Interaction of amiodarone and desethylamiodarone with the cardiac muscarinic receptor in vitro.

We studied the interaction of amiodarone hydrochloride (Cordarone) and its major metabolite desethylamiodarone with the muscarinic receptor in purified canine cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles by measuring equilibrium binding of the muscarinic antagonist [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) and carbachol displacement of [3H]-QNB. At a [3H]-QNB concentration of 0.02 nM, equilibrium binding was inhibited by amiodarone and desethylamiodarone with an IC50 of 6.86 x 10(-6) M and 2.25 x 10(-6) M, respectively. The presence of increasing concentrations of [3H]-QNB in the incubation medium was able to reverse the inhibition seen with 1 x 10(-6) M amiodarone. Scatchard analysis of [3H]-QNB saturation isotherms (37 degrees C, pH 7.4) in the presence of 1 x 10(-6) M amiodarone showed an apparent increase in equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) over control from 0.045 +/- 0.002 nM to 0.084 +/- 0.001 nM while maximal binding capacity (Bmax) was unaffected: 10.8 +/- 1.14 and 10.5 +/- 1.48 pmol/mg (means +/- S.E.M., n = 3), respectively. The inhibitory effect of amiodarone on equilibrium binding was highly dependent on the drug:membrane phospholipid mole ratio with effects beginning at a ratio of less than 0.1:1. Hill plot analysis was consistent with the interaction of [3H]-QNB at a single site in the presence or absence of amiodarone. Amiodarone (3 x 10(-6) M) decreased the pseudo-first order forward rate constant of [3H]-QNB (0.02 nM) with the muscarinic receptor (kobs = 4.05 +/- 0.61 x 10(-4)/s under control conditions and 2.36 +/- 0.15 x 10(-4)/s in the presence of amiodarone).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)