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R A Janis

Publications and source records attributed to R A Janis.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Characteristics of the binding of [3H]nitrendipine to rabbit ventricular membranes: modification by other Ca++ channel antagonists and by the Ca++ channel agonist Bay K 8644.

This study was carried out to characterize [3H]nitrendipine binding to cardiac membranes and to test the hypothesis that high affinity binding of Ca++ channel antagonists and agonists is to Ca++ channels. Binding was specific, rapid, reversible and stereoselective. The relative order of potency of nifedipine analogs for inhibition of binding was the same as that for inhibition of smooth and cardiac muscle contraction. Results with diltiazem, verapamil and lidoflazine were consistent with the hypothesis that nondihydropyridine Ca++ channel antagonists act at one or more sites allosterically linked to the 1,4-dihydropyridine site in cardiac cells. The Ca++ channel agonist Bay K 8644 [methyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3-nitro-4-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)-pyr idine- 5-carboxylate] displaced specifically bound [3H]nitrendipine in an apparently competitive manner with an IC50 value of 5 nM. The results suggest that organic antagonists do not act by physically blocking the Ca++ channel. The data also support the hypothesis that the high affinity binding sites for [3H]nitrendipine in isolated cardiac membranes are associated with Ca++ channels that are inactivated or are otherwise unavailable for opening.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed1984

Effects of metal cations and calmodulin antagonists on [3H] nitrendipine binding in smooth and cardiac muscle.

It was previously reported that [3H]nitrendipine binding to a microsomal fraction from intestinal smooth muscle was dependent upon the presence of divalent metal cations (Bolger et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 225: 291-309, 1983). The effects of cations and calmodulin antagonists on [3H]nitrendipine binding in smooth and cardiac muscle have been studied further. Treatment of ileal and aortic smooth muscle and cardiac muscle with EDTA reduced specific [3H]nitrendipine binding by 70 to 95%. Microsomes from rabbit ventricle were more resistant to EDTA treatment than were those from ileal smooth muscle, but low concentrations of Ca++ (less than 10(-5) M) produced half-maximal restoration of binding in both tissues. The ability of cations at a concentration of 10(-3) M to restore binding to membranes from guinea-pig ileum was in the sequence, Ca++ = Sr++ greater than Mg++ = Mn++ = Co++ greater than Ba++ = Ni++ greater than Zn++ = Cd++ greater than La = Sm = Tm . In contrast to the activation of calmodulin-dependent processes, the ability of these cations to restore [3H]nitrendipine binding did not correlate linearly with ionic radius. However, calmodulin antagonists were found to inhibit [3H]nitrendipine binding with the order of potency: pimozide greater than less than calmidazolium (R 24571) greater than trifluoperazine greater than chlorpromazine greater than promethazine greater than chlorpromazine sulfoxide, that correlates quite well with the potency of these drugs as inhibitors of calmodulin-dependent processes. The results suggest that calmodulin antagonists bind to a protein associated with the [3H]nitrendipine binding site that has a hydrophobic domain similar to that exposed on calmodulin by Ca++, but that this protein is not calmodulin itself.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Sites of action of Ca2+ channel inhibitors.

Ca2+ channel inhibitors are viewed as a subgroup of Ca2+ antagonists. Most of the currently used Ca2+ channel inhibitors are thought to act by reducing Ca2+ entry into the cell through Ca2+ channels. There is substantial electrophysiological evidence that the major site of action of verapamil, nifedipine and diltiazem in cardiac cells is a sarcolemmal Ca2+ channel. Cytosolic sites of action may contribute to their effects but probably only at higher than therapeutic concentrations. The recent ligand binding studies also tend to support the view that the sarcolemma is the site of action of Ca2+ channel inhibitors in smooth muscle. High affinity binding sites for 1,4-dihydropyridines without any established function are found in fast skeletal muscle and some neuronal membranes. The binding of [3H]nitrendipine to membranes from cardiac, skeletal and smooth muscle, and from brain is saturable, reversible and of high affinity; it is sensitive to cations and other drugs that interact with Ca2+ channels. Inhibition of [3H]nitrendipine binding and blockade of K+ responses in guinea pig ileum by 1,4-dihydropyridines are well correlated, supporting the view that the observed binding is to Ca2+ channel. In contrast, blockade of Ca2+ channels in cardiac and skeletal muscle and in brain synaptosomes occurs only at higher concentrations than needed to saturate the high affinity binding sites. The therapeutic success of Ca2+ channel inhibitors in the treatment of angina pectoris, hypertension, peripheral vascular diseases, and many other disease entities is based on selective inhibition of Ca2+ entry into smooth muscle cells. The specificity of some of these drugs for Ca2+ channels in different cell types, organs, or vascular beds is probably determined by receptor modulation and the effect of reflex mechanisms, which in turn determine the indications for their therapeutic use.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Radioreceptor and high-performance liquid chromatographic assays for the calcium channel antagonist nitrendipine in serum.

Radioreceptor and high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assays for nitrendipine were developed and applied to the analysis of serum samples. The HPLC assay required both extraction and concentration of the serum samples, whereas the radioreceptor assay involved only direct dilution of the serum. The HPLC assay, in contrast to the radioreceptor assay, can be used for detection and quantitative analysis of biologically inactive metabolites. The radioreceptor assay is based on the competition between nitrendipine in serum and [3H]nitrendipine for high-affinity binding sites on cardiac membranes. Forty-two serum samples were obtained from five volunteers, and the HPLC and radioreceptor assay results were compared. A correlation coefficient of 0.98 was found between the results of the two assays within the nitrendipine serum concentration range of 1 to 20 ng/ml. No significant levels of active metabolites or any other interferences were found. The radioreceptor assay provides a specific and sensitive alternative to HPLC; it is rapid and inexpensive and with minor modifications may be applicable to most presently available Ca2+ channel antagonists.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Binding of the calcium channel blocker nitrendipine to its receptor in purified sarcolemma from canine cardiac ventricle.

High affinity binding of the 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker [3H]nitrendipine was found in cardiac sarcolemma but not cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum or mitochondria. Sarcolemmal binding of [3H]nitrendipine was saturable and reversible, with a maximum (Bmax) of approximately 1 pmol/mg protein and a Kd of approximately 0.14 nM. Displacement of sarcolemma-bound [3H]nitrendipine by other nifedipine analogs was stereospecific. The Kd for nitrendipine binding was approximately three orders of magnitude lower than the IC50 for the negative inotropic effect of this drug on isolated cat myocardium.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

New developments in Ca2+ channel antagonists.

Toward the beginning of this Perspective we posed a number of questions to be answered concerning the Ca2+ channel antagonists. Biochemical, chemical, clinical, pharmacological, and physiological studies collectively support the conclusion that this important group of molecules does function in specific fashion to inhibit Ca2+ channel function. Major questions of mechanisms and sites of action remain, however, to be resolved. The recent radioligand binding assay supports the conclusion, drawn earlier from the chemical and pharmacological heterogeneity of these agents, that there exists multiple sites and mechanisms of action for the Ca2+ channel antagonists. This is a satisfying conclusion, since, although it makes high demands on future experimentation designed to delineate these sites and mechanisms, it indicates the very real possibility for the development of tissue-selective Ca2+ channel antagonists. Elsewhere in this review we have already addressed the question of tissue selectivity as observed for existing compounds. In our opinion, the structural and pharmacological clues available should bring us closer to the goal of second- and third-generation Ca2+ antagonists with defined tissue selectivity.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Characterization of binding of the Ca++ channel antagonist, [3H]nitrendipine, to guinea-pig ileal smooth muscle.

A chemically heterogeneous group of compounds, the Ca++ channel antagonists, which includes verapamil, diltiazem and nifedipine inhibits excitation-contraction coupling in smooth and cardiac muscle by blocking Ca+ entry at a specific class of Ca++ channels. The binding of the nifedipine analog, [3H]nitrendipine, to a microsomal fraction from guinea-pig longitudinal smooth muscle has been characterized. Specific binding was saturable, linear with protein concentration and reversible. The apparent equilibrium dissociation constant was 1.63 +/- 0.06 X 10(-10)M and the maximum site density was 1.13 +/- 0.03 pmol/mg of protein determined from Scatchard analysis of equilibrium binding at 25 degrees C. Inhibition of binding was specific and stereoselective for Ca++ channel antagonist drugs and was unaffected by a variety of receptor active ligands. Correlations between binding and inhibition of mechanical response to methylfurmethide- and K+-stimulation in a series of nifedipine analogs were determined. A 1:1 correlation was found for the K+ tonic response, but for the phasic component of the K+ response and for both components of the methylfurmethide response the antagonists were more active as inhibitors of [3H]nitrendipine binding than as inhibitors of mechanical response. [3H]Nitrendipine binding was sensitive to other Ca++ channel antagonists including verapamil, D-600, diltiazem, flunarizine, lidoflazine and bepridil. Interaction with these agents suggests, consistent with previous reports, that more than one binding site for Ca++ antagonists exists. A variety of inorganic divalent and trivalent cations (Mn++, Co++, Ni++, Pb++, UO2++, Zn++, Cd++, Cu++, Tm+++ and La+++) inhibit specific [3H]nitrendipine binding. The data suggest that [3H]nitrendipine binding in smooth muscle is to a site which mediates the pharmacologic response.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Binding of [3H]nimodipine to cardiac and smooth muscle membranes.

Specific binding of [3H]nimodipine to membranes from rat ventricle and guinea pig ileal longitudinal smooth muscle was studied. Dissociation constants were 0.24 and 0.12 nM, and the maximal number of binding sites were 0.4 and 0.75 pmol/mg protein for cardiac and smooth muscle, respectively. The values obtained for both types of muscle were similar to those obtained for [3H]nitrendipine binding, as were the potencies of a series of dihydropyridines for competing with [3H]nimodipine. These results support the hypothesis that the binding site characterized is that mediating the pharmacological effects of these compounds.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Relationship between contraction and cyclic GMP levels of guinea pig taenia coli.

The relationship between isometric tension and the increase in cyclic GMP level associated with the initial phase of drug-induced contraction of taenia coli was studied. Maximal contraction induced by 100 micrometers carbachol or 124 mM KCl occurred in 30 sec and was associated with an increase in cyclic GMP levels of at least ten fold. However, 100 micrometers serotonin or low concentrations of carbachol (30 microM) produced nearly maximal contraction but only 10--20% of the maximal elevation in cyclic GMP induced by high concentrations of KCl. Furthermore, in the presence of a low concentration of Ca2+, or verapamil, both 124 mM KCl and 100 micrometers carbachol increased cyclic GMP with little elevation in isometric tension. Thus, large contractions were obtained with only small increases in cyclic GMP, and under other conditions, large increases in cyclic GMP were obtained with little increase in isometric tension. The results suggest that the initial increase in cyclic GMP level caused by these agents is not directly dependent on Ca2+ in the cellular pool containing the contractile proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Effects of hydralazine and verapamil on phosphorylase activity and guanosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate levels in guinea-pig taenia coli.

1 The roles of guanosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate (cyclic GMP) and calcium in the relaxation produced by hydralazine and verapamil in potassium-depolarized guinea-pig taenia coli have been investigated.2 Depolarization of isolated strips of guinea-pig taenia coli by 124 mM KCl caused sustained contractures and increases in tissue levels of cyclic GMP.3 The KCl-induced increases in cyclic GMP levels appeared to be calcium dependent. No increases in cyclic GMP levels were seen in strips of taenia coli depolarized in the absence of calcium. Readdition of calcium to the depolarizing solution contracted the muscles and increased cyclic GMP levels. When calcium was removed from the depolarizing solution during the sustained, tonic phase of a KCl-induced contracture, both tension and cyclic GMP levels returned to control values.4 Administration of 50 muM verapamil to KCl-contracted muscles completely relaxed the muscles and caused cyclic GMP levels to return to control values within 14 min. Hydralazine, 2 mM, on the other hand, relaxed the depolarized muscles without lowering cyclic GMP levels. No significant changes in cyclic AMP levels were seen in any of these experiments.5 Similar results were obtained in an analogous series of experiments in which glycogen phosphorylase activity was measured instead of cyclic GMP levels. Activation of phosphorylase during contractions of guinea-pig taenia coli had previously been reported to be a calcium-dependent phenomenon.6 It was concluded that increases in tissue levels of cyclic GMP (or of cyclic AMP) were not responsible for the relaxant effects of hydralazine or verapamil in these experiments. It was also suggested, based on our results, that verapamil exerted its relaxant effects in the depolarized taenia coli by lowering cytoplasmic calcium levels, whereas hydralazine relaxed the depolarized muscles without lowering intracellular calcium activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Effects of oxytocin and methacholine on cyclic nucleotide levels of rabbit myometrium.

The effects of oxytocin and methacholine on cyclic nucleotide levels in estrogen-primed rabbit myometrium were studied in the presence and absence of 1-methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine (MIX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. In the absence of MIX, methacholine increased guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) levels at a time when contraction was decreasing, but had no influence on adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels. In contrast, oxytocin did not elevate cGMP, but rapidly decreased cAMP levels. MIX (1 mM) increased both cAMP and cGMP levels. Oxytocin or methacholine further increased cGMP, indicating activation of guanylate cyclase. Oxytocin- but not methacholine-induced stimulation of guanylate cyclase was abolished in Ca2+-free solution. Oxytocin increased cAMP over the levels produced by MIX alone, whereas methacholine decreased cAMP below the MIX control values; these effects were insensitive to indomethacin. Tissue levels of cGMP and cAMP did not directly correlate with isometric tension. The results also indicate that both oxytocin and methacholine stimulate guanylate cyclase but have opposing effects on adenylate cyclase of rabbit myometrium.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗
PubMed1977

The effects of Ca2+ antagonists on Ca2+ accumulation by subcellular fractions of rat myometrium.

Several agents which antagonize or interact with Ca2+ in the excitation-contraction coupling of smooth muscle have been tested for their effects on Ca2+ accumulation by subcellular fractions of the rat uterus. Na+, but not K+, reduced the amount of Ca2+ that could be accumulated by the plasma membrane fraction (PM) and the endoplasmic reticular fraction (ER). Sr2+ considerably reduced Ca2+ accumulation by PM, ER, and the mitochondrial fraction; Ba2+ had a similar effect but was not as potent as Sr2+. La3+ at concentrations up to 10 mM was unable to block Ca2+ accumulation by PM and ER completely. The pharmacological agents D600, verapamil, and chlorpromazine all inhibited Ca+ accumulation at dose levels much higher than those required to inhibit contractility, and were ineffective at lower doses. The action of Ca2+ antagonists is seen to be complex, involving interactions at different sites and on different processes. For a fuller understanding of their mechanisms of action further studies upon passive binding and on the release of Ca2+ from subcellular sites are required.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Control of intracellular Ca2+ activity in rat myometrium.

Four fractions enriched, respectively, in plasma membrane (PM), smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), and mitochondria were isolated from estrogen-dominated rat myometrium. Ca2+ uptake by these fractions was studied in order to estimate the relative potential of the corresponding organelles for controlling intracellular Ca2+ activity. Ca2+ uptake properties of the PM, SER, and RER fractions were similar except that potentiation by oxalate was in the order RER greater than or equal SER greater than PM. However, studies with the ionophores X-537A and A23187 suggested that Ca2+ was transported into the lumen of membrane vesicles of all these fractions. Unlike that of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum, Ca2+ uptake by the myometrial fractions was not supported by high-energy compounds other than ATP. Mitochondria took up much less Ca2+ at low, and much more Ca2+ at high, free Ca2+ concentrations than did the other fractions. The amount of Ca2+ taken up in 30 s from a 1 muM free Ca2+ solution in the presence of ATP was similar for all fractions. These results suggested that mitochondria may act as an important Ca2+ control system in rat myometrium when the intracellular Ca2+ concentration is near 1 muM or higher, whereas the PM, SER, and RER may be of major importance at Ca2+ levels of 0.3 muM or lower.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗