Agonist-antagonist interactions at angiotensin receptors: application of a two-state receptor model.

Interactions between agonists and antagonists at angiotensin receptors are characterized by a number of features: variation of antagonist dynamics between apparent simple competition, insurmountable antagonism and, occasionally, augmentation; the tendency for insurmountable antagonism to be saturable; slow recovery of agonist responses following agonist-induced tachyphylaxis; and the ability of competitive antagonists to accelerate recovery from the latter intervention. Some of these phenomena have also been observed in studies of 5-HT2 receptors where they were attributed to the operation of a two-state model with an allosteric site. In this article, Mark Robertson and colleagues propose that the properties of angiotensin AT1 receptors may be explained by a similar model, but without the need to evoke an allosteric site.

Pharmacological studies on prostanoid receptors in the rabbit isolated saphenous vein: a comparison with the rabbit isolated ear artery.

1. In isolated ring preparations of the rabbit saphenous vein, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) caused well-defined, stable and concentration-dependent relaxations of KCl contracted tissues with a mean potency (p[A50]) of 9.39. 2. The prostanoid EP-receptor agonists, PGE1, 11-deoxy PGE1, 16,16-dimethyl PGE2 and misoprostol were all full agonists in this preparation. The EP2-receptor selective agonists, butaprost and AH13205, and the EP1/EP3-receptor selective agonist, sulprostone, also relaxed this tissue but were at least 300 times less potent than PGE2. 3. Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), the DP-receptor agonist, BW245C, and the IP-receptor agonist, cicaprost, caused concentration-dependent relaxations of the rabbit saphenous vein but were at least 60 times less potent than PGE2. 4. The selective EP4-receptor antagonist, AH23848B (30 microM), antagonized the PGE2 concentration-effect (E/[A]) curves yielding a pA2 estimate of 4.96. The EP1/DP-receptor antagonist, AH6809 (10 microM), had no effect on the location of PGE2 E/[A] curves. 5. The stable thromboxane A2-mimetic, U46619, elicited concentration-dependent contractions of the rabbit saphenous vein (p[A50] = 8.01) however, PGE2 and prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) were unable to produce a contractile response. The response to U46619 was competitively antagonized by the TP-receptor antagonist, GR32191B, yielding a pKB estimate of 7.08. 6. In the rabbit isolated ear artery, PGE2, misoprostol and AH13205 relaxed tissues pre-contracted with phenylephrine. PGE2 (p[A50] = 7.04) and misoprostol were equipotent, whereas AH13205 was some 40 fold less potent. AH23848B (30 microM) and AH6809 (1 and 10 microM) caused no significant shift in the location of PGE2 E/[A] curves. 7. These data suggest that the rabbit isolated saphenous vein contains prostanoid, EP-, DP-, IP- and TP-receptors. Based on antagonist affinity information and agonist potency orders, the rabbit saphenous vein contains an inhibitory prostanoid EP-receptor different from that in the rabbit ear artery, but comparable to the recently described EP4-receptor.

Pharmacological analysis of ecto-ATPase inhibition: evidence for combined enzyme inhibition and receptor antagonism in P2X-purinoceptor ligands.

1. Previous studies have shown that suramin and FPL 66301 are competitive antagonists at the P2X-purinoceptor in the rabbit ear artery. Those studies employed alpha,beta-methylene ATP, a poorly hydrolysable ATP analogue, as the agonist. In this study these compounds have been tested using ATP as the agonist. 2. Suramin, in the concentration range 30-1000 microM, potentiated the contractile effects of ATP, producing a 3-fold leftward shift of the ATP E/[A] curves. FPL 66301, in the concentration range 100-1000 microM, produced a significant but small (approximately 3-fold) rightward shift of the ATP curves. These results are in marked contrast with previous studies using alpha,beta-methylene ATP in which 30-fold rightward shifts were achieved using the same concentration ranges of suramin and FPL 66301. 3. Suramin and FPL 66301 were tested as ecto-ATPase inhibitors in a human blood cell assay. Suramin inhibited the enzyme with a pIC50 of 4.3, FPL 66301 with a pIC50 of 3.3. 4. The pharmacological data were analysed using a theoretical model describing the action of a compound with dual enzyme inhibitory and receptor antagonistic properties on the effects of an agonist susceptible to enzymatic degradation. The model was found to fit the data well using the known pKB estimates for suramin and FPL 66301 and similar relative (but not absolute) pK1 estimates to those obtained for the compounds in the enzyme assay. 5. From this analysis it was concluded that the limited shifts of ATP E/[A] curves produced by suramin and FPL 66301 were the result of 'self-cancellation' of the potentiating (enzyme inhibitory) and rightward-shifting (receptor antagonistic) properties.6. The analysis also indicated that the presence of ecto-ATPase activity in the rabbit ear artery preparation has a marked effect on the apparent potency of ATP. The experimental p[A50] was 3.4,whereas the 'true' value, that is the value which would be obtained in the absence of ecto-ATPase activity, was 6.0, some 400-fold higher.7 Two conclusions are drawn from this study. Firstly, caution must be exercised in the use of suramin and FPL 66301 as tools for receptor classification. Absence of overt antagonism by these compounds when metabolically unstable agonists are used could lead to erroneous claims for receptor subtypes.Secondly, the agonist potency order currently used to designate P2X- purinoceptors may require modification.

Pharmacological and biochemical analysis of FPL 67156, a novel, selective inhibitor of ecto-ATPase.

1. FPL 67156 (6-N,N-diethyl-beta, gamma-dibromomethylene-D-ATP), is a newly synthesized analogue of ATP. 2. In a rabbit isolated tracheal epithelium preparation, measuring P2U-purinoceptor-dependent chloride secretion, FPL 67156 was discovered to potentiate the responses to UTP but not those to ATP-gamma-S. UTP agonist-concentration effect (E/[A]) curves were shifted to the left by 5-fold in the presence of 100 microM FPL 67156. The differential effect of FPL 67156 on UTP and ATP-gamma-S was hypothesized to be due to the greater susceptibility of UTP to enzymatic dephosphorylation and the ability of FPL 67156 to inhibit this process. 3. FPL 67156 was tested as an ecto-ATPase inhibitor in a human blood cell assay, measuring [gamma 32P]-ATP dephosphorylation. The compound inhibited [gamma 32P]-ATP degradation with a pIC50 of 4.6. 4. FPL 67156 was then tested for its effects on ATP and alpha, beta-methylene-ATP responses at P2X-purinoceptors in the rabbit isolated ear artery. In the concentration range 30 microM-1 mM, the compound potentiated the contractile effects of ATP but not those of alpha, beta-methylene-ATP. At 1 mM, FPL 67156 produced a 34-fold leftward shift of ATP E/[A] curves. 5. The effects of FPL 67156 on ATP E/[A] curves in the rabbit ear artery were analyzed using a theoretical model (Furchgott, 1972) describing the action of an enzyme inhibitor on the effects of a metabolically unstable agonist. This analysis provided an estimate of the pKi for FPL 67156 as an ecto-ATPase inhibitor of 5.2. 6. Using appropriate assays, FPL 67156 was shown to have weak antagonist effects at P2X- and P2T-purinoceptors (pA2 ~ 3.3 and 3.5 respectively), and weak agonist effects at P2u-purinoceptors(p[A 50]~ 3.5).7. The degree of potentiation of ATP and UTP effects elicited by FPL 67156 confirms previous results concerning the influence that ecto-ATPase has on the position of E/[A] curves for metabolically unstable agonists. The magnitude of this influence is predicted to have a major effect on the agonist potency orders currently used to designate purinoceptors.8.This study indicates FPL 67156 to be a potentially valuable probe in studies on the action of nucleotides and in the classification of purinoceptors.

Interaction of BW A868C, a prostanoid DP-receptor antagonist, with two receptor subtypes in the rabbit isolated saphenous vein.

In isolated rings of rabbit saphenous vein (RbSV) pre-contracted with 40 mM KCl, Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), BW245C (a DP-receptor agonist) and PGD2 caused concentration-dependent relaxations with mean potencies (EC50) of 0.5, 38 and 114 nM respectively. The DP-receptor antagonist, BW A868C, antagonized BW245C concentration-effect (E/[A]) curves, although the corresponding Schild plot had a slope less than unity and displayed a clear infection. Analysis of the data yielded two pKB estimates of 8.5 and 4.9, the higher estimate being consistent with antagonism at DP-receptors. The pA2 estimate of 5.1 obtained for BW A868C against PGE2 was not statistically different to the lower pKB of 4.9 obtained against BW245C, and is probably indicative of antagonism at the EP4-receptor. PGD2 mediated responses were also antagonized by BW A868C, however the resultant E/[A] curves were 'bell shaped' in nature. The weak EP4-receptor antagonist AH23848B, also antagonized BW245C and PGD2 responses, yielding pA2 estimates of 5.6 and 5.5 respectively. These results suggest that in the RbSV, BW245C and PGD2 are nonselective agonists mediating relaxations through DP- and EP4-receptors. BW A868C also displayed an affinity for DP-receptors in this preparation, in addition to a second receptor subtype, presumably the EP4-receptor.