PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

G Johnsson

Publications and source records attributed to G Johnsson.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Haemodynamic effects and pharmacokinetics of a new selective beta1-adrenoceptor agonist, prenalterol, and its interaction with metoprolol in man.

The haemodynamic effects of the selective beta1-adrenoceptor agonist prenalterol were studied in healthy subjects before and after therapeutic doses of the selective beta1-adrenoceptor blocker metoprolol. Plasma levels of the drugs were also determined in order to calculate certain pharmacokinetic variables. Intravenous infusion of prenalterol 0.13, 0.25 and 0.50 mg induced a dose-dependent decrease in total electromechanical systole (QA2) and pre-ejection period (PEP). The effect on left ventricular ejection time (LVET) was not significant. Increases in systolic blood pressure and heart rate were dose-dependent. Diastolic blood pressure did not change significantly. When metoprolol had been administered in a cumulative dose of 150 mg (mean maximal plasma level, 284 nmol/l) prenalterol had to be administered in doses that were twelve times higher than before the beta-blocker in order to induce the same haemodynamic effects. Prenalterol was rapidly distributed with an average half life of 8 min. This indicates that distribution equilibrium will be achieved within 30 min after intravenous administration. The overall elimination rate in the post-distributive phase corresponded to an average half life of 2.0 h.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists

Bioavailability and disposition of metoprolol and hydrochlorothiazide combined in one tablet and of separate doses of hydrochlorothiazide.

1. The plasma levels and the urinary excretion of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) have been studied after administration of single doses of 12.5 and 25 mg of the drug in solution and in combination with 100 mg of the selective beta 1-adrenoreceptor antagonist metoprolol in a rapidly dissolving tablet. 2. Metoprolol did not significantly influence the bioavailability or the time-course of HCT. 3. HCT had no significant effect on the time-course or the plasma levels of metoprolol. The average half-life, 4.4 +/- 0.9 h, is about the same as previously observed for separate doses of this drug. 4. It seems unlikely that repeated doses of the combination product studied will lead to biopharmaceutic or pharmacokinetic interactions of clinical importance.

Biological Availability

Interaction studies between three antidepressant drugs (chlorimipramine, imipramine and zimelidine) and noradrenaline, tyramine and vagal stimulation on the heart rate and blood pressure in dogs.

Anaesthetized Beagle dogs were given increasing intravenous doses of imipramine, chlorimipramine or zimelidine. At each dose interval the interference of the drug administered with the effects on blood pressure and heart rate of vagal stimulation, NA injection and tyramine injection was investigated. Also, the in vitro uptake of 5-HT into platelets after in vivo administration to unanaesthetized dogs of 5 mg chlorimipramine or 5 mg zimelidine was studied. Chlorimipramine and zimelidine were found to be about equipotent as regards 5 HT-uptake into platelets after in vivo administration. Imipramine and chlorimipramine potentiated the effects of NA after the 2 mg/kg dose. Imipramine but not chlorimipramine interfered with the effects of tyramine after the 4 mg/kg dose. Zimelidine did not interfere with either NA or tyramine at any dose level studied (maximal cumulative dose 62 mg/kg). The effect of vagal stimulation was significantly inhibited after 8 mg/kg (cumulative dose 14 mg/kg) of imipramine and 16 mg/kg (cumulative dose 30 mg/kg) of chlorimipramine and zimelidine, respectively. It is concluded that zimelidine in comparison with imipramine and chlorimipramine has no or at most a slight effect on peripheral adrenergic neurones. It has less pronounced anticholinergic properties than imipramine but is about equipotent to chlorimipramine in this respect.

Allylamine

Mode of action of beta blockers in angina pectoris.

The therapeutic effect of beta adrenoceptor blockers in angina pectoris can be ascribed to an inhibition of beta1 receptor mediated stimulation of heart rate and myocardial contractility, resulting in an improved oxygen supply-demand balance in the myocardium. When given in equipotent beta1 blocking doses, the nonselective blocker propranolol and the beta1 selective blocker metoprolol differ markedly as regards inhibition of adrenaline induced beta2 mediated vasodilatation. Only propranolol will inhibit this effect. After propranolol, adrenaline therefore elicits a haemodynamic effect pattern characterized by high peripheral vascular resistance, high arterial blood pressure, low cardiac output and increased cardiac size. In view of these findings it is suggested that a beta1 selective blocker may be a more efficient antianginal agent than a nonselective blocker in those patients in which the anginal attack is associated with a significant release of adrenaline. The clinical relevance of this hypothesis has not been tested.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists

Bioavailability of quinidine in slow-release form. A comparison between two preparations containing quinidine bisulphate as the active constituent.

Two different slow-release preparations of quinidine bisulphate (A and B) have been tested. The in vitro dissolution rate of preparation B was substantially lower in intestinal than in gastric juice, whereas the release rate of quinidine from preparation A was virtually unaffected by the pH of the dissolution medium. After a single dose of two tablets of each of the preparations to 6 healthy volunteers, corresponding to 386 mg (B) and 320 mg of quinidine base (A), the maximum plasma concentration was attained after about 4.5 h. The peak concentration was 5.2 +/- 0.5 mumol/l for preparation A and 4.1 +/- 0.4 mumol/l for B. A similar difference was found in the area under the plasma concentration curve (AUC), which was 68 +/- 10 mumol-h/l and 54 +/- 5 mumol-h/l, respectively. Taking into consideration that preparation B contained 20.6% more active drug per tablet these values indicate that the extent of bioavailability is about 50% higher for tablet A than for tablet B.

Administration, Oral

Effects of cedilanid-D in combination with metoprolol on exercise tolerance and systolic time intervals in angina pectoris.

The interaction between cedilanid-D and metoprolol, a selective beta receptor blocking agent, on exercise tolerance and systolic intervals was studied in 15 patients with angina pectoris. The patients had been treated with metoprolol for several months in a dose of 50 mg, three times daily (one patient received 25 mg three times daily). Each patient participated in two studies separated by at least 1 week. After arriving at the laboratory each received 50 mg of metoprolol orally; thereafter, either cedilanid-D or placebo was infused intravenously in a double-blind study performed in randomized order. When the effect of the drugs was maximal, the systolic intervals and the heart volume were recorded at rest, and the exercise tolerance was tested with a bicycle ergometer. The mean maximal value of plasma concentrations of metoprolol assessed during the study was about 50 ng/ml but the variation among subjects was great (20 to 187 ng/ml). After administration of cedilanid-D there was a shortening of the pre-ejection period and left ventricular ejection time compared with results after placebo; the reduction was similar to that found after administration of cedilanid-D without beta blocking drugs. The total heart volume decreased by an average of 55 ml, but the individual variation was great. The patients' average work capacity, expressed as total work, was not altered by cedilanid-D when compared with results after placebo. No relation was found between initial heart size and the effect of cedilanid-D on capacity for physical work. It therefore appears that there is no indication for the routine use of digitalis during beta blocking therapy in patients with angina pectoris who do not have cardiac failure.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists

Clinical pharmacokinetics of beta-adrenoreceptor blocking drugs.

All beta-adrenoreceptor blocking drugs seem to be fairly rapidly and completely absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract. The rate of absorption, however, appears to be lower in elderly patients and possibly also in patients with renal failure than in younger patients. The extent of bioavailability varies considerably between different beta-blockers. Some of these drugs(e.g. alprenolol and propranolol) have a low extent of bioavailability due to a high first-pass elimination effect, while pindolol and practolol for example are in influenced very little by this effect. However, as some beta-blockers from active metabolites, the bioavailability calculated as the ratio between the area under the plasma concentration time curve of unchanged drug after oral and intravenous administration does not give an accurate estimation of the fraction of the biologically active dose reaching the systemic circulation. The beta-blockers so far studied are rapidly distributed in the body. The t1/2 of distribution ranges between 5 to 30 minutes. The apparent volume of distribution varies 3- to 4-fold between the compounds but in all cases the apparent volume of distribution exceeds the physiological body space. In patients with impaired liver function an increase of the volume of distrubution of propranolol has been found. The beta-blockers are relatively rapidly eliminated from the body and most of them have an elimination half-life between 2 to 4 hours. For atenolol, practolol and sotalol higher values have been reported. The most lipophilic beta-blockers are almost completely metabolised in the liver, wheras those of lower lipophilicity are mainly excreted via the kidneys. Impraired liver and kidney function have been found to significantly influence the rate of elimination of those beta-blockers eliminated via the insufficient organ of elimination. Numerous investigators have shown that the beta-blocking effect is linearly related to the logarithm of the plasma concentration. In spite of this relationship, it is difficult from mean data to predict the individual plasma concentration which is necessary for a certain degree of beta-blockade. This might be due to variations in the quantitative formation of active metablolites, individual differences in the plasma protein binding and rather flat plasma level-response curves. Also with respect to the therapeutic effect, the plasma levels vary considerably between individuals. This limits the value of determination of plasma concentrations in order to adjust the therapeutic dose. Our recommendation is that these facilities should be utilised in selected patient groups, eg. those who have a poor therapeutic response to a beta-blocker although the dose is high, and those patient with impaired renal or liver function. The duration of beta-blockade is dose-dependent since the pharmacological effect declines with a constant rate (zero-order kinetics) within relatively wide dosage intervals...

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists

Clinical pharmacokinetics of beta-adrenoreceptors blockers.

beta-blockers are completely and rapidly absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract. In their first passage through the liver they are metabolised to a varying extent - the so-called first-pass effect. For propranolol and alprenolol this degradation is partly compensated for by the formation of active metabolites, the 4-OH derivatives. The beta-blocking effect is linearly correlated with the log plasma concentration of the drugs. Although there is also a relationship between the antihypertensive effect of the drugs and their log plasma concentration, it seems to be of limited value to determine the plasma levels of the drugs in order to adjust the therapeutic dose. This is due to the great inter-individual differences of the plasma concentration-antihypertensive effect relationship. It is essential to investigate whether pharmacologically active metabolites are formed. These may not only influence the relationship between plasma concentration and therapeutic effect but may also modify the pharmacological profile of the drug. The plasma levels, and thereby the effects of the drugs, can be modified by other drugs and diseases. Thus practolol, which is mainly eliminated via the kidneys, has a longer plasma half-life in patients with renal failure. The plasma of propranolol, which is eliminated from the body by bio-transformation in the liver, is not prolonged in patients with renal failure, but its metabolites are excreted at a lower rate in such patients. Although most beta-blockers have a relatively short plasma half-life (2 to 5 hours), the drugs can be administered twice daily in clinical practice. This due to the fact that the effect declines according to zero-order kinetics while the elimination of the drug follows first-order kinetics. It is desirable that all these factors are clarified before a drug is used in clinical practice as they all will have an influence on its dose regimen. The responsibility for this must be on the drug company, which must be able to inform physicians not only about the standard dosage of the drug but also how other drugs and diseases can change the individual responses to the drug.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists

Use of beta-adrenoreceptor blockers in combination with beta-stimulators in patients with obstructive lung disease.

Lung function can be reduced not only by a non-selective beta-blocker but also by a selective beta1-receptor blocker. If both types of drug are without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, the effect of the non-selective drug is more pronounced than that of a beta1-receptor selective drug under basal conditions. The effect of a beta2-receptor stimulating drug on the bronchi is inhibited by a non-selective drug, but much less by a selective beta1-receptor blocker. A selective beta1-receptor blocker can be used in asthmatics when it is combined with optimal anti-asthmatic therapy, while a non-selective drug is contra-indicated in patients with broncho-obstructive diseases. It is necessary to induce bronchodilatation (e.g. with a beta2-stimulator) in order to test whether or not a beta-blocker can be used in broncho-obstructive disease.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists

Plasma levels and effects of metoprolol on blood pressure and heart rate in hypertensive patients after an acute dose and between two doses during long-term treatment.

Plasma levels and the effect of orally administered metoprolol on the resting arterial blood pressure and heart rate have been studied during acute and steady-state conditions in patients with mild hypertension. The patients receiving an 80-mg dose had a mean maximum plasma level of about 100 ng/ml plasma in single-dose studies and about 140 ng/ml plasma during steady-state conditions. The corresponding values for the patients on the 50-mg dose were about 60 and 100 ng/ml plasma, respectively. The maximum concentrations were reached 1 hr after administration. After the single dose the elimination half-life of metoprolol in plasma was 4.3 plus or minus 0.7 hr in the patients receiving the 80-mg dose and 3.8 plus or minus 0.3 hr in the other group. The difference was not statistically significant. The elimination half-life in the plasma was about the same in the single-dose study and during steady state in both groups. The morning dose induced a decrease of the systolic blood pressure whereas the diastolic blood pressure was not significantly different from that recorded immediately before administration of metoprolol. For the 80-mg dose the systolic pressure dropped from 167 plus or minus 4 to 146 plus or minus 4 mm Hg in the single dose study and from 160 plus or minus 8 to 140 plus or minus 4 mm Hg at steady state. The corresponding values for the 50-mg dose were 150 plus or minus 3 to 135 plus or minus 3 mm Hg and 144 plus or minus 3 to 138 plus or minus 3 mm Hg, respectively. In experiments with placebo the systolic blood pressure was not significantly changed. There was no correlation between the plasma levels and the effect on the systolic blood pressure. Both doses of metoprolol markedly reduced the heart rate after the single dose as well as at steady state. The effect was linearly related to the logarithm of the plasma concentration, and the relationship was virtually the same as obtained previously for the effect on exercise heart rate in healthy volunteers.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists