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Use of pseudoracemic nitrendipine to elucidate the metabolic steps responsible for stereoselective disposition of nitrendipine enantiomers.

1. The pharmacokinetics, protein binding, bioavailability and metabolism of (+)-R- and (-)-S-nitrendipine were studied in six healthy subjects following random oral administration of 20 mg (+)-R-, 20 mg (-)-S- and 20 mg R,S-nitrendipine (pseudoracemic mixture of 10 mg [13C4)-(+)-R- and 10 mg (-)-S-enantiomer). 2. After administration of the enantiomers pronounced differences in AUC (R: 29.9 +/- 20.1; S: 123.8 +/- 63.7 ng ml-1 h; P less than 0.05), bioavailability (R: 10.7 +/- 7.4%; S: 44.6 +/- 23.1%; P less than 0.05) and Cmax (R: 14.4 +/- 7.7; S: 72.5 +/- 40.5 ng ml-1; P less than 0.05) were observed between R- and S-nitrendipine. When racemic nitrendipine was given bioavailability and dose normalized AUC and Cmax values of the S-enantiomer were not different from the values after S-nitrendipine-administration. In contrast, bioavailability (R: 10.7% R,S: 22.1%) and dose normalized AUC (R: 15.0; R,S: 29.5 ng ml-1 h and Cmax (R: 7.2; R,S: 16.8 ng ml-1) of R-nitrendipine were doubled following R,S- as compared with R-nitrendipine administration. t1/2 (R: 9.8; S: 9.1 h) and tmax were not different between the enantiomers nor were the values different after administration of the enantiomers or racemate. The fraction unbound in serum of R-nitrendipine was 0.0098 +/- 0.0032 (s.d.) and that of S-nitrendipine was 0.0083 +/- 0.0015 (s.d.). 3. The AUC values of the major pyridine metabolite M1 were similar after administration of R- and S-nitrendipine (S: 114.7 +/- 48.5; R: 71.7 +/- 29.9 ng ml-1 h).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult

Once- vs. twice-daily nitrendipine in the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension, Canadian Nitrendipine Study Group.

Improved measurement of the plasma concentration of nitrendipine demonstrated a plasma half-life of 17-21 h, allowing once-daily (o.d.) instead of currently twice-daily (b.i.d.) dosing. To determine the effectiveness of nitrendipine given o.d. vs. b.i.d., 78 hypertensive patients, [supine diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 95-114 mm Hg] were randomized in a double-blind fashion to 12 weeks of treatment with either nitrendipine 10 mg b.i.d. (n = 39) or nitrendipine 20 mg o.d. (n = 39) after a 2-week placebo baseline period. Blood pressures (BPs) were measured in the morning at the end of the dosing interval. Mean +/- SD reduction in supine systolic BP (SBP) and DBP in patients evaluable for efficacy (greater than or equal to 14 days treatment) were 7.2 +/- 16.5 and 7.7 +/- 10.3 mm Hg, respectively, after nitrendipine b.i.d. (n = 38) and 9.4 +/- 15.1 and 9.5 +/- 7.0 mm Hg, respectively, after nitrendipine o.d. (n = 36). Similar falls in BP were found for both regimens in patients completing the full 12 weeks of treatment period (n: o.d. = 28, b.i.d. = 32). Discontinuation due to adverse experiences (AEs) occurred in three patients on b.i.d. and eight patients on o.d., the latter mostly in the first 2 weeks of therapy. Overall, AEs were higher in the o.d. group (% AEs at least possibly related to study medication: o.d. = 44%, b.i.d. = 33%). Most frequent AEs were headache and flushing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Pressure

Effectiveness and tolerability of once versus twice daily nitrendipine in the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension. The Canadian Nitrendipine Study Group.

Improved measurement of plasma concentrations of nitrendipine demonstrates a plasma half-life of 17 to 21 h allowing once daily dosing for antihypertensive treatment. To determine the effectiveness and tolerability of nitrendipine given once versus twice daily, 78 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension were randomized in a double-blind fashion to 12 weeks of treatment with either nitrendipine 20 mg once daily (n = 39) or nitrendipine 10 mg bid (n = 39). Blood pressures measured at the end of the dosing interval were similar on 20 mg once daily and 10 mg bid. Adverse events considered to be drug related (flushing and headaches) occurred mostly at the beginning of active treatment and more frequently on the once daily dosing, resulting in a greater number of patients being withdrawn from the once daily treatment group. Thus, nitrendipine 20 mg once daily lowered blood pressure as effectively as 10 mg bid but was associated with a higher incidence of adverse events. These could be minimized by starting at nitrendipine 10 mg once daily and increasing to 20 mg once daily after two to four weeks.

Blood Pressure

[The efficacy of nitrendipine in patients with stable arterial hypertension. The data from a cooperative study in the USSR. The Working Group for the Cooperative Study of Nitrendipine].

Nitrendipine (bypress) manufactured by Bayer Company in the form of 10 and 20 mg tablets and administered in a dose of 20-40 mg/day turned out an effective antihypertensive remedy in 65% of patients with arterial hypertension largely running a mild course. The effect of nitrendipine administered in a single daily dose of 20 mg did not differ from that attained with the same dose given in two intakes. The raising of the daily dose of nitrendipine from 20 to 40 mg was associated with augmentation of the hypotensive effect in 43.8% of the patients in whom the treatment in a dose of 20 mg a day had turned out ineffective. Under the conditions of the cross-over method with the use of the reference drugs belonging to three groups of the basic antihypertensive agents (nifedipine, propranolol, hydrochlorothiazide), the hypotensive effect of nitrendipine did not differ from that produced by the drugs under comparison (according to the mean group indicators and individual assessment of the efficacy). The tolerance of nitrendipine administered in a dose of 10 mg twice a day or in a dose of 20 mg once or twice a day was satisfactory.

Adult

Effects of bepridil and diltiazem on [3H]nitrendipine binding to canine cardiac sarcolemma. Potentiation of pharmacological effects of nitrendipine by bepridil.

[3H]Nitrendipine binds to canine cardiac sarcolemma in a specific, saturable and rapid manner. Bepridil, a Ca++ channel inhibitor, stimulates this binding at submicromolar concentrations, but inhibits it noncompetitively at higher concentrations (IC50 = 15.8 microM). The increase in binding was due primarily to a 30% increase in the association rate constant (k+1) of [3H]nitrendipine, causing a decrease in the KD from a control value of 0.40 to 0.28 nM. In contrast to bepridil, diltiazem causes only an increase in [3H] nitrendipine binding without any inhibition. The increase was due primarily to an increase in receptor site density (maximum binding). These results show that the regulatory effects of bepridil and diltiazem on [3H]nitrendipine binding to cardiac tissue are different. The stimulatory effects of bepridil appeared to be pharmacologically relevant as low concentrations of bepridil potentiated the negative inotropic effect of nitrendipine in isolated perfused rat hearts.

Animals

The pharmacokinetics of nitrendipine. I. Absorption, plasma concentrations, and excretion after single administration of [14C]nitrendipine to rats and dogs.

[14C]nitrendipine (3-ethyl 5-methyl 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(3-nitrophenyl)-3,5-pyridine dicarboxylate, Bay e 5009, Baypress, Bayotensin) was administered to rats and dogs (intravenously, orally, intraduodenally, 0.5-50 mg/kg) in order to investigate absorption, disposition, and excretion of parent compound and metabolites. The absorption of radioactivity following oral administration of [14C]nitrendipine was rapid and almost complete in both species. Maximum concentrations of total radioactivity in plasma were reached after 1.2 (rat) or 0.7 h (dog). The radioactivity was eliminated from plasma with terminal half-lives of 57 (rat) and 188 h (dog) during an observation period up to 10 and 9 days, respectively. Unchanged nitrendipine contributed to the AUC of total radioactivity only 8-9% after intravenous and 1-2% after oral administration. The bioavailability of nitrendipine after oral administration amounted to 12% in rats and 29% in dogs due to a strong first pass elimination process. About two thirds of the radioactivity administered were excreted via faeces, one third via urine. Distinct sex-differences in the excretion pattern could be found in rats but not in mice. They were attributed to well-known sex differences of the metabolic capacities in rat liver. In rats the radioactivity excreted via bile (about 75% of the dose) was subject to a marked entero-hepatic circulation, about 50% of the amount excreted being reabsorbed. The radioactive residues in the body were low (0.5% of the dose after 2 days in rats; less than or equal to 0.6% after 9 days in dogs).

Absorption

The pharmacokinetics of nitrendipine. II. Distribution to and elimination from organs and tissues of rats and dogs after single or repeated administration of [14C]nitrendipine.

[14C]nitrendipine (3-ethyl 5-methyl 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(3-nitrophenyl)-3,5-pyridine dicarboxylate, Bay e 5009, Baypress, Bayotensin) was administered to male rats, pregnant and lactating female rats, and female dogs intravenously or orally once as well as to male rats repeatedly over a period of 4 weeks (rat 5 (and 10) mg/kg, dog approximately 3 mg/kg). The distribution of radioactivity (unchanged compound and metabolites) was investigated using whole-body autoradiography as well as quantitative measurements of the organ and tissue concentrations of radioactivity after necropsy. [14C]nitrendipine was distributed rapidly and heterogeneously into the organs and tissues of rats. Already 24 h after administration most of the radioactivity had reached the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract via biliary secretion. High concentrations were also detectable in liver and kidneys. The radioactivity was eliminated from the tissues with terminal half-lives lying between 52 (plasma) and 360 h (muscle). Only 0.13% of the administered radioactivity was detectable in the body (excl. GI-tract) after 10 days. In dogs, the distribution pattern was similar to that observed in rats. After 28 daily administrations of [14C]nitrendipine to male rats the plasma and tissue equivalent concentrations were 3 (plasma) to 12 times (adipose tissue) higher than after single administration. The half-lives were increased by 20 to 70%, lying between 2 and 15 days. There were no indications for any specific retention of the radioactivity. The radioactivity from [14C]nitrendipine was secreted into the milk of lactating rats and crossed the placental barrier.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adipose Tissue, Brown

Characteristics of a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent binding of the Ca2+ channel antagonist, nitrendipine, to a postsynaptic density fraction isolated from canine cerebral cortex.

Synaptic membrane (SM) and postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions isolated from the cerebral cortex (CTX) and cerebellum (CL) of the canine brain were found to contain one class of specific nitrendipine binding sites. The specific binding constants were: CTX-SM, Kd = 110 pM (Bmax = 126 fmol/mg protein); CTX-PSD, Kd = 207 pM (Bmax = 196 fmol/mg); CL-SM, Kd = 100 pM (Bmax = 65 fmol/mg); CL-PSD, Kd = 189 pM (Bmax = 80 fmol/mg). Treatment of the CTX-SM and CTX-PSD fractions with 0.5% deoxycholate and 1.0% N-lauroyl sarcosinate removed 88-91% and 42-51% of the nitrendipine binding, respectively, indicating that the major nitrendipine binding present in the SM fractions are of non-synaptic origin. Moreover, the percentages of total protein and specific nitrendipine binding removed from PSDs by these detergents were similar, indicating no preferential dissociation of the latter, and suggesting that the receptor protein is firmly bound and is probably an intrinsic component of the PSD fraction. Both Ca2+ and calmodulin were found to be important for the binding of nitrendipine to the CTX-SM and CTX-PSD fractions since: R24571, a calmodulin antagonist, was found to inhibit nitrendipine binding to the CTX-SM and CTX-PSD fractions with IC50 values of 1.1 microM and 0.9 microM, respectively; removal of Ca2+ from the CTX-SM and CTX-PSD fractions with 0.2 mM EGTA resulted in losses of specific nitrendipine binding of 80 and 90%, respectively; Ca2+ alone restored nitrendipine binding to EGTA-pretreated CTX-SM fractions and not to CTX-PSD fractions, with the latter needing both Ca2+ and calmodulin to restore nitrendipine binding; EGTA treatment removed 14-16% and 89-91% of nitrendipine bound to the CTX-SM and CTX-PSD fractions, respectively, suggesting that calmodulin (but not Ca2+) is needed to maintain the nitrendipine-nitrendipine receptor-calmodulin complex; Ca2+-reconstituted EGTA-pretreated CTX-SM fractions and the Ca2+ plus calmodulin-reconstituted EGTA-pretreated CTX-SM and CTX-PSD fractions were found to have similar binding constants to those for the corresponding native, untreated fractions; and the Ca2+/calmodulin dependency on nitrendipine binding was similar to the well-known Ca2+/calmodulin dependency on phosphorylation in EGTA-pretreated PSD fractions. It needed much less Ca2+ to saturate Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation of the pretreated CTX-PSD fractions than the nitrendipine binding. Yet, less calmodulin was needed to saturate nitrendipine binding than the phosphorylation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals

Hemodynamic and metabolic effects of the calcium channel blocking agent nitrendipine.

In an open crossover comparison of propranolol and nitrendipine, 19 patients with hypertension received 40 to 160 mg propranolol and 5 to 20 mg nitrendipine twice a day. Mean (+/- SD) predose supine blood pressure fell from 145/98 +/- 11/7 to 132/88 +/- 12/8 mm Hg with propranolol and to 135/92 +/- 11/9 mm Hg with nitrendipine. Resting heart rate was reduced by propranolol but was unchanged 12 hours after nitrendipine dosing. Neither propranolol nor nitrendipine altered plasma glucose or insulin after oral glucose. Propranolol significantly increased fasting triglyceride levels and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, but nitrendipine induced no change. Propranolol reduced and nitrendipine increased plasma renin activity after exercise. Peak plasma nitrendipine levels were dose proportional and occurred at 1 to 2 hours after dosing, whereas peak blood pressure reductions occurred 4 hours after the last dose of nitrendipine and were associated with mean increases in heart rate. Nitrendipine is almost equivalent in hypotensive effect to propranolol, but nitrendipine increases plasma renin activity after exertion and may produce transient tachycardia. However, nitrendipine does not cause unwanted metabolic effects.

Administration, Oral

Stereoselective pharmacokinetics of oral and intravenous nitrendipine in healthy male subjects.

1. Stereoselectivity in the pharmacokinetics of nitrendipine was investigated by reanalysing plasma samples of a previously published study (Soons et al., 1989). 2. Racemic nitrendipine was administered intravenously (40 micrograms kg-1) and orally, both as plain tablet (20 mg) and in an osmotic pump device (40 mg Osmet) to nine healthy male subjects. Nitrendipine enantiomers were measured with a stereoselective assay. 3. Upon oral administration (tablet) the bioavailability of (S)-(-)-nitrendipine (13.4% +/- 5.6%) was 75% (50% - 98%) higher than that of (R)-nitrendipine (7.9% +/- 4.0%) (mean +/- s.d. (95% confidence interval)). Values of AUC and Cmax for (S)-nitrendipine were 90% (55% - 121%) and 77% (51% - 100%) higher respectively, than those for (R)-nitrendipine. Similar results were obtained with the osmotic system. 4. The clearance of intravenously administered (S)-nitrendipine was slightly (7%) lower than that of (R)-nitrendipine, but elimination half-lives and volumes of distribution were similar. 5. The difference in disposition of nitrendipine enantiomers is most likely related to a difference in activity of the cytochrome P-450 system towards the enantiomers, giving rise to a two-fold difference in first-pass elimination. 6. Stereoselectivity in the first pass metabolism of nitrendipine exhibited little intersubject variability and therefore is not a major factor in the wide variability in systemic availability of the more-potent (S)-enantiomer.

Administration, Oral

Effects of nitrendipine and cilazapril alone or in combination on hemodynamics and regional blood flows in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Nitrendipine and cilazapril are two new antihypertensive drugs with different mechanisms of action. Nitrendipine is a calcium antagonist of the dihydropyridine class which decreases directly the smooth muscle tone. Cilazapril is a new long-lasting inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme which suppresses the peripheral vasoconstrictor effect of angiotensin I by inhibiting its transformation in angiotensin II. The goal of the present study was to assess the effects on hemodynamics and regional blood flows (measured with radioactive microspheres) of cilazapril and nitrendipine given alone or in combination. Cilazapril (3 mg/kg) and nitrendipine (0.3 mg/kg) were given intravenously to conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats first alone, then in combination. Both cilazapril and nitrendipine decreased mean arterial pressure to the same extent. Cilazapril increased regional blood flow only in the kidney without changing total cardiac output. In contrast, nitrendipine increased regional blood flow in nearly every organ and markedly enhanced total cardiac output. Cilazapril redistributed the cardiac output distribution toward the kidney, and nitrendipine did not change the cardiac output distribution. The combination of both nitrendipine and cilazapril produced a stronger antihypertensive effect than each drug alone. The peripheral vasodilatation with the combination was not as marked as with nitrendipine alone but was associated with the same redistribution of the cardiac output toward the kidney as with cilazapril. We conclude that after acute intravenous administration the combination of cilazapril and nitrendipine produced hemodynamic effects which cannot be induced by each drug used alone. Such a therapeutic profile may be useful in patients with high blood pressure or heart failure.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors

Nitrendipine and the humoral control of sodium homeostasis.

1. Nine healthy volunteers received 10 mg nitrendipine or placebo orally in random order. 2. In the subsequent 5 h urinary sodium excretion was 20% higher after nitrendipine, without any significant difference between the volume of urine excreted after nitrendipine or placebo. Mean blood pressure fell by 5 mm Hg (P less than 0.001), and mean heart rate increased by 5 beats min-1 (P less than 0.01) after nitrendipine but did not change after placebo. 3. These changes were accompanied by a significant elevation in plasma renin activity (P less than 0.001). A fall in plasma aldosterone following placebo appeared to be attenuated by nitrendipine. Plasma noradrenaline increased to a peak 3 h after nitrendipine administration (P less than 0.05) but did not change following placebo. A fall in the excretion of 6-keto PGF1 alpha following placebo was attenuated by nitrendipine. The total excretion of 6-keto PGF1 alpha after nitrendipine was significantly greater (P less than 0.05) than after placebo but not difference in the total excretion of PGE2 was detected. Nitrendipine did not affect urinary kallikrein excretion. 4. The natriuretic action of nitrendipine is not mediated by the kallikrein-kinin system, but may be related to changes in renal prostaglandins.

Adult

Pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, metabolism and acute and chronic antihypertensive effects of nitrendipine in patients with chronic renal failure and moderate to severe hypertension.

1. The pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, metabolism and antihypertensive effects of nitrendipine have been studied in 12 patients with impaired renal function and moderate to severe hypertension. The drug was administered simultaneously by the i.v. [13C4] and oral (commercial tablet 20 mg) routes. 2. No differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters were observed between the two routes of administration. The systemic clearance after i.v. administration in patients with renal impairment (18.2 +/- 6.1 ml min-1 kg-1) was similar to that observed in healthy volunteers. Despite complete absorption of drug from the tablet the bioavailability of the parent compound was 21.2 +/- 12.5%. Cumulative urinary excretion of nitrendipine metabolites was correlated with the creatinine clearance (r = 0.946). 3. Significant reductions in mean arterial blood pressure (mean: 23.6%) at the end of the nitrendipine infusion and after oral administration of 20 mg (mean: 17.5%) were observed. The blood pressure lowering effect of nitrendipine could be correlated within individuals with serum nitrendipine concentrations using a log linear model. 4. Following 4 weeks of therapy an average dose of 77 mg nitrendipine day-1 was required to achieve a systolic blood pressure below 160 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure below 90 mm Hg. The reduction in blood pressure during multiple dosing was related to the nitrendipine steady-state concentration. There was a significant relationship between the nitrendipine bioavailability and the dose required for sufficient blood pressure control. 5. No accumulation of nitrendipine caused by impaired renal function was observed during multiple dosing. Thus, no reduction of the nitrendipine dose in patients with renal impairment is necessary.

Adult

[Effects of nitrendipine on cardiovascular systems].

Cardiovascular effects of nitrendipine were examined in anesthetized dogs, blood-perfused canine papillary muscles and isolated arteries. In anesthetized dogs, nitrendipine by intravenous (0.3-10 micrograms/kg) or intraduodenal (0.1 mg/kg) administration lowered blood pressure and increased coronary and vertebral blood flow. Nitrendipine also decreased the difference in oxygen concentrations between arterial and coronary sinus blood, which indicates that nitrendipine increased the oxygen supply to the heart. Myocardial oxygen consumption was slightly increased at a low dose (3 micrograms/kg, i.v.) accompanied with a small increase in max dP/dt, but was decreased at high doses (30-100 micrograms/kg, i.v.). A negative inotropic effect was observed in blood-perfused canine papillary muscles. However, nitrendipine is thought to be highly vasoselective because much higher doses were required to decrease the myocardial contraction than to increase the coronary blood flow. Furthermore, nitrendipine suppressed the contraction induced by KCl, acetylcholine, histamine, norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytryptamine and prostaglandin F2 alpha of porcine coronary arteries, and the rhythmic contraction induced by 3,4-diaminopyridine of canine coronary arteries. In isolated rabbit aortic preparations, nitrendipine strongly inhibited the KCl-induced contraction, but not the phenylephrine-induced contraction. These effects of nitrendipine were almost similar to those of nifedipine. It is suggested that nitrendipine decreases afterload (blood pressure), increases the blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart, and inhibits coronary spasm, which is due to the calcium antagonistic effect. Nitrendipine may be useful for the treatment of ischemic heart diseases.

Animals

Short term and long term effects of beta-adrenergic effectors and cyclic AMP on nitrendipine-sensitive voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels of skeletal muscle.

The effects of short term stimulation of beta-adrenergic receptors and elevations in intracellular cyclic AMP on nitrendipine-sensitive voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels of skeletal muscle cells in vitro has been studied using both the 45Ca2+ flux technique and [3H] nitrendipine-binding experiments. Isoproterenol increased the nitrendipine-sensitive 45Ca2+ influx under depolarizing conditions. The effects of isoproterenol were additive to those of depolarization and were antagonized by alprenolol. Half-maximal inhibition of 45Ca2+ influx induced both by depolarization and by isoproterenol occurred at a nitrendipine concentration of 1 nM. Treatments that resulted in an increased level of intracellular cyclic AMP, such as treatment with 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine, theophylline, dibutyryl cyclic AMP, or 8-bromocyclic AMP also resulted in an increased rate of 45Ca2+ entry via nitrendipine-sensitive Ca2+ channel. In contrast, long term treatment of myotubes in culture with isoproterenol and other compounds that increased intracellular cyclic AMP led to a large increase in the number of nitrendipine receptors. This increase was accompanied by a 4-10-fold decrease in the affinity of the receptors for nitrendipine. Alprenolol inhibited the long term effects of isoproterenol. In vivo treatment of 7-day-old chicks with reserpine and alprenolol produced a decrease in the number of skeletal muscle nitrendipine receptors. This decrease in receptor number was accompanied by an increase in the affinity of nitrendipine for its receptor by a factor of 4 to 5. These effects on the nitrendipine receptor were prevented by simultaneous injection of isoproterenol. The results are discussed in relation to the role of beta-adrenergic receptors and intracellular cyclic AMP in the regulation of skeletal muscle Ca2+ channels.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine

[Effect of nitrendipine on isolated uterus and other smooth muscles of the rat].

Increasing concentrations of nitrendipine were found to inhibit various types of muscular activation (electrical stimulation, acetylcholine, oxytocin, potassium chloride), as well as the spontaneous rhythmic activity of the isolated rat uterus. The degree of the inhibitory effect of nitrendipine depends on the type of activation. Nitrendipine showed an exceptionally high efficacy in inhibiting contractions induced by electrical stimulation and of spontaneous rhythmic activity. For inhibition of these contractions even osmolar concentrations of nitrendipine were sufficient. The relaxant effect of nitrendipine depended on the concentration of extracellular calcium and the time of incubation of nitrendipine in the bathing medium. Nitrendipine showed high selectivity for the uterine smooth muscle because in a very high concentrations is exerted an insignificant relaxation of the other isolated smooth muscles (oesophagus, urinary bladder). Our experiments indicate that nitrendipine might have a role in therapy of premature delivery and abortion because of its great selectivity for the uterine smooth muscle. Addition of calcium into the medium restores completely all types of muscular activation after the inhibitory action of nitrendipine except its depressive action on the phasic component of oxytocin-induced contractions. These findings that individual types of activation, after inhibitory action of nitrendipine, are reestablished in various degrees by the addition of calcium into the medium, are also an additional confirmation about the existence of various types of calcium channels.

Acetylcholine

Identification of two calcium channel receptor sites for [3H]nitrendipine in mammalian cardiac and smooth muscle membrane.

Various Ca-channel blockers differ in cardiovascular action despite common effects at the Ca channel. Many investigators have reported only a single high-affinity receptor for binding of [3H]nitrendipine, a dihydropyridine Ca-channel blocker. Its equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) does not match the concentration of nitrendipine needed for a physiological effect on the mammalian cardiac Ca channel. The purpose of these studies was to clarify the existing discrepancy between pharmacological properties of nitrendipine receptors and the physiological effects of the dihydropyridine blockers. Of particular importance in this regard was to provide a pharmacological correlate for electrophysiological studies demonstrating multiple voltage-dependent conformational states of the Ca channel, which show differing affinities for the dihydropyridine Ca-channel blockers. By use of an improved ligand binding assay, our studies demonstrate both "high-affinity" and "low-affinity" [3H]nitrendipine receptors with Kd values corresponding well with observed physiologically effective nitrendipine concentrations. We detected two distinct populations of nitrendipine receptors in rat heart and bovine aortic membrane. A high-affinity Kd value of 0.2-0.3 nM was found, which seems to correspond to the physiologically functional state of the Ca channel in smooth muscle, since the Kd value is similar to the concentration at which nitrendipine inhibits contraction. However, in contrast to numerous other studies, we observed that the predominant component of [3H]nitrendipine binding (95-99%) had a low-affinity Kd value (235 nM). This putative low-affinity [3H]nitrendipine receptor may correspond to the physiologically functional state of the Ca channel in cardiac muscle.

Animals

Effects of nitrendipine on sodium balance during changes in sodium intake and low-dosage ANP.

We found previously that calcium entry blockade with nitrendipine enhanced the natriuretic effect of high-dose atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). It is unknown whether nitrendipine also influences the effect of physiological changes in ANP. We therefore studied the effect of nitrendipine on cumulative sodium balance during changes in sodium intake as well as on natriuresis after low-dosage ANP infusion during low and high sodium (LS and HS, respectively) intake. In eight healthy volunteers, sodium balance was recorded after the switch from LS (20 mmol/day) to HS (300 mmol/day) diet. Cumulative sodium balance was equal with (441 +/- 45 mmol) or without (458 +/- 45 mmol) nitrendipine treatment. The body weight curves were also fully congruent. ANP (0.005 micrograms/kg/min for 3 h) was administered during maximal water diuresis on both sodium intake levels with and without nitrendipine. Infusion of ANP increased sodium excretion (mumol/min) from 30 +/- 7 to 81 +/- 12 (LS) and from 316 +/- 27 to 469 +/- 46 (HS). During nitrendipine, similar increments (from 36 +/- 7 to 98 +/- 24 mumol/min, HS) were found. ANP had no effect on inulin clearance and fractional excretion of lithium, but consistently depressed diluting segment reabsorption. This pattern was also similar during nitrendipine. Apparently, under the conditions of this study in normal subjects, nitrendipine has no effect on sodium balance. ANP, in physiological concentrations, increases natriuresis mainly by depressing sodium reabsorption in the distal nephron, an effect not enhanced by nitrendipine.

Adult