S33005, a novel ligand at both serotonin and norepinephrine transporters: II. Behavioral profile in comparison with venlafaxine, reboxetine, citalopram, and clomipramine.

Reflecting its potent inhibition of serotonin (5-HT) reuptake (accompanying paper), S33005 blocked spontaneous tail-flicks induced by parachloroamphetamine in rats. This action was mimicked by the 5-HT reuptake inhibitor, citalopram, and the 5-HT/norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibitor, venlafaxine, whereas the preferential NE reuptake inhibitor, reboxetine, was inactive. Consistent with its less potent interaction with NE transporters, higher doses of S33005 attenuated induction of hypothermia by reserpine, an action mimicked by reboxetine and venlafaxine, whereas citalopram was ineffective. In mice, S33005 reduced immobility in forced-swim and tail-suspension procedures. It also inhibited marble-burying behavior and suppressed aggressive behavior between resident and intruder animals. In rats, S33005 generalized to a discriminative stimulus elicited by citalopram and attenuated hypnotic-sedative actions of the alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist, S18616. For these parameters, S33005 was a more potent agent (median, 1.2 mg/kg, s.c.) than venlafaxine, citalopram, reboxetine, or the tricyclic agent, clomipramine. Even at markedly higher doses (40.0-80.0 mg/kg, s.c.), S33005 little affected motor behavior. S33005 (10.0 mg/kg, s.c.) also increased responses in a learned helplessness paradigm in rats, whereas venlafaxine was ineffective. Finally, in a rat chronic mild-stress model, S33005 dose- (2.5-40.0 mg/kg) and time- (2-5 weeks) dependently enhanced sucrose consumption. Venlafaxine was likewise active in this procedure. In conclusion, in line with its inhibition of 5-HT and (less potently) NE reuptake, S33005 is active in a broad range of models suggestive of antidepressant activity. It exerts its actions more potently than venlafaxine and clomipramine, and its overall profile is distinct from those of citalopram and reboxetine.

Cardiovascular effects of SL65.0472, a 5-HT receptor antagonist.

In this study, we describe the cardiovascular effects of SL65.0472 (7-fluoro-2-oxo-4-[2-[4-(thieno[3,2-c] pyridin-4-yl) piperazin-l-yl] ethyl]-1, 2-dihydroquinoline-1-acetamide), a novel 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor antagonist developed for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, in several in vivo models. The haemodynamic profile of SL65.0472 was evaluated in anaesthetised dogs. Following i.v. bolus doses of 0.03 mg/kg i.v. and 0.3 mg/kg, no significant changes in cardiac output, contractility or rate, systemic and pulmonary pressures, regional blood flows and vascular resistances or electrocardiogram were noted. After 1 mg/kg i.v. SL65.0472 significantly reduced arterial blood pressure. In conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats administration of SL65.0472 0.5 mg/kg p.o. had no effect on mean arterial blood pressure or heart rate. Vasoconstriction produced by 5-HT results primarily from the stimulation of two receptor subtypes, 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(2A) receptors. In anaesthetised dogs SL65.0472 antagonised sumatriptan-induced decreases in saphenous vein diameter (5-HT(1B)-receptor mediated) with an ID(50) of 10.1 microg/kg i.v. (95% c.l. 8.3-12.4). In anaesthetised pithed rats SL65.0472 inhibited 5-HT pressor responses (5HT(2A)-receptor mediated) with ID(50) values of 1.38 microg/kg i.v. (95% c.l. 1.15-1.64) and 31.1 microg/kg p.o. (95% c.l. 22.6-42.6). The duration of the 5-HT(2A)-receptor antagonist effect of SL65.0472 following oral administration was evaluated in conscious rats. SL65.0472 (0.1 mg/kg p.o.) markedly inhibited 5-HT pressor responses 1 and 6 h after administration. Therefore, in vivo, SL65.0472 potently antagonises vasoconstriction mediated by 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(2A) receptors but has minimal direct haemodynamic effects.

Comparison of the haemodynamic profiles of elgodipine and nicardipine in the anaesthetized dog.

1. The haemodynamic profile of elgodipine (1-30 micrograms kg-1, i.v.), a new dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, has been compared directly with that of nicardipine (1-30 micrograms kg-1, i.v.) in chloralose-anaesthetized dogs. 2. Nicardipine produced dose-related systemic, pulmonary and coronary vasodilatation accompanied by reflex tachycardia, inotropy and increases in cardiac output and myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2). Elgodipine had similar vasodilator and hypotensive properties to nicardipine but produced less reflex inotropy, little or no reflex tachycardia and did not increase MVO2. 3. Both calcium antagonists were retested in a separate group of anaesthetized dogs pretreated with propranolol (1 mg kg-1, i.v.) and atropine (0.3 mg kg-1, i.v.) to abolish reflex autonomic tone to the heart and thus reveal the direct cardiac effects of each compound. Under these conditions both elgodipine and nicardipine decreased heart rate and cardiac contractility and slowed atrio-ventricular conduction. Elgodipine was approximately ten times more potent than nicardipine as a decelerator agent and slightly more potent in depressing cardiac contractility and increasing PR interval duration. Elgodipine, unlike nicardipine, slightly reduced the QTc interval of the electrocardiogram. Therefore, the potent decelerator effect of elgodipine, which was present throughout the dose-range, appears to be largely responsible for the suppression of reflex tachycardia observed when the baroreflex is functional. 4. Elgodipine is a potent systemic and coronary vasodilator with more marked direct cardiac effects than nicardipine, particularly with respect to slowing of heart rate. The ability of elgodipine to increase coronary blood flow without significant reflex tachycardia or increases in MVO2 suggests that this compound will have a more favourable effect on myocardial oxygen supply/demand balance than nicardipine. The haemodynamic profile of elgodipine may be suitable for the treatment of angina.

The role of NO release in the control of large and small coronary artery tone in conscious dogs.

Intravenous administration of the nitric oxide donor CAS 754 (10-100 micrograms/kg) elicited a long-lasting, highly selective, and dose-dependent increase in large epicardial coronary diameter in conscious dogs, whereas nitroglycerin (up to 0.3 micrograms/kg) induced a shorter and less selective dilation of the large conductance vessels. In contrast, acetylcholine simultaneously increased large epicardial coronary artery diameter and decreased coronary resistance, regardless of the doses administered (0.01-3 micrograms/kg). Three days after endothelium removal by limited coronary angioplasty, the vasodilator effects of acetylcholine and reactive hyperemia were suppressed, whereas those induced by CAS 754 and nitroglycerin were not significantly different from those observed before endothelium removal. These data show that the epicardial coronary vasodilator effects of both CAS 754 and nitroglycerin are endothelium-independent in vivo. Thus, the unique pharmacological profile of CAS 754 on coronary dynamics could prove to be of major importance in the treatment of angina pectoris.

Potassium channel openers dilate large epicardial coronary arteries in conscious dogs by an indirect, endothelium-dependent mechanism.

Cromakalim and pinacidil, two potassium channel openers, dilate both large and small coronary arteries in conscious dogs. Because flow-mediated dilation of large arteries is endothelium-dependent, the consequences of in vivo endothelium removal (balloon denudation) on the response of large epicardial coronary arteries to cromakalim (10 micrograms/kg) and pinacidil (30 micrograms/kg) were investigated in six dogs chronically instrumented for the measurement of arterial pressure, left circumflex coronary artery diameter and coronary blood flow. Endothelium removal abolished the dilation of large coronary arteries induced by acetylcholine (endothelium-dependent dilation) and reactive hyperemia (flow-mediated dilation), but only slightly reduced (-18%) that induced by nitroglycerin. Before endothelium removal, both cromakalim and pinacidil induced a significant decrease in coronary resistance (-71 +/- 2 and -63 +/- 2%, respectively) and a significant increase in coronary diameter (8.5 +/- 1.3 and 6.7 +/- 0.9%). After endothelium removal, the decreases in coronary resistance were unaffected, but the increases in coronary diameter were reduced by 93 and 98% as compared to predenudation responses with cromakalim and pinacidil, respectively (both P < .01). In contrast, in vitro studies performed in isolated large epicardial coronary arteries obtained from five additional dogs showed that cromakalim evoked relaxations that were not affected by prior in vivo endothelium removal. Thus, despite the presence of potassium channels in isolated denuded large coronary arteries, our data demonstrate that cromakalim- and pinacidil-induced dilation of large arteries in vivo is an indirect, flow-mediated effect which is entirely endothelium-dependent.

Regional coronary haemodynamic effects of two inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis in anaesthetized, open-chest dogs.

1. The role of endothelial nitric oxide synthesis from L-arginine in the regulation of coronary vascular tone and myocardial tissue perfusion was evaluated in anaesthetized, open-chest dogs. Coronary blood flow was measured with an electromagnetic flow probe placed around the left circumflex coronary artery. Coronary vascular resistance was calculated from mean arterial blood pressure and mean coronary blood flow, whereas regional myocardial tissue flow was determined by use of the radioactive microspheres technique. 2. NG-monomethyl L-arginine (L-NMMA) and NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), administered directly into the left circumflex artery, induced a small increase in arterial blood pressure and an increase in coronary vascular resistance. However, myocardial tissue perfusion, assessed by the microspheres technique (whether subendocardial, subepicardial, or transmural), was unaffected by L-NMMA or L-NAME. 3. Acetylcholine, administered intracoronarily, induced an increase in left circumflex coronary blood flow and a decrease in coronary vascular resistance, without affecting systemic haemodynamics. This coronary vasodilator effect of acetylcholine was markedly inhibited by L-NMMA and L-NAME, the latter being a more potent antagonist than the former. 4. These results indicate that the endothelial L-arginine pathway is largely responsible for the coronary vasodilator effect of acetylcholine. However, although basal release of nitric oxide from L-arginine apparently contributes to the regulation of resting coronary vascular tone, blockade of this pathway does not affect myocardial tissue perfusion, possibly because of compensatory mechanisms occurring at the level of small arterioles and/or capillaries.

Hemodynamic effects of hydroxocobalamin in conscious dogs.

Hydroxocobalamin has been shown to be a rapid and powerful antidote in acute cyanide poisoning and to prevent cyanide poisoning during sodium nitroprusside administration. However, its hemodynamic effects remain unknown. The authors therefore investigated the effects in chronically instrumented conscious dogs (n = 8) that were randomly given hydroxocobalamin (20, 70, and 140 mg.kg-1) or saline. Determination of peak cobalt plasma concentrations showed that 20 and 70 mg.kg-1 hydroxocobalamin correspond to "therapeutic doses," whereas 140 mg.kg-1 corresponds to a supratherapeutic dose. Hydroxocobalamin did not modify heart rate, mean arterial pressure, left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure, and PR and QT intervals, regardless of the dose administered. The largest dose (140 mg.kg-1) induced a decrease in the maximum increase of LV pressure (-7 +/- 3%; P less than 0.05), maximum aortic blood flow acceleration (-17 +/- 5%; P less than 0.05), and cardiac output (-19 +/- 6%; P less than 0.05), whereas systemic resistance increased (+41 +/- 9%; P less than 0.05). In six other dogs, local administration of hydroxocobalamin (0.5, 1.5, and 5.0 mg.kg-1.min-1) confirmed that, in large doses, this drug has direct vasoconstrictor properties affecting both conductance (decrease in iliac artery diameter: -2.5 +/- 0.8%) and resistance (decrease in iliac artery blood flow: -19.5 +/- 3.4%) vessels. Thus, hydroxocobalamin should be a safe cyanide antidote, considering the lack of hemodynamic effects within the therapeutic range of doses.

Effects of cromakalim and pinacidil on large epicardial and small coronary arteries in conscious dogs.

The effects of i.v. bolus administration of cromakalim (1-10 micrograms/kg) and pinacidil (3-100 micrograms/kg) on large (circumflex artery) and small coronary arteries and on systemic hemodynamics were investigated in chronically instrumented conscious dogs and compared to those of nitroglycerin (0.03-10 micrograms/kg). Nitroglycerin, up to 0.3 micrograms/kg, selectively increased circumflex artery diameter (CxAD) without simultaneously affecting any other cardiac or systemic hemodynamic parameter. In contrast, cromakalim and pinacidil at all doses and nitroglycerin at doses higher than 0.3 micrograms/kg simultaneously and dose-dependently increased CxAD, coronary blood flow and heart rate and decreased coronary vascular resistance and aortic pressure. Cromakalim was approximately 8- to 9.5-fold more potent than pinacidil in increasing CxAD. Vasodilation of large and small coronary vessels and hypotension induced by cromakalim and pinacidil were not affected by prior combined beta adrenergic and muscarinic receptors blockade but drug-induced tachycardia was abolished. When circumflex artery blood flow was maintained constant, the increases in CxAD induced by cromakalim (10 micrograms/kg), pinacidil (30 micrograms/kg) and nitroglycerin (10 micrograms/kg) were reduced by 68 +/- 7, 54 +/- 9 and 1 +/- 1%, respectively. Thus, whereas nitroglycerin preferentially and flow-independently dilates large coronary arteries, cromakalim and pinacidil dilate both large and small coronary arteries and this effect is not dependent upon the simultaneous beta adrenoceptors-mediated rise in myocardial metabolic demand. Finally, two mechanisms at least, direct vasodilation and flow dependency, are involved in the cromakalim- and pinacidil-induced increase in CxAD.