GABAA Receptor Binding Assays of Standardized Leonurus cardiaca and Leonurus japonicus Extracts as Well as Their Isolated Constituents.

A main traditional use of European Leonurus cardiaca and East Asian Leonurus japonicus is in the treatment of neurological disorders such as anxiety, depression, nervousness, and as a sedative for insomnia. However, their mechanism of action is still under discussion. As anxiety and depressive disorders are increasingly being recognized as connected to dysfunctions of the gamma-aminobutyric acid system, the in vitro effects of standardized L. cardiaca and L japonicus extracts as well as five of their isolated constituents, namely, the labdane-type isoleosibirin, the novel iridoid 7R-chloro-6-desoxy-harpagide, the phenylethanoid lavandulifolioside, and the N-containing compounds stachydrine and leonurine, on this type of neuronal receptor were investigated for the first time. Extracts of L. cardiaca and L. japonicus, characterized by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography determination, as well as their above named isolated, possible active constituents of different chemical nature were tested in several receptor binding assays at rat GABAA receptors using [(3)H]-SR95 531 and [(3)H]-Ro-15-1788 (flumazenil)/diazepam control. The L. cardiaca and L. japonicus extracts as well as leonurine inhibited the concentration-dependent binding of [(3)H]-SR95 531 to the gamma-aminobutyric acid site of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor with a high binding affinity: IC50s 21 µg/ml, 46 µg/ml, and 15 µg/ml, respectively. In contrast, binding to the benzodiazepine site of the rat gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor had a 15 to 30 times lower binding affinity than to the gamma-aminobutyric acid site. The presented experiments provide hints that the neurological mechanism of action of L. cardiaca and L. japonicus may essentially be based on their interaction to the gamma-aminobutyric acid site of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor, while the benzodiazepine site most probably does not contribute to this effect. In the case of L. japonicus, these effects can be at least partially explained by its leonurine constituent, whereas the active principle of L. cardiaca, which does not contain leonurine, is subject to further research as none of the other investigated individual constituents displayed significant activity in the applied test system.

Desipramine prevents cardiac gap junction uncoupling.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Uncoupling of cardiac gap junction channels is an important arrhythmogenic mechanism in ischemia/reperfusion. Antiarrhythmic peptide AAP10 (H-Gly-Ala-Gly-Hyp-Pro-Tyr-CONH(2)) has been shown to prevent acidosis-induced uncoupling and ischemia-related increase in dispersion. Previous structure-effect investigations and subsequent computer modeling studies indicated that the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine may exert similar effects as AAP10. METHODS: We assessed the binding of (14)C-AAP10 to membranes of rabbit cardiac ventricles and its displacement with desipramine in a classical radioligand binding and competition study. Gap junction currents were measured between isolated pairs of human atrial cardiomyocytes under normal and acidotic (pH 6.3) conditions with or without 1 µmol/l desipramine using dual whole-cell voltage clamp. The effect of 1 µmol/l desipramine was assessed in isolated rabbit hearts (Langendorff technique) undergoing local ischemia by coronary occlusion with 256-channel electrophysiological mapping and subsequent analysis of connexin43 (Cx43) expression, phosphorylation (Western blot), and subcellular localization (immunohistology). RESULTS: We found saturable (14)C-AAP10 binding to cardiac membranes (K (D), 0.29 ± 0.11 nmol/l; B (max), 42.5 ± 7.2 pmol/mg) which could be displaced by desipramine with a K (D.High) = 0.14 µmol/l and a K (D.Low) = 22 µmol/l. Acidosis reduced the gap junction conductance in human cardiomyocyte pairs from 24.1 ± 4.7 to 11.5 ± 2.5 nS, which could be significantly reversed by desipramine (26.6 ± 4.8 nS). In isolated hearts, ischemia resulted in significantly increased dispersion of activation-recovery intervals, loss of membrane Cx43, and dephosphorylation of Cx43, which all could be prevented by desipramine. CONCLUSION: Desipramine seems to prevent the uncoupling of cardiac gap junctions and ischemia-related increase in dispersion.