Effects of trimebutine maleate (TM-906) on the spontaneous contraction of isolated duodenum and ileum in both guinea pigs and rabbits

New Potentiometric Screen-printed Sensors for Determination of Trimebutine Drug in Tablets, Serum and Urine Samples

A new sensit4e and select4e modified screen printed electrodes (MSPEs) and carbon paste electrodes (MCPEs) were studied in order to determine trimbutine maleate (TM) in pure, tablets, urine, and serum samples. These sensors were embodied with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) since it improved the quality of the sensors in presence of potassium tetrakis (p-chlorophenyl) borate (KTpClPB) ionophore. A good Nernstian response for the constructed sensors, at optimum paste composition, was exhibited for determination of TM in concentration range of 1.5 × 10^-7 - 1.0 × 10^-2 and 1.0 × 10^-7- 1.0 × 10^-2 mol L^-1 at 25 °C with detection limit of 1.5 × 10^-7 and 1.0 × 10^-7 mol L^-1 for MCPE and MSPE, respect4ely. It seemed that the potential of the electrodes was independent on pH in the range of 2.0-8.0, 2.0-8.5, 2.0-8.5, and 2.0-9.0 g4ing slope as 56.77 ± 1.11, 57.82 ± 0.54, 57.95 ± 0.37, and 58.99 ± 0.28 mV decade^-1 for electrodes 1, 2, 3 and 4, respect4ely. MCPEs and MSPEs gave response time about 8 and 6 s with long lifetime (more than 3 and 5 months), respect4ely. A high select4ity of sensors was observed for TM regarding to a large number of interfering species. The constructed sensors were successfully applied for determination of TM in pure form, its pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids using standard addition, calibration, and potentiometric titration methods with high precision and accuracy. The results showed a good agreement between the proposed method and the HPLC official method.

Trimebutine maleate relaxes the isolated rat thoracic aorta: The role of nitric oxide and L-type calcium channels

Trimebutine maleate (TMB), a widely prescribed drug for functional gastrointestinal disorders, has been reported to regulate smooth muscle contractility by modulating multiple ion channel activities in the gastrointestinal tract. However, its action on isolated aorta has not yet been reported. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in vitro vasorelaxant properties and the underlying pharmacological mechanisms of TMB in isolated rat thoracic aortic rings. Vascular activity experiments were performed on thoracic aorta isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats in vitro, including endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded aortic rings. TMB (10^-10 -10^-5  mol/L) induced relaxation in endothelium-intact aortic rings precontracted by phenylephrine with a potency similar to that of carbachol. TMB-induced relaxation was not altered by glibenclamide and atropine in endothelium-intact aortic rings. However, L-NAME and endothelium denudation significantly reduced but not completely reversed the vasorelaxant effect of TMB. Also, TMB-induced relaxation wasn't affected by diclofenac in endothelium-intact aortic rings. TMB at 10^-5  mol/L significantly reduced the CaCl₂ -induced contractions in endothelium-intact aortic rings stimulated with KCl, but not stimulated with phenylephrine under Ca²⁺ free conditions. Moreover, TMB at 10^-5  mol/L effectively attenuated Bay-K8644-induced contractions in aortic rings. These results suggest that TMB-induced relaxation was mediated by both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent manner in isolated rat thoracic aorta. The mechanism of TMB-induced relaxation at low concentrations is partially related to NO- and endothelium-dependent but unrelated to prostanoids formation. However, inhibition of Ca²⁺ influx through voltage-operated calcium channels and L-type Ca²⁺ channel blocking effect appears to be involved in the mechanism of vasorelaxant effect of TMB at high concentrations.

Trimebutine as a modulator of gastrointestinal motility

Trimebutine has been used for treatment of both hypermotility and hypomotility disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, such as irritable bowel syndrome. In this issue, Tan et al. (2011) examined the concentration-dependent dual effects of trimebutine on colonic motility in guinea pig. The authors suggested that trimebutine attenuated colonic motility mainly through the inhibition of L-type Ca(2+) channels at higher concentrations, whereas, at lower concentrations, it depolarized membrane potentials by reducing BK(ca) currents, resulting in the enhancement of the muscle contractions. Trimebutine might be a plausible modulator of GI motility, which gives an insight in developing new prokinetic agents. Further studies to elucidate the effects of trimebutine on the interstitial cells of Cajal, the pacemaker in GI muscles would promote the therapeutic benefits as a GI modulator.

Effects of trimebutine maleate on colonic motility through Ca²+-activated K+ channels and L-type Ca²+ channels

The effects of trimebutine maleate (TM) on spontaneous contractions of colonic longitudinal muscle were investigated in guinea pigs. The contractile responses of smooth muscle strips were recorded by an isometric force transducer. Membrane and action potentials were detected by an intracellular microelectrode technique. The whole-cell patch clamp recording technique was used to record the changes in large conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(ca)) and L-type Ca(2+) currents in colonic smooth muscle cells. At high concentrations (30, 100, and 300 μM), TM inhibited the amplitude of spontaneous contractions. At low concentrations (1 and 10 μM), TM attenuated the frequency and tone of smooth muscle strips, whereas TM had no influence on the amplitude of spontaneous contractions. TM depolarized the membrane potentials, but decreased the amplitude and frequency of action potentials at high concentrations. TM inhibited BK(ca) and L-type Ca(2+) currents in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of the BK(ca) channel opener, NS1619, TM also inhibited BK(ca) currents. Bayk8644, a L-type Ca(2+) channel opener, increased L-type Ca(2+) currents. This augmentation was also attenuated by TM. These results suggest that TM attenuates intestinal motility through inhibition of L-type Ca(2+) currents, and depolarizes membrane potentials by reducing BK(ca) currents. Thus, TM may be a multiple-ion channel regulator in the gastrointestinal tract.

Effectiveness of trimebutine maleate on modulating intestinal hypercontractility in a mouse model of postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome

Trimebutine maleate, which modulates the calcium and potassium channels, relieves abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. However, its effect on postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome is not clarified. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of trimebutine maleate on modulating colonic hypercontractility in a mouse model of postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome. Mice infected up to 8 weeks with T. spiralis underwent abdominal withdrawal reflex to colorectal distention to evaluate the visceral sensitivity at different time points. Tissues were examined for histopathology scores. Colonic longitudinal muscle strips were prepared in the organ bath under basal condition or to be stimulated by acetylcholine and potassium chloride, and consecutive concentrations of trimebutine maleate were added to the bath to record the strip responses. Significant inflammation was observed in the intestines of the mice infected 2 weeks, and it resolved in 8 weeks after infection. Visceral hyperalgesia and colonic muscle hypercontractility emerged after infection, and trimebutine maleate could effectively reduce the colonic hyperreactivity. Hypercontractility of the colonic muscle stimulated by acetylcholine and high K(+) could be inhibited by trimebutine maleate in solution with Ca(2+), but not in Ca(2+) free solution. Compared with 8-week postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome group, 2-week acute infected strips were much more sensitive to the stimulators and the drug trimebutine maleate. Trimebutine maleate was effective in reducing the colonic muscle hypercontractility of postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome mice. The findings may provide evidence for trimebutine maleate to treat postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome patients effectively.

Effect of trimebutine on voltage-activated calcium current in rabbit ileal smooth muscle cells

1. The effect of trimebutine on the voltage-dependent inward Ca2+ current was investigated by the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique in single smooth muscle cells from rabbit ileum. 2. Trimebutine (3-100 microM) reduced the Ca2+ current in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect on the Ca2+ current was also dependent on the holding potential. The Ca2+ current after a low holding potential was inhibited to a greater extent than that after a high membrane potential: the IC50 values were 7 microM and 36 microM at holding potentials of -40 mV and -60 mV, respectively. The Ca2+ current elicited from a holding potential of -80 mV could not be reduced by as much as 50% of the control by trimebutine at concentrations as high as 100 microM. 3. Trimebutine (30 microM) shifted the voltage-dependent inactivation curve for the Ca2+ current by 18 mV in the negative direction. The affinity of the drug for Ca2+ channels was calculated to be 36 times higher in the inactivated state than in the closed-available state. 4. Blockade of the Ca2+ current by trimebutine, unlike verapamil, was not use-dependent. 5. The results suggest that trimebutine inhibits the voltage-dependent inward Ca2+ current through a preferential binding to Ca2+ channels in the inactivated state in the smooth muscle cell from rabbit ileum. The inhibitory effect of trimebutine on gastrointestinal motility is discussed in the light of the present findings.

Effect of trimebutine on K+ current in rabbit ileal smooth muscle cells

The effect of trimebutine on the K+ current in rabbit ileal smooth muscle cells was investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Trimebutine (10 microM) inhibited an outward current consisting of a Ca(2+)-dependent K+ current (IKCa) and Ca(2+)-independent K+ current (IKv), elicited by stepping from -80 to -20 mV or more positive. Trimebutine reduced dose dependently the IKv amplitude with an IC50 of 7.6 microM and IKCa amplitude with an IC50 of 23.5 microM. The IKv inhibition was neither voltage- nor use-dependent. Trimebutine (1-100 microM) decreased the amplitude and discharge rate of spontaneous transient outward currents. Trimebutine (30 microM) produced a sustained membrane depolarization of about 10 mV accompanied by a decrease in membrane conductance. The results suggest that the excitatory effects of trimebutine on the gastrointestinal tract may be attributable to the inhibitory action on the K+ current.

Allosteric interaction of trimebutine maleate with dihydropyridine binding sites

The effects of trimebutine maleate on [3H]nitrendipine binding to guinea-pig ileal smooth muscle membranes and Ca2(+)-induced contraction of the taenia cecum were studied. Specific binding of [3H]nitrendipine to smooth muscle membranes was saturable, with a KD value and maximum number of binding sites (Bmax) of 0.16 nM and 1070 fmol/mg protein, respectively. Trimebutine inhibited [3H]nitrendipine binding in a concentration-dependent manner with a Ki value of 9.3 microM. In the presence of trimebutine (10 microM), Scatchard analysis indicated a competitive-like inhibition with a decrease in the binding affinity (0.31 nM) without a change in Bmax (1059 fmol/mg protein). However, a dissociation experiment using trimebutine (10 or 100 microM) showed that the decreased affinity was due to an increase of the dissociation rate constant of [3H]nitrendipine binding to the membrane. In mechanical experiments using the taenia cecum, trimebutine (3-30 microM) caused a parallel rightward shift of the dose-response curve for the contractile response to a higher concentration range of Ca2+ under high-K+ conditions in a noncompetitive manner. These results suggest that trimebutine has negative allosteric interactions with 1,4-dihydropyridine binding sites on voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels and antagonizes Ca2+ influx, consequently inhibiting contractions of intestinal smooth muscle.

Trimebutine maleate has inhibitory effects on the voltage-dependent Ca2+ inward current and other membrane currents in intestinal smooth muscle cells

We examined effects of trimebutine maleate on the membrane currents of the intestinal smooth muscle cells by using the tight-seal whole cell clamp technique. Trimebutine suppressed the Ba2+ inward current through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of trimebutine on the Ba2+ inward current was not use-dependent. It shifted the steady-state inactivation curve to the left along the voltage axis. Trimebutine also had inhibitory effects on the other membrane currents of the cells, such as the voltage-dependent K+ current, the Ca2(+)-activated oscillating K+ current and the acetylcholine-induced inward current. These relatively non-specific inhibitory effects of trimebutine on the membrane currents may explain, at least in part, the dual actions of the drug on the intestinal smooth muscle contractility, i.e. inhibitory as well as excitatory.

Simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatography assay of two metabolites of 6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate, a new antianginal drug, and its application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats

An HPLC technique has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 6-chloro-2-pyridine methanol (5) and 6-chloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid (3), two metabolites of 6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate, a new antianginal drug, in rat plasma. The plasma sample was placed on a Bond Elut C18 column and the compounds were eluted with 250 microL of the mobile phase. A 50-150-microL aliquot was injected onto the HPLC column. No interfering substances were observed in the plasma of a normal rat. The calibration curves for both 5 and 3 were linear from 0.1 to 50 micrograms/mL. However, the quantitative detection of the two additional metabolites, N-(6-chloro-2-pyridylcarbonyl)-glycine (1) and N-acetyl-S-(6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl)-L-cysteine (2) was not satisfactory. The metabolic pathway of 6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate in vivo was studied in male rats which were dosed separately with 6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate, 5, and 3. After intravenous injection of 6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate, the unchanged drug was determined by a GC method that was also developed by us and reported in another paper. 6-Chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate was rapidly metabolized, and the metabolites were detected as early as 1 min after 6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate administration. The parent compound then declined rapidly and 3 formation was confirmed in the rat plasma. 6-Chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate is extensively metabolized to 3 via 5 formation, and 3 is the main metabolite in rat plasma.

Disposition of 6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl nitrate, a new anti-anginal compound, in rats and dogs

1. The absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of 6-chloro-2- pyridylmethyl nitrate, a new anti-anginal compound, were investigated in rats and dogs after intravenous and peroral administration of the 14C-labelled or unlabelled drug. 2. The half-lives of plasma levels for the alpha and beta phase and systemic availability were 6 min, 42 min and 26-50% respectively in rats, and 8 min, 66 min and 5% respectively in dogs. 3. Radioactivity was rapidly distributed in the tissues of rats, and recovered mainly in the 0-24 h urine (95% of dose within 24 h) with no excretion in the expired air. 4. Several metabolites were detected on t.l.c. of rat and dog urine, and four were identified as N-(chloro-2-pyridylcarbonyl)-glycine (M1, 56%), N-acetyl-S-(6- chloro-2-pyridylmethyl)-L-cysteine (M2, 29%), 6-chloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid (M3, 5%) and 6-chloro-2-pyridylmethyl. beta-D-glucuronate (M4, 7%). No unchanged drug was excreted.