The positive inotropic action of the nifedipine analogue, Bay K 8644, in guinea-pig and rat isolated cardiac preparations

Integration of mechanical conditioning into a high throughput contractility assay for cardiac safety assessment

INDUCTION

Despite increasing acceptance of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) in safety pharmacology, controversy remains about the physiological relevance of existing in vitro models for their mechanical testing. We hypothesize that existing signs of immaturity of the cell models result from an improper mechanical environment. With the presented study, we aimed at validating the newly developed FLEXcyte96 technology with respect to physiological responses of hiPSC-CMs to pharmacological compounds with known inotropic and/or cardiotoxic effects.

METHODS

hiPSC-CMs were cultured in a 96-well format on hyperelastic silicone membranes imitating their native mechanical environment. Cardiomyocyte contractility was measured contact-free by application of capacitive displacement sensing of the cell-membrane biohybrids. Acute effects of positive inotropic compounds with distinct mechanisms of action were examined. Additionally, cardiotoxic effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and anthracyclines were repetitively examined during repeated exposure to drug concentrations for up to 5 days.

RESULTS

hiPSC-CMs grown on biomimetic membranes displayed increased contractility responses to isoproterenol, S-Bay K8644 and omecamtiv mecarbil without the need for additional stimulation. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib, vandetanib, nilotinib, gefitinib, A-674563 as well as anthracycline idarubicin showed the expected cardiotoxic effects, including negative inotropy and induction of proarrhythmic events.

DISCUSSION

We conclude that the FLEXcyte 96 system is a reliable high throughput tool for invitro cardiac contractility research, providing the user with data obtained under physiological conditions which resemble the native environment of human heart tissue. We showed that the results obtained for both acute and sub-chronic compound administration are consistent with the respective physiological responses in humans.

Protective Action of Amlodipine on Cardiac Negative Inotropism Induced by Lipopolysaccharide in Rats

Amlodipine has been shown to prevent decrease in vascular responsiveness induced by injection of Salmonella typhosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS); however, there is no study reporting if this protection by amlodipine extends to ventricular contractility. Therefore, we have investigated in rat isolated right ventricle strips contracted by electrical stimulation (1 and 3 Hz and subsequently 1 Hz) whether pre-treatment with amlodipine (15 mg/kg orally for 1 week) precludes the decrease in ventricular contractility related to the induction of nitric oxide synthase stimulated by LPS injection (4 mg/kg intraperitoneally). The induction of septic shock was confirmed in isolated aortic rings from LPS-injected rats by verifying that the contractile response to 1 microM noradrenaline had been (i) decreased after LPS injection and (ii) markedly potentiated by the addition of 10 microM l-arginine. The injection of saline to untreated and amlodipine-treated rats produced a non-significant effect on right ventricular contractility during 180 min. at 3 Hz; the recovery of the contractile response was improved when the stimulation frequency was subsequently returned to 1 Hz after 30 min. In contrast, injection of LPS to untreated and amlodipine-treated rats (amlodipine + LPS) produced a decrease in right ventricular contractility during 180 min. at 3 Hz, an effect that was more pronounced in LPS than in amlodipine-treated rats. These ex vivo results obtained after LPS injection suggest that amlodipine may have inhibited, at least in part, the induction of nitric oxide synthase with a resulting preclusion of the cardiovascular failure produced by septic shock.

New Insights into the Therapeutic Mechanism of Action of Calcium Channel Blockers in Salt-Dependent Hypertension: Their Interaction with Endothelin Gene Expression

It appears that the beneficial action of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) in hypertension may be related to short-term and long-term effects. This paper summarises pharmacological studies aiming to characterise those effects. The primary consequence of the short-term effects is the decrease of blood pressure related to a selective interaction of CCBs with calcium channels in hypertensive vessels. The long-term effects may additionally control the disease through prevention of end organ damage, accompanying the interaction of CCBs with the pathways, leading to the re-expression of embryonic genes and to the overactivation of type I collagen gene, which are amplified by a high-salt diet. ET-1 and tumour growth factor beta-1 could be among the main factors activating those pathways. The processes leading to overexpression of those factors and to tissue remodelling may be controlled by lacidipine, independent of the reduction of blood pressure.

Selective cardiodepressant activity of fluodipine, a fluorenone-1,4-dihydropyridine derivative

The effect of the dihydropyridine derivative, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(fluorenon-4-yl)pyridine-3,5-dicarboxyl ic acid diallyl ester (fluodipine) was studied in vitro in different rabbit, rat and guinea pig preparations and in vivo in the rabbit in order to characterize its pharmacological profile at cardiac and at vascular sites. Compared to nifedipine, fluodipine showed a similar cardiodepressant activity, and a much lower inhibitory activity on vascular contraction. The highest tissue selectivity was observed in guinea pig preparations: fluodipine was about 2-3 times more effective than nifedipine on chronotropism and inotropism in isolated atria, and about 150 times less effective on aortic strip contraction. Accordingly, fluodipine (i) showed high-affinity binding to guinea pig ventricular L-type cardiac Ca2+ channels (Ki=2.57 nM), (ii) was about 80 times less effective than nifedipine to inhibit Ca2+ influx in vascular smooth muscle cells and (iii) induced a significant reduction of heart rate in the anesthetized rabbit (ID25=8.5 mg kg(-1), i.v.) without affecting the blood pressure up to 20 mg kg(-1), whereas nifedipine showed a significant hypotensive effect at very low doses (ID25=0.18 mg kg(-1), i.v.). The pacemaker current If of rabbit sino-atrial node myocytes was not affected by fluodipine. These findings demonstrate that fluodipine exerts selective cardiodepressant activity, likely due to a higher affinity for cardiac than for vascular Ca2+ channels.

3-and 4-substituted 4H-pyrido[4,3-e]-1,2,4-thiadiazine 1,1-dioxides as potassium channel openers: synthesis, pharmacological evaluation, and structure-activity relationships

4-N-Substituted and -unsubstituted 3-alkyl- and 3-(alkylamino)-4H-pyrido[4,3-e]-1,2,4-thiadiazine 1,1-dioxides were synthesized and tested vs diazoxide and selected 3-alykl- and 3-(alkylamino)-7-chloro-4H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1,1-dioxides as potassium channel openers on pancreatic and vascular tissues. Several 4-N-unsubstituted 3-(alkylamino)pyridothiadiazines and some 3-(alkylamino)-7-chlorobenzothiadiazines were found to be more potent than diazoxide for the inhibition of the insulin-releasing process. Moreover, the 3-(alkylamino)pyridothiadiazines appeared to be more selective for the pancreatic than for the vascular tissue. By means of the pharmacological results obtained on pancreatic B-cells, structure--activity relationships were deduced and a pharmacophoric model for the interaction of these drugs with their receptor site associated to the pancreatic K(ATP) channel was proposed. According to their selectivity for the B-cell (endocrine tissue) vs the vascular (smooth muscle tissue) ionic channel, selected 3-(alkylamino)-4H-pyrido[4,3-e]-1,2,4,-thiadiazine 1,1-dioxides may serve as pharmacological tools in studying the K(ATP) channels ("pancreatic-like" K(ATP) channels) in other tissues.

Cardiovascular selectivity of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives, efonidipine (NZ-105), nicardipine and structure related compounds in isolated guinea-pig tissues

1. The cardiovascular selectivities of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives, efonidipine (NZ-105), nicardipine, 3NZ5NIC (the drug with NZ-105-type side-chain at C3 position and nicardipine-type at C5) and 3NIC5NZ (the drug with nicardipine-type side chain at C3 and NZ-105-type at C5) were studied in vitro. 2. All four compounds caused relaxation of guinea-pig aortae precontracted with a high K+. The pEC50 values were 7.5, 8.3, 8.1 and 5.6, for NZ-105, nicardipine, 3NIC5NZ and 3NZ5NIC, respectively. The relaxation produced by NZ-105 was slower in onset than those produced by the other compounds. The rate constant K(hr-1) of the relaxations were 0.59, 1.31, 1.02 and 1.24, for NZ-105, nicardipine, 3NIC5NZ and 3NZ5NIC, respectively. 3. In the electrically paced guinea-pig papillary muscles, NZ-105, 3NIC5NZ and 3NZ5NIC, even at concentrations as high as 10(-6) M, slightly decreased the contractile force (by 44.9 +/- 7.1%, 58.6 +/- 5.4% and 52.2 +/- 3.9%, respectively), whereas 10(-6) M nicardipine decreased the force by 84.9 +/- 3.3%. The negative inotropic effect of NZ-105 and 3NIC5NZ, but not that of 3NZ5NIC or nicardipine, was over 10 times weaker than their vasorelaxant effect. 4. In the guinea-pig right atria, NZ-105 and nicardipine at 10(-8) M decreased the spontaneous contraction rate by 67.9 +/- 15.0% and 39.7 +/- 15.4%, respectively. 3NIC5NZ at 3 x 10(-9) M and 3NZ5NIC at 3 x 10(-8) M had little effect on the rate, whereas 10(-8) M 3NIC5NZ and 10(-7) M 3NZ5NIC arrested the beating within 3 hr after administration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Calcium antagonists and vasodilatation

Calcium antagonists comprise a diverse group of chemically unrelated agents that interact with voltage-operated calcium channels (L-type) and thereby inhibit smooth muscle contractility. They are used to treat several major cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension and angina pectoris; they are also studied in congestive heart failure and in atherosclerosis. The current view is that their therapeutic action is related to vasodilatation. This view is an oversimplification, as will be shown in this review. It will also be illustrated that all calcium antagonists are not identical pharmacological agents.

Cardioselectivity of calcium antagonists

Calcium antagonists comprise a diverse group of chemically unrelated agents that interact with voltage-operated calcium channels (L-type) and thereby inhibit smooth muscle and cardiac contractility. Although they interact with the alpha 1 subunit of voltage-operated calcium channels, all calcium antagonists are not identical pharmacological agents. They are not only different from a chemical point of view, but also because some of them exhibit tissue selectivity, being more powerful blockers of the contraction of arteries than of cardiac muscle. The current view that their major therapeutic action is related to vasodilation is an oversimplification, as their action is more complex and may be related to factors other than hemodynamic ones.

Positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects of (-)-cis-diltiazem in rat isolated atria

1. The cardiovascular effects of (-)-cis-diltiazem, an optical isomer of diltiazem, were studied in the isolated atrium and aortic strip. (-)-cis-Diltiazem (30 microM or more) increased the developed tension of the rat left atrium, while (+)-cis-diltiazem (1 microM or more) decreased it. 2. (-)-cis-Diltiazem (1 to 100 microM) decreased the rate of spontaneous beating in the right atrium as did (+)-cis-diltiazem. 3. The potency of the positive inotropic action of (-)-cis-diltiazem was almost the same as that of ouabain in the rat left atrium, but in the guinea-pig left atrium it was considerably weaker than that of ouabain. 4. In both endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded aortic strips, (-)-cis-diltiazem relaxed the Ca(2+)-induced contraction. In the endothelium-intact rat aortic strip depolarized by 15 mM KCl, Bay K 8644, a calcium channel agonist, increased the contractile force, whereas (-)-cis-diltiazem did not. 5. These results indicate that (-)-cis-diltiazem has a positive inotropic action in isolated atria in rats and guinea-pigs, but the mode of positive inotropic action of (-)-cis-diltiazem is different from that of ouabain or Bay K 8644.

Postnatal maturation of excitation-contraction coupling in rat ventricle in relation to the subcellular localization and surface density of 1,4-dihydropyridine and ryanodine receptors

To better understand excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle, we investigated the main Ca2+ channels involved in that process in adult and neonatal rat ventricle. Voltage-dependent (L-type) Ca2+ channels and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channels were labeled by means of [3H] (+)-PN200-110 and [3H]ryanodine, respectively. The number of [3H]ryanodine binding sites (per gram tissue) increased more than that of [3H] (+)-PN200-110 binding sites over the postnatal period (2.1-fold versus 1.35-fold, respectively). After equilibration of microsomal fractions in density gradient, ryanodine receptors were characterized by a heavy distribution pattern that did not change appreciably between days 1 and 30 after birth. In neonatal tissue, 1,4-dihydropyridine receptors were found mainly in low-density subfractions, together with other sarcolemmal constituents, whereas in adult tissue, they were recovered predominantly in high-density subfractions, together with ryanodine receptors. Thus, after birth, and in parallel with the development of T tubules, there was a progressive concentration of L-type Ca2+ channels in junctional structures of high equilibrium density, where they were situated close to the Ca2+ release channels of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. In adult ventricle, L-type channels were, on an average, threefold more abundant in T tubules than in external sarcolemma. In parallel mechanical studies, we found that the inhibitory action of ryanodine on systolic contraction was much more pronounced in adult than in neonatal right ventricle, and that, conversely, neonatal tissue was more sensitive that adult tissue to inhibitors of L-type channels. We conclude that, in view of the presumed mechanism of Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, that is, Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release, the predominant localization in adult rat ventricle of the major Ca2+ entry pathway in the vicinity of the Ca2+ release pathway is of great functional significance. Furthermore, owing to the relative stoichiometry of Ca2+ entry and Ca2+ release channels in junctional structures (about 1:9), a physical link between these channels is not likely to be involved in the modulation of Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum in cardiac muscle.

Two subtypes of dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channels in rat ventricular muscle

Two opposite inotropic effects of the dihydropyridine activators, CGP 28392 and Bay K 8644, given at the same concentration (1-2 microM) were found in rat papillary muscles: a positive effect in polarized tissue (4 mM KCl) and a negative one during partial depolarization. The depressive effect found at a low rate or after a short rest was associated with marked prolongation of the Ca2(+)-mediated action potential, indicating that the drugs behave as Ca channel stimulators. The depressive effect of the activation on the resting state contraction was antagonized by nifedipine (2 microM) and high Mg2+ (5 mM). It was suggested that at least two subtypes of the L-type, dihydropyridine-sensitive channels underlie the opposite inotropic responses of the activators. The positive effect is apparently caused by conventional stimulation of Ca2+ entry through the cell membrane, whereas the negative effect is probably due to the stimulation of Ca2+ efflux from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, leading to depletion of intracellular stores. The effect was proposed to be mediated by activation of junctional channels linked to sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release. An important role for these channels in triggering the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release and regulation of force-frequency relation is proposed.

Pharmacodynamics of BAY K 8644 alone and in combination with dobutamine in the isolated rabbit heart

The haemodynamic effects of the Ca-agonist BAY K 8644 alone and in combination with the selective beta-I-adrenoceptor agonist dobutamine were studied in the isolated rabbit heart. BAY K 8644 produced a concentration-dependent increase in contraction amplitude and shortening velocity, oxygen consumption and heart rate. In combination with a small fixed concentration of dobutamine (40 nM), Bay K 8644 produced similar alterations. When Bay K 8644 was infused at a fixed concentration (38 nM), dobutamine likewise produced similar increments in contraction amplitude, shortening velocity and heart rate, whereas oxygen consumption was considerably argumented. Both BAY K 8644 and dobutamine showed definite positive inotropic effects in the isolated rabbit heart. Combination of the two drugs did not yield a stronger positive inotropic effect than that seen on single drug administration, and oxygen consumption was even increased.

Stereoisomers of BAY K 8644 show opposite activities in the normal and ischaemic rat heart. A comparison with nifedipine

The effects of the stereoisomers and the racemate of the calcium agonist BAY K 8644 and the calcium antagonist nifedipine were studied on the Langendorff-perfused rat heart, subjected to 30 min of global ischaemia. The results show that (-)- and (+/-)-BAY K 8644 induced a strong positive inotropic effect at 100 and 1000 nmol/l and a vasoconstricting effect which was most prominent at 1 and 10 nmol/l, respectively. At higher concentrations the flow reduction was inverted to a flow increase, closely related to the positive inotropic activity. The inotropic status induced by the agonist before the onset of ischaemia was reflected in an accelerated development of the diastolic contracture during ischaemia. During the reperfusion, a complex triphasic effect on the recovery was found, in which probably positive inotropism, vasoconstriction, metabolic and mechanical factors are involved. The (+)-enantiomer of BAY K 8644 behaved as a weak calcium antagonist showing merely vasodilatation, which accelerated the recovery from the ischaemic contracture at reperfusion. The calcium antagonistic, vasodilating effects of the (+)-enantiomer were expressed in the racemate only during the reperfusion phase, where it took an intermediate position between the effects of the (-)- and (+)-enantiomer. In contrast, nifedipine, at negative inotropic - energy saving - concentrations, diminished the height and delayed the development of the energy deprivation-induced left ventricular diastolic contracture during ischaemia. The time needed for recovery from the contracture during reperfusion was significantly shortened already at a 100 times lower, vasodilating concentration of nifedipine.

Pharmacologic and radioligand binding analysis of the actions of 1,4-dihydropyridine activators related to Bay K 8644 in smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and neuronal preparations

The structure-activity relationships of a series of 1,4-dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel activators, including Bay K 8644, have been determined by pharmacologic and radioligand binding techniques. Pharmacologic techniques included tension responses and the measurement of pA2 values for nifedipine antagonism of Bay K 8644 responses in guinea pig ileal, rat femoral and rat atrial and papillary muscle preparations. Radioligand binding experiments employed competition against [3H]nitrendipine binding in ileal smooth muscle and rat ventricular membranes and rat brain synaptosomal preparations. The series of compounds was employed as the racemates. Binding affinities were not significantly different between smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and brain preparations and the same rank order of pharmacologic activities is observed in smooth and cardiac muscle, where the effects of the 4-phenyl substituents, o greater than or equal to m greater than p, parallel those observed for 1,4-dihydropyridine antagonists. In the ileal and femoral artery smooth muscle preparations a 1:1 correlation is observed between pharmacologic and radioligand binding affinities. However, in the cardiac muscle preparations, left atrium and papillary muscle, there is an approximately 10-fold difference between the binding affinities and the lower pharmacologic affinities. A similar difference between smooth and cardiac muscle is observed with the pA2 values of 6.97 and 7.06 in atrial and papillary muscle respectively, which are significantly lower than the values of 8.54 and 8.72 measured in ileal and femoral artery respectively. The structure-activity expressions measured for this small series of 1,4-dihydropyridine activators parallel those observed in the larger series of 1,4-dihydropyridine antagonists. This is consistent with proposals that activators and antagonists interact at common binding sites that are components of a voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel.

Positive inotropic effects of calcium channel antagonists are not necessarily caused by partial calcium channel agonism

Recently it has been reported that some dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonists (nifedipine, nimodipine, nitrendipine) are able to produce positive inotropic effects in isolated perfused guinea pig hearts. We studied the effects of nifedipine in isolated perfused paced rat hearts under constant pressure and constant flow perfusion conditions. We found that nifedipine is able to produce a positive inotropic effect under constant pressure conditions but not under constant flow conditions. We conclude that nifedipine does not have partial calcium channel agonistic properties and that the positive inotropic effect seen under constant pressure conditions is a result of the vasodilating properties of the drug. Positive inotropic effects caused by vasodilatation can be explained by the "garden-hose-effect".

Properties of the inotropic response in rat papillary muscles to the dihydropyridine "Ca-channel activator" BAY K 8644

The aim of the present study was 1) to characterize qualitatively the positive inotropic effect of the Ca-channel activator BAY K 8644 and to compare this response to response-types with known and different relationship to the cyclic AMP (cAMP) system (e.g. responses elicited through alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation) and 2) to study the effect of simultaneous muscarinic cholinergic stimulation upon the BAY K 8644 response in order to further evaluate the role of the cAMP system in this response. The responses were evaluated in isolated, electrically paced, isometrically contracting papillary muscles from rat heart. Isometric tension (Tmax), rate of rise and decline of tension (first derivative = T') and rate of transition from tension rise to tension decline (negative part of second derivative = T") were recorded. In the presence of the alpha 1-adrenergic receptor blocker prazosin (10(-7) mol/l) and the beta-adrenergic receptor blocker timolol (10(-6) mol/l), the positive inotropic effect of 1.7 x 10(-6) mol/l BAY K 8644 developed rather slowly with a time to half maximal effect of about 4 minutes. Qualitatively the response was characterized by an almost proportional ("symmetrical") increase in all parts of the contraction-relaxation cycle with a small prolongation of time to peak tension and of the duration of the whole cycle. This response contrasted sharply with the cAMP-dependent response to beta-receptor stimulation (beta-type response with shortening of time to peak tension), but was very similar to the cAMP-independent response to alpha-receptor stimulation (alpha-type response).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The actions of peppermint oil and menthol on calcium channel dependent processes in intestinal, neuronal and cardiac preparations

The activities of menthol and peppermint oil were determined in guinea-pig ileal smooth muscle, in rat and guinea-pig atrial and papillary muscle, in rat brain synaptosomes and in chick retinal neurones by pharmacological 45Ca2+ uptake and radioligand binding assays. Menthol is a major constituent of peppermint oil and is approximately twice as potent as peppermint oil as an inhibitor of K+ depolarization-induced and electrically stimulated responses in ileum and electrically stimulated atrial and papillary muscles. IC50 values in the ileal preparation ranged from 7.7 to 28.1 micrograms ml-1 and in the cardiac preparations from 10.1 to 68.5 micrograms ml-1. Similar potencies were demonstrated against K+ depolarization-induced 45Ca2+ uptake in synaptosomes and against K+ depolarization and Bay K 8644-induced uptake in chick retinal neurons. IC50 values for menthol inhibition of K+ and Bay K 8644 responses in the retinal neurons were 1.1 x 10(-4) M (17.2 micrograms ml-1) and 1.75 x 10(-4) M (26.6 micrograms ml-1), respectively, and for peppermint oil were 20.3 and 41.7 micrograms ml-1 respectively. Both menthol and peppermint oil inhibited specific [3H]nitrendipine and [3H]PN 200-110 binding to smooth and cardiac muscle and neuronal preparations with potencies comparable to, but slightly lower than, those measured in the pharmacological and 45Ca2+ uptake experiments. Binding of menthol and peppermint oil, studied at 78 micrograms ml-1, was competitive against [3H]nitrendipine in both smooth muscle and synaptosome preparations. The data indicate that both menthol and peppermint oil exert Ca2+ channel blocking properties which may underlie their use in irritable bowel syndrome. Ca2+ channel antagonism may not be the only pharmacological effect of menthol and peppermint oil contributing to intestinal smooth muscle relaxation.

Biphasic inotropic effects of a Ca2+ channel activator CGP28392 in rat myocardium: possible relation to intracellular Ca2+ release

1. The inotropic effect of a Ca2+-entry stimulator, CGP28392, (CGP) was compared in rat and frog myocardium in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. 2. Frog preparations exhibited a persistent positive inotropic effect following prolonged treatment with CGP. 3. Compared to amphibian myocardium, rat ventricular muscle exhibited a biphasic time-dependent response to CGP: an initial increase in the twitch tension amplitude of 30% was changed to a reduction of 80% below the control level during prolonged exposure to CGP (stimulation frequency, 0.2 Hz). 4. Following prolonged incubation with CGP, the resting-state contraction was decreased and the negative force-frequency relation was converted into a positive one in rat muscle. 5. Since sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is the major source of Ca2+ in a rested-state contraction, inhibition by CGP suggests an additional, intracellular action of the Ca2+ channel activator on SR-Ca2+ release in rat myocardium.

Bay K 8644-induced changes in the ECG pattern of the rat and their inhibition by antianginal drugs

1. The effects of intracarotid administration of Bay K 8644 on the ECG pattern along with their reversal by antianginal drugs were investigated in anaesthetized rats. 2. Intracarotid injections of Bay K 8644 (0.5-50.0 micrograms kg-1) produced a dose-related transient increase in systemic blood pressure. 3. The pressor response was accompanied by ST segment elevation (0.5-10.0 micrograms kg-1), ST segment depression concomitant with the occurrence of arrhythmias (20.0 micrograms kg-1), or A-V block (50.0 micrograms kg-1). 4. ST segment elevation reached its maximal value within 15 s and could be observed for 30-240 s. 5. The increase in blood pressure was immediate (within 5 s) and short lasting (30-120 s). After the initial increase it returned to control levels (0.5-20.0 micrograms kg-1) or dropped below (50.0 micrograms kg-1). 6. The ST segment elevation caused by 5.0 micrograms kg-1 Bay K 8644 (submaximal dose) was blocked by antianginal drugs (e.g. nitroglycerin, nifedipine and diltiazem) and by the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor antagonist PK 11195. However, the pressor response was not blocked by any of the drugs used. 7. ST segment elevation (or depression) induced by intracarotid administration of Bay K 8644 provides a useful tool for the evaluation of potential antianginal drugs.

The actions of nifedipine and nisoldipine on the contractile activity of human coronary arteries and human cardiac tissue in vitro

We have studied the action of nifedipine and nisoldipine on the contractile activity of human isolated coronary arteries and human isolated auricular and ventricular muscles. Nisoldipine depressed dose dependently the spontaneous rhythmic contractions displayed by the coronary artery preparations and at 1 nM abolished these contractions. Nisoldipine was twenty times more potent than nifedipine as an inhibitor of increase in tone induced by depolarization (100 mM K+). The rhythmic activity induced by serotonin (10 microM) was about five times more sensitive to nisoldipine than to nifedipine. In both auricular and ventricular preparations, isoprenaline evoked an increase in the rate of force development and in the rate of relaxation. Nifedipine was five times (ventricular muscles) and ten times (auricular muscles) more potent than nisoldipine as a negative inotropic agent. The present observations in human isolated preparations indicate that nisoldipine shows a higher vascular selectivity than nifedipine.

Failure of the calcium channel activator, Bay K 8644, to increase the release of acetylcholine from nerve terminals in brain and diaphragm

The calcium channel activator Bay K 8644 did not increase the release of acetylcholine from rat brain cortex prisms incubated in the presence of 3 mmol l-1 or 25 mmol l-1 K+ nor from rat diaphragms incubated in the presence of 5 mmol l-1 or 25 mmol l-1 K+. It also did not influence the release of acetylcholine from cortex prisms incubated in the presence of 25 mmol l-1 K+ and of lowered concentrations of Ca2+ ions. It is concluded that the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in the nerve terminals, responsible for the depolarization-induced influx of Ca2+ ions into the nerve terminals and thus for the depolarization-evoked release of acetylcholine from the nerve terminals, are different from the voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in the heart and smooth muscle cells.

Selective inhibition by ethylisopropylamiloride of the positive inotropic effect evoked by low concentrations of ouabain in rat isolated ventricles

The biphasic positive inotropic effect of ouabain has been studied in rat ventricular strips in the presence of ethylisopropylamiloride (EIPA) an inhibitor of Na+/H+ exchange. EIPA (10-20 microM) depressed dose-dependently the high affinity component of the ouabain inotropic effect, whereas it did not significantly modify the low affinity inotropic effect related to high concentrations of ouabain. At the EIPA concentrations studied, there was no observable modification of the inotropic effect of Bay K 8644 (10 nM, 0.3 microM) or of isoprenaline (10 nM, 1 microM). These results indicate that the inotropic effect of ouabain resulting from its interaction with high affinity sites is selectively sensitive to EIPA.

Effects of Bay K 8644 on contraction of the human isolated bronchus and guinea-pig isolated trachea

The effects of Bay K 8644, a dihydropyridine which increases calcium flux through the potential-operated channels were studied on the contractions induced by histamine, acetylcholine, KCl and Ca2+ on human isolated bronchial strips and the results were compared to those obtained on guinea-pig isolated tracheal spirals. Subsequently the contractant effects of Bay K 8644 in K+-enriched medium and in the presence of Ca2+ 0.03 mM were investigated. In Krebs normal calcium medium, Bay K 8644 did not significantly modify the EC50 of acetylcholine or histamine on the human bronchus, but in concentrations of 10(-7)-10(-6)M it potentiated the effects of KCl on that preparation. It did not modify the EC50 of acetylcholine, histamine or KCl on the guinea-pig trachea. In Ca2+-free Krebs medium with additional K+ (30 mM), Ca2+ concentration-response curves were displaced to the left by Bay K 8644 in the two preparations. Shifts were 0.52 +/- 0.11 and 0.72 +/- 0.16 log units respectively with Bay K 8644 10(-8) and 10(-7) M on human bronchus (n = 4) and 0.67 +/- 0.16 and 1.06 +/- 0.19 log units respectively with Bay K 8644 10(-7) and 10(-6) M on the guinea-pig trachea (n = 5). In Krebs medium with Ca2+ 0.03 mM and K+ 30 mM, Bay K 8644 (10(-8) to 10(-6) M) contracted both the human bronchus and the guinea-pig isolated trachea. This effect was competitively antagonized by nicardipine. 5 These results demonstrate the presence of dihydropyridine sites of action on human bronchus and confirm the minor role played by Ca2+ influx through potential-operated channels in the contractile effects of acetylcholine or histamine. They also demonstrate the similar reactivity of human bronchus and guinea-pig isolated trachea to Bay K 8644.