ABSTRACT
The discovery that 1,4-dihydropyridine [DHP] class of calcium channel antagonist inhibits the Ca+° influx represented a major therapeutic advance in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, angina pectoris and other spastic smooth muscle disorders. A novel class of calcium channel antagonist of flunarizine containing arylpiperazinyl moiety has recently been reported. It was therefore of interest to determine the effect that selected C-3 substituents contained amino alkyl and arylpiperazine, in conjunction with a C-4 1-methyl-5-nitro-2-imidazolyl substituents on calcium channel antagonist activity. The unsymmetrical analogues were prepared by a procedure reported by Meyer in which 1-methyl-5-nitro-imidazol-2-carboxaldehyde was reacted with acetoacetic esters and alkyl 3-aminocrotonate. In vitro calcium channel antagonist activities were determined by the use of high K+ contraction of guinea pig ileal longitudinal smooth muscle. All compounds exhibited comparable calcium channel antagonist activity [IC50=10[-9] to 10[-11] M] against reference drug nifedipine [IC50=2.75 +/- 0.36 x 10[-10] M]