Cardioprotective action of the new stable epoprostenol analogue CG 4203 in rat models of cardiac hypoxia and ischemia.

[(5Z,13E,9 alpha,11 alpha,15S)-2,3,4-Trinor - 1,5 - inter-m - phenylene - 6,9 - epoxy - 11,5 - dihydroxy - 15 - cyclohexyl - 16,17,18,19,20-pentanor]- prosta-5,13-dienoic acid (sodium salt) (CG 4203) is a new stable epoprostenol (prostacyclin) analogue with a relative platelet antiaggregatory potency of 0.46 (ADP aggregation in vitro) and a hypotensive potency of 0.14 (anaesthetized rat i.v.) as compared to epoprostenol. In isolated perfused rat hearts, CG 4203 (4.64 X 10(-9) mol/l) significantly attenuated arrhythmias and loss of left ventricular creatine kinase (CK) activity observed in control hearts after 30 min perfusion with hypoxic and 30 min reperfusion with oxygenated Krebs-Ringer solution. In anaesthetized rats, CG 4203 (1.0 microgram X kg-1 X min-1 i.v.) significantly reduced incidence of ventricular fibrillation and increase in plasma CK activity after ligation of the left coronary artery. Infusion of 1.0 and 2.15 micrograms X kg-1 X min-1 CG 4203 i.v. in anaesthetized rats dose-dependently inhibited electrocardiographic changes, i.e. ST depression observed after i.v. injection of 1.0 IU X kg-1 vasopressin. In rat models of sustained myocardial hypoxia, myocardial infarction, and transient cardiac ischemia, CG 4203 thus exerts cardioprotective effects which, depending on the model considered, may be ascribed to either its vasodilatory, coronary dilatory, antiaggregatory or epoprostenol-like cytoprotective activity.