reverted the relaxation of KCl contractions produced by MEP but not by NDHGA.

Actions of some autacoids and peptides, including relaxin, on costo-uterine muscle from rats

1. The actions of angiotensin II, bradykinin, oxytocin, arginine vasopressin, relaxin, serotonin and the prostaglandins E2 and F2 alpha were examined on preparations of costo-uterine muscle from stilboestrol-treated rats. 2. All the agonists, except relaxin, when used in concentrations which contract the rat uterus, also produced contractions of costo-uterine muscles. Concentration-response curves were steep and maximal responses to the agonists were comparable. The negative log molar EC50 values were: serotonin, 6.5; angiotensin II, 8.8; bradykinin, 8.4; PGE2, 8.3; PGF2 alpha, 7.1. The EC50 values (units/L) for oxytocin and vasopressin were 4.4 and 2.7 respectively. 3. Indomethacin (2.8 or 5 mumol/L) did not decrease the contractile effects of the peptides or serotonin. The effects of serotonin were reduced, but not reversed, by methysergide (0.94 mumol/L). 4. Porcine relaxin inhibited field stimulation-induced contractions of costo-uterine muscle and uterine horns from immature rats pretreated with oestradiol cypionate and from stilboestrol-treated mature rats. It was much less potent, and its effects were less clearly concentration-related, on costo-uterine muscle. 5. The inhibitory effects of relaxin on the uterus were unaffected by propranolol (1 mumol/L), confirming that on this tissue relaxin acts independently of the release of catecholamines. Progesterone (30 mumol/L) was also without effect on the action of relaxin on the uterus. 6. These results taken together indicate that the costo-uterine muscle of the rat: (i) contracts in response to serotonin and the peptides angiotensin II, arginine vasopressin, bradykinin and oxytocin independently of the release of the contractile prostaglandins F2 alpha and E2; and (ii) in contrast to the uterus, may lack a significant population of receptors for relaxin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Influence of some inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism on oxytocin contractions in the isolated testicular capsule of the rat

Oxytocin (50-750 nM) contracted the isolated testicular capsule of the rat. Mepacrine, a phospholipase A2 inhibitor (3 X 10(-5) M) and the lipoxygenase inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid (10(-5) M) inhibited this response whereas the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, diclofenac sodium (10(-5) M), and the thromboxane synthetase inhibitor imidazole (10(-5) M) did not. It appears that metabolites of arachidonic acid dependent on lipoxygenase are involved in the contractile response of the rat testicular capsule to oxytocin.

The selective effects of indomethacin on contractile responses of the isolated rat uterus

These studies were initiated to examine the effects of indomethacin on uterine contractile responses to oxytocin, carbachol, bradykinin, angiotension II and isoproterenol. Isolated uterine horns used in this study were removed from immature (21 days old) ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats (40-50 gm). Pre-treatment of uterine horns with indomethacin (10(-3) M) for periods of 15,30,60,90, and 180 seconds resulted in maximal inhibition of oxytocin-induced contractions by 15 seconds. In an indomethacin dose-response study, oxytocin-induced contractions were completely eliminated by a dose of indomethacin of 10(-3) M. Utilizing doses of indomethacin (3.5 X 10(-4) and 5.0 X 10(-4) M) that significantly reduced oxytocin-induced contractions by 48 and 77% respectively, contractile responses induced by carbachol (10(-6) M), bradykinin (10(-6) M), and angiotension II (4 X 10(-11) M) were not significantly reduced. Relaxation of uterine smooth muscle by isoproterenol (10(-5) M) in the presence of carbachol (10(-5) M) was not altered by indomethacin pretreatment. Data from this study demonstrate that indomethacin selectively inhibits oxytocin-induced uterine contractions in the immature rat.

Identification of serotonin M-receptor subtypes and their specific blockade by a new class of drugs

We describe a new class of drugs that selectively block serotonin M-receptors on peripheral neurones. Because of their high affinity, some of these drugs are the most potent of any pharmacological class yet reported. They have allowed the identification of three M-receptor subtypes, one of which is responsible for mediating the painful effects of serotonin in humans.

Prostaglandins and the contractile effect of angiotensin I and II in the uterus isolated from ovariectomized rats. Influences of indomethacin and 17-beta estradiol

The purpose of the present study was to explore whether, the stimulating contractile action of angiotensin II (AII) or of angiotensin I (AI), in uterine strips isolated from rats, either spayed or spayed and injected with 17-beta estradiol, was somehow linked to tissue generated prostaglandins (PGs). Indomethacin (10(-6)M), shifted to the left the dose-response curve for AII in preparations from ovariectomized animals; augmenting both, the efficacy and the potency of the agonist. Dose-response curves for AII were also explored in the presence of subthreshold concentrations of several exogenous PGs. PGE2 (10(-9) M) completely abolished the influence of indomethacin on the curve for AII; PGD2 (10(-9) M) did not evoke effects and PGF2 alpha (10(-9) M) only altered the threshold dose, the rest of the curve remaining similar to that obtained with indomethacin alone. The cumulative dose-response curve for AI, in strips isolated from ovariectomized rats, was comparable to that for AII and, the presence of indomethacin, only reduced the concentration for the threshold action of AI, in comparison to controls. Captopril (100 ng/ml), shifted to the right the dose-response curve for AI and indomethacin failed to alter the effects of AI in the presence of captopril. In strips isolated from ovariectomized rats, injected with 17-beta estradiol, the low concentration points of the dose-response curve for AII were shifted to the left of those for the agonist in control preparations from spayed rats not treated with estradiol. Furthermore, indomethacin failed to alter the responses to AII in strips from spayed animals injected with 17-beta estradiol. The foregoing results document that an inhibitor of tissue PGs synthesis, namely indomethacin, is able to modify the dose-response curve for AII, rather than that for AI, in the uterus from ovariectomized rats, but not in preparations from spayed animals treated with estradiol. This, as well as the effect of a subthreshold dose of PGs, suggest that a minimum of PGE2 is required for the contractile influence of AII and not for that of AI. Moreover, the absence of estrogen dominance appears, as well, as a crucial factor for the action of AII.

Peptidoleukotriene binding in guinea pig uterine membrane preparations

Peptidoleukotrienes are known to be potent smooth muscle contractile agents in many tissues, including guinea pig uterus. In order to characterize the receptors at which the leukotrienes interact, guinea pig uteri were homogenized in 50mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.4 at 4 degrees C and centrifuged at 1000xg for 10 min. The supernatant was centrifuged at 40,000 xg and the washed pellet was used to measure the binding of 3H-LTC4 and 3H-LTD4. Specific binding of 3H-LTD4 was not detected, but specific, saturable binding of 3H-LTC4 was measured at 4 degrees C, was complete in 10 min. and was rapidly reversible on addition of unlabeled LTC4. Binding was linear with protein concentration and stimulated by CaCl2 and L-serine borate. Scatchard and kinetic analysis of binding in the presence of calcium suggested a Kd of 10-12 nM. LTC4 was a more potent competitor of binding than LTD4 (IC50 - 40nM and 30 microM, respectively). FPL 55712 inhibited binding from 10-100 microM but stimulated binding at lower concentrations. Thus, the guinea pig uterus has specific receptors for LTC4, but not LTD4, that can be demonstrated by radioligand binding.