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E Noack

Publications and source records attributed to E Noack.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Thiol-mediated generation of nitric oxide accounts for the vasodilator action of furoxans.

Furoxans (1,2,5-oxadiazole-2-oxides) are widely used in organic chemistry as intermediate compounds for the synthesis of various heterocycles. Despite the fact that some furoxans have been found to possess remarkable biological activities, up to now no systematic study on their mode of action has been reported. The aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular mode of the vasodilator action of furoxans. Furoxans, but not the corresponding furazans, concentration-dependently increased coronary flow in an isolated working rat heart preparation. This effect was blunted upon coinfusion with methylene blue. All tested furoxans were demonstrated to increase potently the activity of soluble guanylate cyclase. Enzyme stimulation was found to be mediated by the generation of nitric oxide (NO) following chemical reaction of the furoxans with sulfhydryl groups of low molecular weight thiols and proteins. Furoxans are thus prodrugs which increase the level of cyclic GMP via formation of NO and may therefore be classified as nitrovasodilators. Along with the generation of NO, nitrite and nitrate ions and S-nitrosothiols were formed. The rates of formation of these metabolites, however, did not appear to be related to enzyme stimulation. A tentative reaction scheme that fits the obtained experimental data is proposed. Recently reported cytotoxic, mutagenic, immunosuppressive and anticancer effects of furoxans are discussed in the light of their ability to release NO upon reaction with thiols.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Molecular mechanisms of nitrovasodilator bioactivation.

All nitrovasodilators act intracellularly by a common molecular mechanism. This is characterized by the release of nitric oxide (NO). They are, thus, prodrugs or carriers of the active principle NO, responsible for endothelial controlled vasodilation. The rate of NO-formation strongly correlates with the activation of the soluble guanylate cyclase in vitro, resulting in a stimulation of cGMP synthesis. Nitrovasodilators thus are therapeutic substitutes for endogenous EDRF/NO. The pathways of bioactivation, nevertheless, differ substantially, depending on the individual chemistry of the nitrovasodilator. Besides NO, numerous other reaction products such as nitrite and nitrate anions are formed. The guanylate cyclase is only activated if NO is liberated. In the case of organic nitrates such as GTN, NO is only formed if certain thiol compounds are present as an essential cofactor. The rate of NO-formation correlates with the number of nitrate ester groups and proceeds with a simultaneous nitrite formation (with a ratio of 1:14 in the presence of cysteine). Nitrosamines such as molsidomine do not need thiol compounds for bioactivation. They directly liberate NO from the ring-open A-forms. This process basically depends on the presence of oxygen as electron acceptor from the sydnonimine molecule. Therefore, besides NO also superoxide radicals are formed, which may react with the generated NO under formation of nitrate ions. Organic nitrites (such as amyl nitrite) require the preceding interaction with a mercapto group to form a S-nitrosothiol intermediate, from which finally NO radicals are liberated. Nitrosothiols (like S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine) and sodium nitroprusside spontaneously release NO. The molecules themselves do not possess a direct enzyme activating potency. In the presence of thiol compounds organic nitrites (e.g., amyl nitrite) and nitrosothiols may act as intermediary products of NO generation.

Amyl Nitrite↗
PubMed1990

Mechanisms of nitrate tolerance--influence of the metabolic activation pathways.

Nitrovasodilator drugs like nitroglycerin are broadly used for the treatment of coronary heart disease. They act by releasing nitric oxide, a gaseous substance that has substantial physiological importance for the regulation of vascular tone, and which is synthetized and released by the vascular endothelial cell layer. Nitrovasodilators thus are prodrugs for the release of nitric oxide (NO). Their pathways of bioactivation, however, are very different, depending on the individual chemical structure of the drugs. In the case of nitrate-containing vasodilators like nitroglycerin or ISDN an enzyme-catalyzed reduction or non-enzymatic interaction with thiol-containing compounds is a prerequisite for the liberation of NO. These specific pathways of chemical degradation are likely to trigger off the development of nitrate tolerance if sophisticated dosage regimens are not maintained, because drugs which directly release NO like sodium nitroprusside or amylinitrite do not show this phenomenon. Inhibition of enzymatic and nonenzymatic biotransformation due to oxidation of essential SH-containing compounds and/or to their cellular depletion may be, therefore, the reason for nitrate tolerance.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Molecular aspects underlying the vasodilator action of molsidomine.

Using different techniques, we measured the kinetics of nitric oxide (NO) liberation from SIN-1, the metabolite of molsidomine, and some related sydnonimines like its thiomorpholinyl analog, compound C 78-0698, and compared it under identical experimental conditions with its biological action at the guanylate cyclase (GC) site, taking this target enzyme as a suitable bioassay. There was a close relationship between half-maximal activation of GC and the velocity of NO release. The thiomorpholinyl analog was slightly more active in NO liberation than SIN-1 and activated the enzyme more rapidly. The kinetics of SIN-1A and SIN-1C formation, determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, could be accurately described by a Bateman equation. Oxyhemoglobin shifted the concentration-response curve of SIN-1 at the isolated soluble GC concentration to the right, whereas methemoglobin was without any effect. The results of our chemical and biochemical studies suggest that velocity and amount of NO formation are the only rate-limiting factors of guanylate cyclase activation by sydnonimines like SIN-1. NO, therefore, exclusively is the mediator of their pharmacodynamic action. In remarkable contrast to nitrate esters like glyceryl trinitrate or isosorbide dinitrate, NO liberation is not dependent on the interaction with thiol-containing compounds like cysteine.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

On the mechanism of NO release from sydnonimines.

The vasodilator and antiaggregatory properties of sydnonimines like SIN-1 are thought to be due to their marked stimulatory action on soluble guanylate cyclase. Enzyme activation and consecutive cyclic GMP accumulation is mediated by the liberation of nitric oxide (NO) from the open-ring A forms of sydnonimines. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of NO release from sydnonimines in direct comparison to their stimulatory effect at the target enzyme, soluble guanylate cyclase. All sydnonimines tested were found to spontaneously liberate NO, the rate of which closely correlated with the extent of enzyme activation. NO release occurred nonlinearly with time and became maximal at high sydnonimine concentration. The in vitro stability of the A forms neither correlated with the measured rate of NO release nor with enzyme activation, indicating that a direct stimulation of guanylate cyclase by the A forms is rather unlikely. Besides NO, all sydnonimines generated NO2- and NO3- at a nearly equimolar rate. The addition of cysteine induced a marked shift from NO3- to NO2- with a small reduction in NO release, which is paralleled by a weak rightward shift of the EC50 at the guanylate cyclase. All tested sydnonimines were found to consume molecular oxygen at rates that closely corresponded to the measured rates of NO formation. By a molar comparison, the amounts of consumed oxygen are clearly higher, as would be expected for the oxidative conversion of NO to NO2- and NO3-. Oxygen seems to be additionally involved in the induction of NO formation while being converted to superoxide (O2-). In accordance with an autocatalytic process, O2- further enhances sydnonimine decomposition, since in the presence of superoxide dismutase (SOD) the rate of SIN-1C and NO2-/NO3- formation from SIN-1A was reduced, whereas the rate of NO liberation seemingly increased. O2- has, however, no influence on the rate of hydrolysis of SIN-1 to SIN-1A. At the level of guanylate cyclase, the presence of SOD induced a leftward shift of the concentration-response curve to SIN-1, in agreement with an enhancement of efficacy of NO by blocking the NO-scavenging effect of O2-. An additional O2- generation markedly enhanced SIN-1A decomposition to NO2-/NO3- and reduced the apparent rate of NO formation. We conclude from our results that oxygen plays a key role in the decomposition of sydnonimines and thus in the formation of NO as their pharmacodynamically active principle. Oxygen attack most probably occurs by one-electron abstraction from the A form of the respective sydnonimine compound.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Assessment of beta-blocking activity of low-dose bupranolol.

In the present study an investigation was made on the pharmacodynamic effect of the beta-blocking agent bupranolol in the low-dose range. Bupranolol is usually given in doses of 100 mg twice daily in the treatment of hypertension, however the dose range between 20 and 100 mg was studied using graded isoproterenol injections in healthy volunteers. A significant beta-1-blocking activity was observed for the 20 mg dose already. This effect was reduced after a treatment of 10 days. The effect increased with the higher doses, there might be a linear correlation between the logarithm of the dose and the reduction of the tachycardia after the isoproterenol injections in the low-dose range. It was concluded that using the safe and sensitive isoproterenol injection method, the clinical effect of very low doses of bupranolol may be demonstrated. The low dose might be useful to reduce the reflex tachycardia seen in the treatment of hypertension with vasodilating drugs.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1988

Quantitative and kinetic characterization of nitric oxide and EDRF released from cultured endothelial cells.

Endothelial cells (EC) contribute to the control of local vascular diameter by formation of an endothelium derived relaxant factor (EDRF) (1). Whether nitric oxide (NO) is identical with (EDRF) or might represent only one species of several EDRFs has not been decided as yet (2-5). Therefore, we have directly compared in cultured EC the kinetics of NO formation determined in a photometric assay with the vasodilatory effect of EDRF and NO in a bioassay. Basal release of NO was 16, 4 pmol/min/ml packed EC column. After stimulation with bradykinin (BK) and ATP onset of endothelial NO release and maximal response preceded the EDRF-mediated relaxation. Concentrations of NO formed by stimulated EC were quantitatively sufficient to fully explain the smooth muscle relaxation determined in the bioassay. Our data provide convincing evidence that under basal, BK and ATP-stimulated conditions 1. endothelial cells release nitric oxide as free radical, 2. nitric oxide is solely responsible for the vasodilatory properties of EDRF.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1988

Additive competitive interaction of verapamil and quinidine at alpha-adrenergic receptors of isolated cardiac guinea pig myocytes and human platelets.

Recent clinical work has questioned the safety of a combined therapy of oral quinidine and intravenous verapamil, because some patients were reported to react with severe hypotension probably due to drug interactions with vascular alpha-adrenergic receptors. In order to obtain further quantitative information on the underlying mechanism, we used the radioligands (3H)-prazosin and (3H)-yohimbine to perform binding studies on intact cells, with predominantly alpha-1 (isolated myocytes) or alpha-2 subtypes (human platelets) of adrenergic receptors. Our studies confirm that both verapamil and quinidine possess a distinct alpha-adrenergic receptor blocking activity and do not discriminate between the alpha-1 and alpha-2 subtype (Ki-values were between 0.24-0.28 mumol/l for alpha-1 receptors and 0.49-0.50 mumol/l for alpha-2 receptors). Their interaction was competitive and in the presence of both drugs inhibition of radioligand binding was additive. The alpha-adrenergic blockade by verapamil was stereospecific as D-verapamil increased the dissociation constant of the radioligand to a much lesser degree than L-verapamil (Ki = 1.67 +/- 0.29 mumol/l for D-verapamil). The calcium channel blocker nitrendipine, a 1,4-dihydropyridine derivative, did not show any competition up to concentrations of 10 mumol/l. Our results thus give evidence that verapamil and quinidine have already at therapeutic blood levels significant alpha-adrenergic blocking activities which may be of clinical interest. In addition our results show that adult cardiac myocytes are very well suited for pharmacological adrenergic interaction studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Explanation of the discrepancy between the degree of organic nitrate decomposition, nitrite formation and guanylate cyclase stimulation.

We continuously studied the quantitative formation of nitric oxide (NO), nitrite and nitrate ions from several organic nitrate esters in the presence of various thiol-containing compounds by spectroscopy and HPLC. The results indicate that there are different pathways of decomposition depending on the chemical nature of the mercaptan tested. The amino acid cysteine is known to function as an essential cofactor for guanylate cyclase activation by organic nitrates in vitro. For comparison we investigated several structural analogues with respect to their nitric oxide or nitrite ion releasing potency. Both were found to represent the main products resulting from nitrate ester breakdown besides the respective alcohols. We found that only those compounds were able to activate the enzyme in the presence of nitroglycerin (GTN) which induce the release of NO as well. On the other hand, nearly all other thiols tested caused an in vitro decomposition of organic nitrates by producing excess nitrite and the corresponding disulfide without the formation of NO. Thus, the decomposition of organic nitrates to nitrite ions does not contribute at all to activation of guanylate cyclase. Our results confirm that the liberation of nitric oxide is the common principle of action for all nitrovasodilators. In addition, our results suggest that the thiol consuming transformation of organic nitrates into nitrite ions (ratio NO/nitrite 1:10) may lead to a depletion of cysteine stores, resulting in a decreased formation of NO and, consequently, in a decrease of guanylate cyclase activation, clinically arising as nitrate tolerance.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

[Treatment of glaucoma with beta receptor blockers. Significance of adrenergic receptors of the beta-2 subtype for their effect on intraocular pressure].

After 20 years of extensive practical experience in the management of glaucoma, beta-adrenergic blocking agents have gained a continuously increasing importance. The reason is a combination of effective reduction of intraocular pressure even during chronic treatment and few adverse effects. For many years, substantial effort has been focussed on the elucidation of the cellular mechanism inducing the intracellular pressure reduction. In this respect, mainly three different hypotheses have been controversially discussed: beta-blockers reduce aqueous humor formation (1) by an unspecific membrane-stabilizing process, (2) by impeding the local circulation of the ciliary body or (3) by specifically blocking adrenergic beta-receptors intimately involved in the regulation of aqueous humor production. Recently, substantial progress has been achieved by different working groups getting highly purified melanin-depleted fractions of ciliary epithelia which allow accurate receptor-ligand binding studies. The most important results, which all favor the explanation that the mechanism of action is due to specific inhibition of adrenergic receptors of the beta-2-subtype, are presented here. The consequences which result for the development of more specific pharmacologic agents in the future are discussed.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1988

[Differential therapeutic topics in antihypertensive therapy. What can angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors accomplish?].

The results of large epidemiological studies dealing with the prognosis and unfavourable outcome of essential hypertension, clearly show that the pharmacological reduction of the elevated blood pressure of hypertensive patients significantly reduces the risk of at least some major cardiovascular complications. Satisfactory antihypertensive efficacy reflects, nevertheless, merely a minimal requirement for a modern antihypertensive drug. Additional pharmacological properties, which counteract the typical concomitant diseases like CHD, heart failure and other cardiovascular complications would be desirable. In this respect, the oral CE-inhibitors captopril and enalapril offer an exciting new approach to the treatment of arterial hypertension. As the most predictive international studies on prevention of hypertension were conducted before CE-inhibitors were available, the present review evaluates the pharmacological profile of this new class of antihypertensive compounds in the light of previously available baseline drugs, including the calcium channel antagonists. Until now, captopril and enalapril have been the best investigated and documented representatives. Besides new experimental results concerning the molecular mechanism of these drugs, clinical and experimental approaches to verify protective effects on the cardiovascular and the renal system are addressed. These offer a rational basis for the preferential treatment of hypertensive patients with reduced renal function, diabetes and chronic heart failure. In addition, some distinct advantages of enalapril over captopril, resulting mainly from the long-term reduction of high blood pressure, are discussed.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMed1987

Nitric oxide (NO) formation from nitrovasodilators occurs independently of hemoglobin or non-heme iron.

The aim of the present study was to exclude a potential role of hemoglobin in the formation of nitric oxide (NO) from several nitrovasodilators. NO was measured with a chemiluminescence technique after purging with argon from the aqueous solution. Nitric oxide generation occurred in the absence of hemoglobin or non-heme iron. Sodium nitroprusside and SIN-1 released NO spontaneously. Nitroglycerin produced NO only in the presence of those thiols which are effective co-stimulators of guanylate cyclase. All other thiols degraded nitroglycerin only into nitrite ions without formation of NO. Our results support the role of nitric oxide as terminal activator of guanylate cyclase stimulation by nitrovasodilators.

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1987

Structure-activity relationship of organic nitrates for activation of guanylate cyclase.

The effect of different organic nitrates on the activity of soluble guanylate cyclase prepared from rat liver was investigated. We found a close correlation between the number of nitrate ester groups and the potency of guanylate cyclase activation. For erythrityl tetranitrate (ETN, EC50 = 14.5 microM), glyceryl trinitrate (GTN, EC50 = 60 microM), isoidide dinitrate (IIDN, EC50 = 0.24 mM) and isosorbide-5-nitrate (IS-5-N, EC50 = 1 mM), we were able to set up an equation by which the EC50 could be calculated from the number of nitrate groups per molecule. Compared to these results, the effect of sterical factors and lipophilicity on organic nitrate-induced activation of guanylate cyclase was small. However, there were still significant differences in the EC50 values for the cyclic mononitrates. Isosorbide-2-nitrate (IS-2-N, EC50 = 0.75 mM) was found to be more potent than the stereoisomeric isosorbide-5-nitrate. Similarly, the cyclic dinitrates isomannide dinitrate (IMDN, EC50 = 0.20 mM), isoidide dinitrate and isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN, EC50 = 0.28 mM) exhibited small but significant differences in their guanylate cyclase stimulatory potency. Two lipophilic ester derivatives of isosorbide-5-nitrate showed a 2-fold potency difference for vasodilation but were equipotent for activation of guanylate cyclase (EC50 = 0.85 mM). Also, the increase in lipophilicity due to esterification of the free hydroxylic group had no major influence on guanylate cyclase activation by isosorbide-5-nitrate. These results demonstrate that in a cell-free system, the potency of organic nitrates for guanylate cyclase activation is mainly determined by the number of nitrate groups. Since organic nitrate-induced activation of guanylate cyclase may involve the formation of nitric oxide free radicals, it is conceivable that the differences in potency reflect a varying degree of nitric oxide release from each compound tested.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Kinetic studies of the tissue binding tendency of the new vasodilator pildralazine.

Studies of the binding and release of the new antihypertensive drug (+/-)-1-[(6-hydrazinopyridazin-3-yl)methylamino]-2-propanol (pildralazine, PD) were performed on isolated perfused guinea pig hearts according to the Langendorff technique. Extensive binding to and accumulation in the tissue were recorded. Even after 30 min of washout considerable PD concentrations were detected both in the myocardium (900 ng/g w.w.) and the effluent (17 ng/ml = 100 ng/min). The calculation of elimination half-life yielded a nearly identical value in the myocardial tissue and the effluent. Coronary vasodilation mediated by PD ran in close parallel to the drug concentrations. As the washout of [3H]-sucrose as an extracellular space marker was half-maximal already after 1.6 min rediffusion of PD originated from tissue sites and not only by dilution of the fluid in the extracellular space. In addition the results indicated that the observed binding of PD to cell structures prevented its normally rapid chemical destruction, already evident in aqueous solutions. The back diffusion of PD from the binding and storage sites into the coronary perfusate was very slow, explaining its long-lasting biological availability and action in vivo. The release kinetics may be described by an exponential function which obeys the criterions of a first order elimination process.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

[Antiglaucomatous effectiveness of beta receptor blockers with special reference to metipranolol].

Long-term treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension is being carried out increasingly by topical application of beta-adrenergic drugs. They bind to the beta 2-subtypes of beta-receptors in the unpigmented epithelia of the ciliary processes with high affinity. Aqueous humor production is thus inhibited. On the other hand the velocity of penetration through the cornea and the drug accumulation at this location increase with rising lipophilicity of the beta-blocker used. In this respect timolol and metipranolol, which was recently introduced on the Austrian market, possess favorable pharmacokinetic characteristics due to their intermediate lipophilicity. A calculation shows that one drop of 0.1% metipranolol solution produces supramaximal concentrations for several hours at the place of pharmacodynamic action. This is confirmed by the clinical efficacy, at the same time reducing the risk of local and systemic side effects.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1986

[Thiol-dependent activation of guanylate cyclase by organic nitrates].

Organic nitrates produce their pharmacological effect by an intracellular stimulation of the enzyme guanylate cyclase (E. C. 4.6.1.2). We could show that the stimulatory effect of organic nitrates on the activity of guanylate cyclase is strongly dependent on the number of nitrate residues per molecule. The EC50 values found for the tetra-, tri- di-, and mononitrates differed from each other by the factor 4. In contrast to investigations carried out with the perfused isolated Langendorff heart there was no correlation between the lipophilicity of these substances and the EC50 in our guanylate cyclase preparation, as penetration of cell membranes is not required. Other authors have found that organic nitrates are able to activate the enzyme guanylate cyclase only in the presence of cysteine. There is general agreement in the literature that organic nitrates have to be cleaved before they become biologically active. During the transformation which takes place in the presence of cysteine or by means of enzymatic catalysis the nitric oxide radical is liberated as the essential stimulatory agent. We found a strict correlation between the liberation of nitric oxide from different organic nitrates (GTN, IMDN, IIDN, ISDN, IS-2-N, IS-5-N) and the degree of enzyme activation. The Ec50 values of the organic nitrates were calculated from the concentration response curves which were obtained with a guanylate cyclase preparation from rat liver in the presence of cysteine. The degradation of the organic nitrates was measured under the same conditions by means of HPLC. The amount of nitric oxide set free was calculated by using the velocity constants k of organic nitrate degradation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetylcysteine↗
PubMed1985

Evidence for a correlation between nitric oxide formation by cleavage of organic nitrates and activation of guanylate cyclase.

According to our present understanding organic nitrates like glycerine trinitrate mediate their pharmacological effect by an intracellular stimulation of the enzyme guanylate cyclase (E.C. 4.6.1.2.) [1, 10]. The exact molecular mechanism underlying the process of enzyme activation is still a matter of controversial discussion. But there is general agreement in literature about the fact that organic nitrate compounds are able to activate the enzyme guanylate cyclase only in the presence or by the interaction of the amino acid cysteine [3, 5]. The stimulatory activity of nitric oxide-containing compounds may be due, at least in part, to the formation of active, unstable intermediate S-nitrosothiols, i.e. S-nitrosocysteine in case of the organic nitrates [7]. According to Craven and DeRubertis [2], the active intermediates of guanylate cyclase stimulation are represented by nitric oxide-heme complexes. There is, however, substantial evidence that the organic nitrates have to be cleaved before they become biologically active. During the transformation which takes place in the presence of cysteine or by means of enzymatic catalysis, nitric oxide radicals are reductively split off the molecule from which (via the intermediate formation of salpetric acid) the nitric oxide is liberated as the essential stimulatory agent. In this study we examined the transformation of glycerine trinitrate and other organic nitrates under the influence of different thiols and a purified soluble rat liver guanylate cyclase preparation. At the same time the stimulation of guanylate cyclase in the presence of the thiols mentioned was quantitatively estimated. Only in case of cysteine did we find a strict correlation between the liberation of nitric oxide from different organic nitrates and the degree of enzyme activation. Several other thiols were also able to liberate nitric oxide, but surprisingly enough, there was no equivalent stimulation of guanylate cyclase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗