Novel halogenated dihydropyridine derivatives with high vascular selectivity.

Calcium channel antagonists of the dihydropyridine type exhibit preferential vasodilator properties. To study whether this vascular selectivity is due to distinct steric modifications or may be influenced by the physicochemical nature of these drugs, contractility in guinea pig heart isolated papillary muscles, vasodilator properties in isolated rabbit femoral arteries and the lipophilicity of some novel halogenated dihydropyridines have been examined. All newly synthesized derivatives exhibited dose-dependent negative inotropic and vasodilator effects. The negative inotropic potency of all the halogenated derivatives was weaker than that of the parent compound nitrendipine. In contrast, compared to nitrendipine the vasodilator potency of the ester substituted derivatives was slightly increased, while halogen substitution in position 2 and 6 of the dihydropyridine nucleus decreased the vasodilator potency. As a result of the different influence on cardiac and vascular smooth muscle an improved vascular selectivity of the drugs was attained. The ester-substituted dihydropyridine derivatives showed a 9 times (3-bromoethyl-nitrendipine) or 11 times (3-chloroethyl-nitrendipine) higher vascular selectivity with respect to nitrendipine. Correlation of the lipophilicity with the physiological properties showed an increase in biological activity with decreasing lipophilicity. Within the ester-halogenated dihydropyridine derivatives an inverse trend was observed (increasing vasodilation with increasing lipophilicity), indicating a different influence of lipophilicity with the ester-substituted compounds on the different tissues examined. The improved vascular selectivity of the novel halogenated dihydropyridines may be at least in part a consequence of the different lipophilicity of the drugs. In addition, differences in the binding affinities of the dihydropyridines subordinate to distinct voltage dependent conformation states of the calcium channel may contribute.