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Biomedical subjects

R R Ruffolo

Publications and source records attributed to R R Ruffolo.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Effect of captopril and the nonpeptide angiotensin II antagonists, SK&F 108566 and EXP3174, on renal function in dogs with a renal artery stenosis.

Treatment with an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor can result in acute renal failure in patients with a renal artery stenosis. In the present study the effects of the selective nonpeptide angiotensin II antagonists, SK&F 108566 ((E)-alpha-[[2-Butyl-1-[(4-carboxyphenyl)methyl]-1H-imidazol-5-yl] methylene]-2-thiophenepropanoic acid) and EXP3174 (2-n-Butyl-4-chloro-1-[(2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)-biphenyl-4-yl) methyl]imidazole-5-carboxylic acid hydrochloride) (the active metabolite of DuP 753, losartan) were compared with the ACE inhibitor, captopril, in the anesthetized dog which had been uninephrectomized and the remaining renal artery clamped to reduce renal blood flow (RBF) by approximately 50%. All three agents resulted in dose-dependent reductions in mean arterial pressure (MAP), glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and RBF. The maximum responses to captopril and SK&F 108566 were similar with MAP, RBF and GFR all decreasing approximately 30%. EXP3174 also resulted in decreases in GFR and RBF of approximately 30%; however, there was a smaller (approximately 17%) decrease in MAP. The data indicate that the possible bradykinin enhancing activity of ACE inhibitors may not provide any moderating activity of ACE inhibitor-induced reduction in GFR observed in dogs with a renal artery stenosis.

Acrylates↗

The antihypertensive effect of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist DuP 753 may not be due solely to angiotensin II receptor antagonism.

The angiotensin II (AII) receptor antagonist, DuP 753 (10 mg/kg intraduodenal), produced a sustained and long-lasting antihypertensive effect in conscious renin-dependent hypertensive rats. Blood pressures were still reduced markedly 24 to 72 hr after administration of a single dose of DuP 753. However, pressor responses elicited by either angiotensin I or AII were not blocked at these times despite the continued antihypertensive effect of DuP 753. In a model of orthostatic hypotension, DuP 753 and the selective alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin produced a marked orthostatic hypotension response in renin-dependent hypertensive rats as demonstrated by potentiation of the decrease in blood pressure induced by a 90 degrees tilt. The nonpeptide AII receptor antagonist SK&F 108566 (10 mg/kg intraduodenal) did not produce orthostatic hypotension and the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril produced only a slight orthostatic response to tilting. In conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), allowed 3 to 4 days to recover from surgery, administration of either enalapril (1 mg/kg i.v.) or SK&F 108566 (10 mg/kg i.v.) did not significantly effect blood pressure. In SHR tested within 24 hr of surgery, enalapril was effective in lowering blood pressure. In contrast, in surgically recovered SHR, DuP 753 (10 mg/kg i.v.) produced an antihypertensive effect that was slow in onset, sustained and extremely long in duration. Blood pressures did not return to predrug levels until 48 hr after administration of DuP 753. Stimulation of the thoracolumbar sympathetic outflow in pithed rats produced frequency-dependent pressor responses that were significantly potentiated by continuous infusion of a subpressor dose of AII.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acrylates↗

Fundamentals of receptor theory: basics for shock research.

A variety of inflammatory mediators [e.g., tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha)], endogenous hormones (e.g., epinephrine), and neurotransmitters (e.g., norepinephrine) are elevated as either a cause or a consequence of circulatory shock. The pathophysiologic responses observed during circulatory shock are the direct result of a complex interplay between the individual responses produced by the various mediators that interact with specific receptors. For example, as part of a compensatory response in circulatory shock, sympathetic outflow increases, which results in elevated synaptic levels of norepinephrine, which will activate alpha- and beta-adrenoceptors in the synaptic cleft. Additionally, plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations are elevated to a level sufficient to stimulate alpha- and beta-adrenoceptors in the heart, vasculature, and kidney, leading to profound changes in heart rate, cardiac output, peripheral vascular resistance, renal blood flow, and urine output. As such, the nature of the interaction between inflammatory mediators, hormones, and neurotransmitters with specific receptors in the cardiovascular system is fundamental to understanding the changes in circulatory status that occur during the shock state.

Binding, Competitive↗

Metabolic regulation by alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors.

The role of alpha-adrenoceptors in the mediation of autonomic function, particularly in the control of the cardiovascular system, is widely known. However, alpha-adrenoceptors are also important in the regulation of a variety of metabolic processes that occur in the body either through direct action or by stimulation of the release of other mediators that control metabolic function. Thus, alpha 2-adrenoceptor activation by circulating or neuronally released catecholamines inhibits the release of insulin from pancreatic islet beta-cells and, by inhibiting this response, alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists have been shown to have an antihyperglycemic effect. The alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated regulation of the release of pituitary hormones is indirect, with alpha-adrenoceptors being located on peptidergic neurons in the hypothalamus that secrete releasing hormones into the hypophysial portal system to regulate the secretion of hormones from the anterior pituitary gland. Thus, the increase in cortisol secretion from the adrenal glands following a meal is produced, at least in part, by an alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated increase in vasopressin and CRF-41 secretion from neurons on the hypothalamus that stimulate the release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone secretion from the pituitary gland, which subsequently stimulates the synthesis and release of cortisol from the adrenal medulla. In addition to metabolic regulation by alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors within the endocrine system, alpha-adrenoceptors are also a component of the system that regulates certain aspects of metabolism within autonomic effector cells, such as the control of smooth muscle cell division and growth during periods of continued alpha-adrenoceptor activation as a result of activation of second messenger systems.

Animals↗

The effect of pertussis toxin on alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction by the full agonist, cirazoline, and the partial agonist, (-)-dobutamine, in pithed rats.

The role of pertussis toxin-sensitive guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G-proteins) in the signal transduction process(es) involved in postjunctional vascular alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction produced by the full agonist, cirazoline, and the partial agonist, (-)-dobutamine, have been investigated in the cardiovascular system of the pithed rat. Pertussis toxin pretreatment (50 micrograms/kg, iv, 3 days prior to experimentation) only slightly inhibited the pressor response of cirazoline, and the degree of inhibition produced by pertussis toxin was roughly equivalent to the inhibition produced by the calcium channel antagonist, nifedipine (1 mg/kg, ia). In contrast, pertussis toxin pretreatment produced marked inhibition of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated pressor response to the partial agonist, (-)-dobutamine, and this large degree of inhibition was qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the degree of inhibition produced by nifedipine. The differential pattern of inhibition of full and partial alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists by pertussis toxin suggests that the vasoconstrictor response of an alpha 1-adrenoceptor partial agonist, which is more dependent upon the translocation of extracellular calcium than a full agonist, as evidenced by its sensitivity to inhibition by nifedipine, involves a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein that couples the alpha 1-adrenoceptor to the calcium channel. Furthermore, for alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction by full agonists with high intrinsic efficacy, which involves both intracellular and extracellular pools of calcium, and particularly the former, pertussis toxin only inhibits that component of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor response which is dependent upon the translocation of extracellular calcium, accounting for the limited degree of inhibition of the response to cirazoline by pertussis toxin and by nifedipine. By inference, the other component of the alpha 1-adrenoceptor-mediated pressor response to a full agonist, which is dependent upon the mobilization of intracellular stores of calcium through a process believed to involve the activation of phospholipase C, likely utilizes a pertussis toxin insensitive G-protein that is distinct from that which we propose couples the alpha 1-adrenoceptor to the calcium channel. We conclude, therefore, that the alpha 1-adrenoceptor in the vasculature of the pithed rat may be coupled to 2 distinct G-proteins, only one of which is sensitive to inhibition by pertussis toxin and links the alpha 1-adrenoceptor to the membrane calcium channel, and which may be utilized by both full agonists and partial agonists.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗

Studies on the mechanism of arterial vasodilation produced by the novel antihypertensive agent, carvedilol.

The mechanism(s) responsible for arterial vasodilation observed following acute administration of racemic carvedilol, a novel vasodilator/beta adrenoceptor antagonist, has been investigated in rats. In conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats, carvedilol (0.03-3.0 mg/kg, iv) produced a dose-dependent reduction in blood pressure with no significant effect on heart rate. Because cardiac output was relatively unaffected, the antihypertensive response of carvedilol was associated with a dose-dependent reduction in total peripheral vascular resistance. Submaximal antihypertensive doses of carvedilol were chosen for mechanism of action studies in pithed rats. Carvedilol (0.3 mg/kg, iv) produced a significant inhibition of the beta 1 adrenoceptor mediated positive chronotropic response to isoproterenol. This same dose of carvedilol also inhibited, but to a lesser degree, the beta 2 adrenoceptor mediated vasodepressor response to salbutamol in pithed rats whose blood pressure was elevated by a constant intravenous infusion of angiotensin II. Thus, carvedilol blocks both beta 1 and beta 2 adrenoceptors at antihypertensive doses, with modest selectivity being observed for the beta 1 adrenoceptor subtype. Carvedilol produced significant inhibition of the alpha 1 adrenoceptor mediated pressor response to cirazoline in the pithed rat, but had no effect on the alpha 2 adrenoceptor mediated pressor response to B-HT 933, suggesting that carvedilol is also an alpha 1 adrenoceptor antagonist at antihypertensive doses. Carvedilol had no effect on the pressor response elicited by angiotensin II, indicating a lack of nonspecific vasodilator activity. The vasopressor response to the calcium channel activator, BAY-K-8644, which is mediated through the opening of voltage dependent calcium channels and the subsequent translocation of extracellular calcium, was significantly inhibited by carvedilol (1 mg/kg, iv), suggesting that carvedilol is also a calcium channel antagonist, consistent with our previous in vitro studies. In anesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats, the antihypertensive activity of carvedilol was nearly abolished by combined pretreatment of the rats with high doses of the alpha 1 adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin (1 mg/kg, iv), and the nonselective beta adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol (3 mg/kg, iv), suggesting that the majority of the antihypertensive response produced by carvedilol may be accounted for by blockade of beta and alpha 1 adrenoceptors. We therefore conclude that carvedilol, at antihypertensive doses, is an antagonist of beta 1, beta 2, and alpha 1 adrenoceptors, and also of calcium channels in vascular smooth muscle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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

Evidence for heterogeneity of prejunctional alpha-2-adrenoceptors.

The interactions between SK&F 104078 and several selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists at pre- and postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors were investigated in order to assess the previously reported selectivity of SK&F 104078 for postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors and to determine whether or not SK&F 104078 could uncover subtypes of alpha 2-adrenoceptors located prejunctionally as has also been suggested. The alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists, UK 14,304, xylazine, B-HT 933, B-HT 920, clonidine and M-7, produced concentration-dependent prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated inhibition of neurogenic responses in the guinea pig atrium and rat vas deferens and produced postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated contraction of the canine saphenous vein. The alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist, rauwolscine, blocked all the agonists at both pre- and postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors without demonstrating preference for any agonist or any synaptic location of alpha 2-adrenoceptors. In marked contrast, SK&F 104078 produced equivalent antagonism of all agonists in the canine saphenous vein but had no significant effect against the same agonists in the guinea pig atrium, suggesting a high degree of selectivity for postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors in these test systems, consistent with our previous observations. In the rat vas deferens, however, SK&F 104078 significantly antagonized the prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated effects of clonidine and M-7 but did not block the responses to UK 14,304, xylazine, B-HT 933 and B-HT 920. These results indicate that the prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist effects of SK&F 104078 are tissue and agonist dependent, and that there may be at least two subtypes of prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors that can be discriminated with SK&F 104078 but not with rauwolscine. Both subtypes of prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors may be present in the rat vas deferens, while only the SK&F-104078-insensitive subtype is present in the guinea pig atrium.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗

Effect of the dopamine beta-hydroxylase inhibitor, SK&F 102698, on blood pressure in the 1-kidney, 1-clip hypertensive dog.

The acute and chronic effects of a potent selective dopamine beta-hydroxylase inhibitor, SK&F 102698, were assessed in chronically instrumented 1-kidney, 1-clip Goldblatt hypertensive dogs. Blood pressure measured directly from either a carotid loop or from a vascular access port and cardiac output measured by impedence cardiography were monitored following acute (30 and 100 mg/kg, p.o.) and chronic (30 mg/kg/day for 4 days) administration of SK&F 102698. The data indicate that SK&F 102698 failed to alter blood pressure, cardiac output or total peripheral resistance after either acute or chronic administration. It is concluded that dopamine beta-hydroxylase inhibition with SK&F 102698 is not an effective antihypertensive agent in the 1-kidney, 1-clip Goldblatt hypertensive dog model.

Animals↗

Carvedilol (Kredex) reduces infarct size in a canine model of acute myocardial infarction.

Carvedilol (Kredex) is a multiple action, antihypertensive agent that may also prove to be useful in the treatment of angina and congestive heart failure. Carvedilol combines in one molecule both beta-adrenoceptor blocking and vasodilating activities. Inasmuch as beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents are known to be cardioprotective and thereby reduce infarct size, it is logical to assume that carvedilol, likewise, would possess this desirable activity. Furthermore, the additional vasodilating activity of carvedilol could contribute to further reductions in infarct size by reducing myocardial work (and therefore myocardial oxygen demand) through reductions in both afterload and myocardial wall tension. As such, we have investigated the ability of carvedilol to reduce infarct size in a canine model of acute myocardial infarction. Carvedilol (1 mg/kg i.v.) or its vehicle, dimethylformamide, were administered 15 min before left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) occlusion. Following 1 h of LCX occlusion, dogs were reperfused through a critical stenosis and then allowed to recover for 24 h. Carvedilol-treated animals exhibited a 78% reduction in infarct size compared to vehicle controls, such that the percentage of the left ventricle infarcted was reduced significantly from 16.2 +/- 4.1% in control animals to 3.6 +/- 1.3% in animals treated with carvedilol (p = 0.017, n = 6). Stained tissue sections of the left ventricle were photographed, digitized and color-enhanced using an Image Analysis Computer System, and three-dimensional reconstruction of the left ventricle, including the infarcted areas, was performed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Interaction of vascular alpha-1 adrenoceptors with multiple signal transduction pathways.

In the rat vasculature, a single alpha 1-adrenoceptor may be coupled to two distinct G proteins, one of which regulates phospholipase C activity and is insensitive to pertussis toxin, and another which regulates calcium channel function and is highly sensitive to inhibition by pertussis toxin. alpha 1-Adrenoceptor agonists may in theory activate both pathways, but the efficiency of alpha 1-adrenoceptor coupling to the pertussis-toxin-insensitive pathway is low relative to the other pathway that couples the alpha 1-adrenoceptor to calcium channels. As such, only full agonists with high intrinsic efficacy can activate both pathways, whereas partial agonists, by virtue of their lower intrinsic efficacies, are less able to activate the pertussis-toxin-insensitive pathway, thereby rendering partial alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists more sensitive than full alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists to inhibition by calcium channel blockers and pertussis toxin.

Animals↗

Attenuation of amphotericin B nephrotoxicity in the dog by the fenoldopam prodrug, SK&F R-105058.

Amphotericin B administration to 8 dogs (1 mg/kg.d, i.v.) for 3 days resulted in significant (P less than .01) reductions in 24-hr creatinine clearance. SK&F R-105058 is an N-ethyl carbamate ester prodrug of the selective DA1 receptor agonist, fenoldopam, which, on oral administration to dogs, results in sustained plasma levels of the renal vasodilator, fenoldopam. Treatment of 6 dogs with SK&F R-105058 (10 mg/kg p.o. b.i.d.) resulted in a significant attenuation of the amphotericin B-induced reductions in creatinine clearance observed on days 2 and 3 after initiation of amphotericin treatment. However, the increase in urine flow and fractional sodium excretion induced by amphotericin B was not altered by SK&F R-105058 treatment. Subsequent histological analysis of the kidneys demonstrated lesions consisting of multifocal tubular degeneration, necrosis and mineralization of mostly distal tubules. Quantitation of tubular lesions indicated that SK&F R-105058 significantly reduced the morphological changes induced by amphotericin B. The data indicate that administration of a fenoldopam prodrug can delay amphotericin B-induced reductions in glomerular filtration rate in the dog.

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-ben↗

Local cutaneous hemodynamic effects of carvedilol and labetalol in the anesthetized rat.

The effects of labetalol and carvedilol and local cutaneous microvascular perfusion and calculated local cutaneous microvascular resistance were investigated in anesthetized rats at submaximal doses that produced equivalent reductions in blood pressure and heart rate. Labetalol decreased cutaneous perfusion (-25 +/- 3%) without significantly affecting cutaneous vascular resistance (-6 +/- 3%). In marked contrast, carvedilol dramatically increased cutaneous perfusion (+64 +/- 9%) and significantly reduced cutaneous vascular resistance (-57 +/- 3%). These results suggest that carvedilol and labetalol possess differences in the mechanisms by which they produce vasodilation in vivo.

Anesthesia↗

Characterization of the hemodynamic activities of fenoldopam and its enantiomers in the dog.

Fenoldopam (SK&F 82526) is a potent and selective dopamine DA-1 agonist with demonstrated renal vasodilator and antihypertensive activities in experimental animals and humans. Fenoldopam is a racemic mixture of two enantiomers, SK&F R-82526 and SK&F S-82526. The R-enantiomer is uniformly reported to be more potent than the racemate; in contrast, there is controversy regarding potency of the S-enantiomer. In these studies, the renal and systemic hemodynamic activities of fenoldopam and its enantiomers are characterized in anesthetized, phenoxybenzamine-treated dogs. The results show that the renal and systemic vasodilator activities of fenoldopam are properties of the R-enantiomer; the S-enantiomer is essentially inactive. The renal and systemic vasodilator properties of SK&F R-82526 are antagonized in a competitive fashion by the DA-1 antagonist, SK&F R-83566, but not the DA-2 antagonist, domperidone. Ganglionic blockade did not attenuate renal vasodilation associated with SK&F R-82526. Thus, the mechanism of SK&F R-82526-associated vasodilation, like that previously established for fenoldopam, is via stimulation of postganglionic DA-1 receptors.

2,3,4,5-Tetrahydro-7,8-dihydroxy-1-phenyl-1H-3-ben↗

The pharmacology of carvedilol.

Carvedilol is a potent antihypertensive agent with a dual mechanism of action. At relatively low concentrations it is a competitive beta-adrenoceptor antagonist and a vasodilator, whereas at higher concentrations it is also a calcium channel antagonist. The antihypertensive activity of carvedilol is characterized by a decrease in peripheral vascular resistance, resulting from the vasodilator activity of the compound, with no reflex tachycardia, as a result of beta-adrenoceptor blockade. The antihypertensive activity of carvedilol is associated with an apparent "renal sparing" effect in that the reduction in mean arterial blood pressure does not compromise renal blood flow or urinary sodium excretion. Studies on the mechanism of action of carvedilol indicate that the compound is a potent competitive antagonist of beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptors with a dissociation constant (KB) of 0.9 nM at both beta-adrenoceptor subtypes. Carvedilol is also a potent alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist (KB = 11 nM), which accounts for most, if not all, of the vasodilating response produced by the compound. At concentrations above 1 microM, carvedilol is a calcium channel antagonist. This activity can be demonstrated in vivo at doses that represent the higher end of the antihypertensive dose-response curve. Although the calcium-channel blocking activity of carvedilol may not contribute to the antihypertensive activity of the compound, it may play a prominent role in certain peripheral vascular beds, such as the cutaneous circulation, where marked increases in blood flow are observed. The data indicate that carvedilol is an antihypertensive agent that is both a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist and a vasodilator.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗

Hemodynamic differences between carvedilol and labetalol in the cutaneous circulation.

The effects of labetalol and carvedilol on local cutaneous microvascular perfusion and calculated local cutaneous microvascular resistance were investigated in anesthetized rats at submaximal doses that produced equivalent reductions in blood pressure and heart rate. Labetalol decreased cutaneous perfusion (-25% +/- 3%) without significantly affecting cutaneous vascular resistance (-6% +/- 3%). In marked contrast, carvedilol dramatically increased cutaneous perfusion (+64% +/- 9%) and significantly reduced cutaneous vascular resistance (-57% +/- 3%). These results suggest that carvedilol and labetalol possess differences in the mechanisms by which they produce vasodilation in vivo.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗