Cardiovascular effects of the novel arteriovenous dilator agent, flosequinan in conscious dogs and cats.

1. Flosequinan (BTS 49 465, 7-fluoro-1-methyl-3-methylsulphinyl-4-quinolone) a novel arteriovenous dilator agent was orally effective in conscious renal hypertensive dogs and normotensive cats. The hypotensive potency of flosequinan was approximately ten times less than that of hydralazine in renal hypertensive dogs, 10 mg kg-1 and 20 mg kg-1 flosequinan causing similar falls in mean blood pressure to 1 mg kg-1 and 3 mg kg-1 hydralazine respectively. In normotensive cats, 5 mg kg-1 flosequinan caused similar falls to 0.5 and 1.0 mg kg-1 hydralazine. The onset of hypotensive effect after flosequinan appeared to be slightly slower than after hydralazine in the dog and slightly faster than hydralazine in the cat. 2. The degree of tachycardia and increase in plasma renin activity (PRA) for equivalent falls in mean blood pressure in both species was significantly less for flosequinan than for hydralazine (P less than 0.05). 3. In normotensive dogs, flosequinan, 10 and 20 mg kg-1 orally, caused a small but non-significant increase in sodium and chloride excretion and had little effect on urine volume whereas hydralazine, 1 and 3 mg kg-1 orally, caused a marked retention of sodium and chloride ions and a reduction in urine volume (P less than 0.01). 4. Neither flosequinan, 10 mg kg-1 orally, nor hydralazine 1 mg kg-1 orally, affected either glomerular filtration rate measured as creatinine clearance or effective renal plasma flow measured as p-aminohippuric acid clearance in normotensive dogs. 5. The lesser degree of tachycardia and increase in plasma renin activity together with a lack of sodium retaining activity associated with flosequinan suggest that this agent may have potential advantages over existing therapy as an antihypertensive in man.

Reduction of the effects of diuretics or sodium chloride loading in the conscious rat by inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis.

In conscious rats pretreatment with indomethacin or flurbiprofen, two chemically unrelated inhibitors of prostaglandin synthesis, reduced urine volume and sodium excretion induced by four diuretics, acetazolamide, amiloride, bendrofluazide and frusemide, or oral sodium chloride loads. The maximum reduction in sodium excretion was limited to approximately 2 mmol/kg Na+ even when sodium excretion was greatly increased. In contrast these inhibitors did not appreciably affect potassium excretion. These results indicate that part of the natriuretic response in the rat to highly and moderately efficacious diuretics and to sodium chloride loading is modified by prostaglandins. We suggest that the lack of effects on potassium excretion indicate that the collecting tubule is the probable site of action.

BTS 39542, a dihydrophthalazin-1-ylacetic acid with high efficacy diuretic activity.

1 BTS 39542, a novel dihydrophthalazin-1-ylacetic acid, has high efficacy diuretic activity in mice, rats, rabbits and dogs. It is twice as potent as frusemide in mice and dogs, ten times as potent in rats and twenty times as potent in rabbits. 2 BTS 39542, like frusemide, exerts its major effects in the loop of Henle and increases renal blood flow but does not affect glomerular filtration rate in dogs. 3 The ratio of the excretion of the major cations (sodium plus potassium) to that of the major anion (chloride) after either BTS 39542 or frusemide varied with species. In rats and rabbits the ratio was approximately unity but in mice and dogs the ratio consistently exceeded unity. 4 A method for evaluating diuretics based on potency and relative potassium excretion is described.

An investigation of the sex difference in the diuretic response to ethacrynic acid in mice.

1. Female mice of the Hough/Porton and Tuck/TO strains were found to be more sensitive than male mice to the diuretic effects of oral and intravenous doses of ethacrynic acid. 2. The sensitivity of Hough/Porton male mice to ethacrynic acid was increased after pretreatment with stilboestrol and the sensitivity of female Hough/Porton mice decreased after pretreatment with testosterone. 3. There were no significant sex differences in the diuretic response to frusemide, acetazolamide, aminophylline, bendrofluazide, and Su 15049A although a small, but significant, increase in the sensitivity of male Tuck/TO mice to triamterene was noted. 4. The sex difference in diuretic response to ethacrynic acid may be related to an effect of sex hormone balance on its metabolism or on the sensitivity of its renal receptor.

Drinking behaviour in the cat induced by renin, angiotensin I, II and isoprenaline.

1. Angiotensin I, II and hog renin, infused into the lateral cerebral ventricles (I.C.V.) of water replete cats, each induced water drinking behaviour. 2. Intravenous infusion of high doses of angiotensin I or II also elicited a drinking response. The dipsogenic effect of I.V. renin was not marked. 3. Drinking in response to I.C.V. angiotensin II was abolished after autonomic ganglion blockade with I.V. hexamethonium or pempidine and was significantly reduced after I.V. atropine methonitrate. 4. The dipsogenic response to I.C.V. angiotensin II was unaffected by either peripheral adrenergic neurone blockade with I.V. bethanidine, alpha-adrenoceptor blockade with phentolamine or beta-adrenoceptor blockade with sotalol. 5. Atropine, atropine methonitrate, hexamethonium and pempidine given I.C.V did not inhibit the diposgenic response to I.C.V. angiotensin II. 6. Bethanidine I.C.V. produced a dose related reduction in the dipsogenic response to I.C.V. angiotensin II. 7. The alpha-adrenoceptor blocking agents tolazoline and phenoxybenzamine given I.C.V did not affect angiotensin induced drinking but the response was regularly inhibited by phentolamine I.C.V. 8. The beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents propranolol and practolol given I.C.V. each inhibited angiotensin induced drinking. The L-isomer of propranolol was a more effective blocker than the D-isomer. 9. Isoprenaline given I.C.V induced drinking in ten of sixteen cats. Subcutaneous administration of isoprenaline also elicited drinking but the onset of the response was delayed and the amount consumed slightly less than after I.C.V infusion.