Neutral/negative α-AR antagonists and calcium channel blockers at comparison in functional tests on guinea-pig smooth muscle and myocardium.

BACKGROUND

Constitutive (agonist-independent) activity is a prerogative of many G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) including α-adrenoceptors (α-ARs). Inhibition of such an activity at α-AR subtypes by antagonists with negative efficacy is difficult to be adequately tested.

METHODS

In the present experimental approach, we compared the activity of three calcium channel blockers (nifedipine, diltiazem and verapamil) and of three potent benzodioxane-based α-AR antagonists, differing for subtype selectivity and inverse agonist properties, in producing smooth muscle relaxation and negative inotropy under the same test conditions. We selected, as benzodioxane derivatives, (S)-WB4101, inverse agonist with slight α/α-α AR selectivity, and two previously developed analogues. Both of these are potent antagonists at α-AR, that is the α- AR subtype suspected of the highest susceptibility to inverse agonists for its high degree of basal activity, but only one is inverse agonist.

RESULTS

We found that all the three benzodioxane-related α-AR antagonists have significant intrinsic relaxant activity on non-vascular smooth muscle and moderate negative inotropic effect, while they do not relax aorta. Their potency is always lower than that of three calcium channel blockers.

CONCLUSIONS

Intrinsic myorelaxant and negative inotropic activity of the three benzodioxane-based α-AR antagonist is related neither to a particular profile of α-AR subtype selectivity nor to whether or not being an inverse agonist, but it parallels the calcium antagonists effects indicating a direct interaction of the three α-AR antagonists with L-type Ca channels.