Pharmacological interaction experiments differentiate between glibenclamide-sensitive K+ channels and cyclic GMP as components of vasodilation by nicorandil.

The relaxant effect of the vasodilator drug, nicorandil, was studied in circular strips of bovine coronary arteries. To differentiate between relaxation caused by cyclic GMP (cGMP) and by hyperpolarization, the influence of cGMP was blocked with methylene blue and that of hyperpolarization with the inhibitor of ATP-dependent K+ channels, glibenclamide. Methylene blue and glibenclamide inhibited nicorandil-induced relaxation to similar extents. Cromakalim-induced relaxation but not that due to sodium nitroprusside (nitroprusside-Na) was inhibited by glibenclamide. Methylene blue inhibited the relaxation caused by nitroprusside-Na but not that due to cromakalim. The different modes of action of the two components of relaxation caused by nicorandil were studied in agonist-agonist interaction experiments. The interaction between nicorandil and nitroprusside-Na or 3-morpholino-sydnonimine (SIN-1) was overadditive in the absence of glibenclamide but additive, i.e. competitive, in the presence of glibenclamide. The interaction of nicorandil with cromakalim or pinacidil was overadditive in the absence of methylene blue but additive, i.e. competitive, in the presence of methylene blue. The results show that nicorandil relaxes smooth muscle through two independent mechanisms: ATP-dependent activation of K+ channels and stimulation of guanylyl cyclase resulting in increases in cGMP.