Pharmacological and certain chemical properties of AH 10407, an unusually short-acting, competitive neuromuscular blocking drug, and some related compounds.

1,1-Azobis[3-methyl-2-phenylbenzimidazolinium]dimethanesulphonate (AH 10407) has an ultrashort, competitive neuromuscular blocking action in the mouse, cat, dog, Cynamolgus monkey and cotton-eared marmoset. 2 AH 10407 is chemically unstable in bicarbonate-containing solutions and is degraded to inactive products. The half-life of AH 10407 in vitro in dog and human whole blood and in Krebs physiological solution is about 1.0 minute. In distilled water and in HCO-3-deficient Krebs solution AH 10407 is much more stable. Base catalyzed degradation is shown to be the prime determinant of the duration of action of the drug. 3 Some pharmacological properties of AH 11244 and AH 11056, close analogues of AH 10407, are briefly described and the duration of their neuromuscular blocking actions rationalized by reference to their chemical stabilities.

Investigation of central cholinergic mechanisms in the conscious mouse.

1. An investigation of central cholinoceptors in the mouse has been made by injecting cholinomimetic drugs into the cerebral ventricles and seeing how their effects were modified by prior administration of atropine-like substances and other drugs.2. Carbachol or oxotremorine injected in small doses intracerebroventricularly into conscious mice caused hypothermia, gross tremor and a variety of parasympathomimetic effects including lachrymation and salivation. Acetylcholine injected in this way was active only in much larger doses.3. Methacholine and pilocarpine also caused a variety of parasympathomimetic effects after intracerebroventricular injection but virtually no hypothermia or tremor.4. Nicotine injected intracerebroventricularly caused mild hypothermia, fine tremor but no parasympathomimetic effects.5. Atropine-like drugs, tricyclic antidepressants and amphetamine antagonized the hypothermia induced by intracerebroventricular carbachol or oxotremorine.6. The sites of action of the atropine-like drugs are in the brain; those of the tricyclic antidepressants and amphetamine are in the periphery probably on heat generating beta-adrenoceptor mechanisms.7. It is concluded that the atropine sensitive cholinoceptors in the brain vary in their sensitivities to cholinomimetic drugs, other than acetylcholine, and may exist in isoreceptor forms.8. Peripheral atropine sensitive cholinoceptors may also exist in isoreceptor forms.

Pharmacological basis for the induction of gastric carcinoid tumours in the rat by loxtidine, an insurmountable histamine H2-receptor blocking drug.

The very late occurrence of gastric carcinoids in a life-span carcinogenicity study with loxtidine in the rat might have resulted from continuous achlorhydria induced by this long-acting unsurmountable histamine H2-antagonist. The nature of the anti-secretory activity of loxtidine was compared with that of ranitidine on histamine-induced acid secretion in the perfused stomach preparation of the rat and in the rat isolated gastric mucosa preparation. Ranitidine and loxtidine had qualitatively different inhibitory effects on acid secretion, ranitidine being a competitive antagonist of histamine even at high concentrations, whereas the effect of loxtidine on both preparations was unsurmountable at relatively low concentrations. These results support the hypothesis that the late formation of gastric carcinoids in rats receiving loxtidine is a consequence of persistent achlorhydria caused by unsurmountable blockade of parietal cell H2-receptors.

The alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor blocking potencies of labetalol and its individual stereoisomers in anaesthetized dogs and in isolated tissues.

1 The antagonist potencies of labetalol and each of its four stereoisomers have been compared at alpha 1-, beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptors in anaesthetized dogs and in isolated tissues. 2 The RR stereoisomer is a potent, non-selective antagonist at beta-adrenoceptors but has only weak alpha 1-adrenoceptor blocking activity. 3 The SR stereoisomer was the most potent antagonist at alpha 1-adrenoceptors, and it also had similar potency as an antagonist at beta-adrenoceptors. 4 The alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor blocking profile of the RS stereoisomer is intermediate between that of the RR and SR, but the SS stereoisomer is a relatively weak antagonist at both alpha- and beta-adrenoceptors. 5 It is concluded that, although most of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor blocking activity of labetalol is attributable to the SR stereoisomer and nearly all of its beta-adrenoceptor blocking activity resides in the RR stereoisomer, each of the stereoisomers contributes to the overall pharmacological profile of labetalol.

Some observations on the -adrenoceptor agonist properties of the isomers of salbutamol.

1. The pharmacological activities of the optical isomers of salbutamol have been examined. (-)-Salbutamol was much more potent than (+)-salbutamol on beta-adrenoceptors.2. Both (-)- and (+)-salbutamol showed high selectivity for beta-adrenoceptors in bronchial muscle compared to cardiac muscle, in this way resembling racemic salbutamol.3. The use of isomeric activity ratio to detect differences between receptors was examined in the light of the results obtained with the isomers of salbutamol.

Salmeterol, a novel, long-acting beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist: characterization of pharmacological activity in vitro and in vivo.

1. Salmeterol, a novel, long-acting beta-adrenoceptor agonist, has been compared with isoprenaline and salbutamol for activity in vitro on a range of beta-adrenoceptor containing preparations from laboratory animals and man, and in vivo for bronchodilator activity in the conscious guinea-pig. 2. Salmeterol, like isoprenaline and salbutamol, relaxed preparations of both guinea-pig trachea (contracted by prostaglandin (PG)F2alpha or electrical stimulation) and human bronchus (contracted by PGF 2 alpha) in a concentration-related fashion. Salmeterol was of similar potency to isoprenaline and more potent than salbutamol on both airway preparations. 3. Relaxant responses of superfused guinea-pig trachea and human bronchus to isoprenaline and salbutamol declined rapidly when the agonists were washed from the tissues, with complete recovery within 10 min, whereas responses to salmeterol were more persistent. In electrically-stimulated guinea-pig trachea preparations, inhibition by salmeterol persisted for periods of up to 12h, despite continuous superfusion with agonist-free medium. However, these persistent responses were rapidly and fully reversed by the beta-adrenoceptor blocking drug, propranolol (0.1 microM). In further studies on guinea-pig trachea, propranolol caused concentration-related parallel, rightward shifts of salmeterol concentration-effect curves, yielding a pA2 of 9.0. The slope of the Schild plot was 1.02. 4. Another beta-adrenoceptor blocking drug, sotalol (10 microM), also fully and rapidly reversed established submaximal responses to salmeterol in superfused guinea-pig trachea. However, after administration of sotalol was stopped, the antagonism waned, and salmeterol responses were reasserted without the addition of further agonist. 5. In the beta 1-adrenoceptor containing preparation, rat left atria, isoprenaline exhibited potent, concentration-related, positive inotropic activity, whereas salbutamol and salmeterol were at least 2000-5000 fold less potent, and appeared to be partial agonists. At a concentration of 72 microM, salmeterol exhibited weak antagonism of isoprenaline-induced increases in atrial force of contraction. This antagonism was less marked than that caused by salbutamol (42 microM).6. On the guinea-pig isolated gastric fundus strip, a putative beta3-adrenoceptor containing preparation, salbutamol and salmeterol had only modest agonist activity, being 20-30 fold less potent than isoprenaline and the selective ,beta3-adrenoceptor agonist, BRL 35135.7. In conscious guinea-pigs, inhaled salmeterol and salbutamol were approximately equipotent in causing dose-related bronchodilatation. Whereas the duration of action of salbutamol at its threshold-effective dose was less than 90min, the responses to a similarly effective dose of salmeterol were well-maintained for at least 6 h.8. Salmeterol is therefore a potent and selective beta2-adrenoceptor agonist with a remarkably long duration of action in isolated superfused airways smooth muscle. It also causes persistent bronchodilatation in vivo, in the guinea-pig, when administered by the inhaled route.

A review of the animal pharmacology of ranitidine--a new, selective histamine H2-antagonist.

The animal pharmacology and metabolism of ranitidine have been reviewed. Experiments using guinea-pig isolated right atrium and ileum preparations have shown that ranitidine is a selective, potent, and competitive histamine H2-receptor antagonist. In the conscious dog gastric acid secretion induced by histamine, pentagastrin, bethanechol and food was inhibited by ranitidine at doses 4 to 12 times lower than equi-effective doses of cimetidine. Ranitidine inhibited the formation of aspirin-induced gastric lesions, both in the presence and absence of gastric acid. Unlike cimetidine, ranitidine neither possessed anti-androgenic activity, nor did it inhibit the mixed function oxygenase metabolizing enzyme system in the liver. Ranitidine has been recommended for clinical trial in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease.