Arterial vasodilating profile and biological effects of pinacidil in healthy volunteers.

1. The effects of pinacidil (25 mg, sustained release formulation) a) on systemic (arterial pressure, cardiac output) and regional (brachial and carotid arteries' diameters and flows) haemodynamics (pulsed Doppler techniques), b) on sympathetic (plasma noradrenaline) and renin-angiotensin (plasma renin activity) systems, and c) on atrial natriuretic factor have been investigated and compared with those of a placebo during the 12 h period following oral administration in a randomized, double-blind and cross-over study performed in six healthy volunteers. Simultaneously, the plasma levels of pinacidil and of its active metabolite, pinacidil N-oxide, were determined. 2. As compared with placebo, pinacidil decreased systemic vascular resistance and arterial blood pressure but cardiac output was not modified. 3. Pinacidil significantly increased brachial and carotid arteries' diameters (by 7 and 8% respectively) and flows (by 60 and 17% respectively) and decreased forearm vascular resistance (by 43%). Thus, pinacidil dilates both large and small arteries, increases large vessels' compliance and redistributes blood flow towards the muscular vascular bed. These effects peaked at 4 h and their duration at the brachial level was 8 h. 4. Pinacidil administration resulted in a stimulation of both sympathetic (increases in heart rate and plasma noradrenaline) and renin-angiotensin systems, and induced a transient increase in atrial natriuretic factor. 5. The duration of pinacidil haemodynamic effects at the brachial level is consistent with the pharmacokinetic data which show that pinacidil and pinacidil N-oxide plasma levels almost plateaued between 3 and 8, and 2 and 8 h respectively after oral administration of the sustained release formulation used.

Non invasive study of systemic and regional haemodynamic and cardiac effects of a new calcium antagonist, SR 33557, in healthy volunteers.

The systemic and regional haemodynamic and cardiac effects of two oral doses (100 and 300 mg) of a new sulphone-indolizine calcium antagonist SR 33,557 (SR) and a placebo were non invasively investigated in a double-blind, cross-over study in 6 healthy male volunteers. Arterial pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, brachial and carotid artery diameters and flows and PR and QT intervals were studied. Stroke volume, total peripheral and forearm vascular resistance, regional cardiac output distribution indices and corrected QT intervals were calculated. SR did not produce any significant modification in systemic haemodynamics, although arterial pressure and cardiac output tended to decrease slightly after 300 mg. In contrast, at the regional level, ST produced strong vasodilatation and significantly increased brachial and carotid blood flow. SR-induced vasodilation affected only the arterioles, as shown by a significant decrease in forearm vascular resistance, but not the large arteries, as shown by lack of change in the brachial and carotid artery diameters. SR-induced vasodilation preferentially affected the brachial rather than the carotid vascular bed, resulting in a redistribution of cardiac output towards the musculo-cutaneous territories. SR caused a marked and long-lasting decrease in heart rate, but it did not affect the auriculo-ventricular conduction time.

Galactose metabolism in male and female rats. II. Eye-ball differences.

When rats consumed a well-balanced diet containing 30% lactose or 30% glucose-galactose mixture, the biological composition of the lens was more disturbed in female: the leak of inositol and the accumulation of galactitol were higher than in the male.

Galactose metabolism in male and female rats. I. Blood and urinary differences.

When rats consumed a well-balanced diet containing 30% lactose or 30% glucose-galactose mixture, some differences of metabolic utilization arose between males and females. With lactose, the urinary excretion of lactose, galactose and galactitol was higher in females. With the glucose-galactose mixture, galactosury and galactitolury in males and females increased and were similar; but galactosaemia and galactitolaemia were more important in females.