It is accepted knowledge that the endothelium can profoundly affect vascular tone through the release of vasoactive substances. The maturational changes in the role of the endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) and ATP-dependent K+ channels in the neonatal pulmonary circulation were investigated in isolated perfused lungs from 1- and 7-day-old piglets. The EDRF inhibitor, N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), had potent dose-dependent constrictor effects on the pulmonary vasculature with normal and raised tone. The constrictor effect of L-NNA was greater (P < 0.05) in the 1-day-old than in the 7-day-old lungs and was significantly (P < 0.005) attenuated by pretreatment with the EDRF precursor, L-arginine. Furthermore, we studied the possibility of developmental changes in the sensitivity of smooth muscle cells to EDRF by testing sodium nitroprusside, nitric oxide, and 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcGMP). All caused a decrease in perfusion pressure, but only sodium nitroprusside elicited a greater (P < 0.01) effect in the 1-day-old. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and bradykinin (BK) elicited dilator responses that were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in the presence of L-NNA. Interestingly, the dilator response to ET-1 was more marked (P < 0.001) in the younger group, whereas no age difference was noted with BK. Finally, lemakalim, a K+ channel activator, caused a vasodilation of equal magnitude at both ages. In summary, EDRF and ATP-dependent K+ channels appear to play a role in the control of the newborn piglet pulmonary vasculature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The present study describes the cross-species absorption, metabolism, distribution and pharmacokinetics of BI 201335, a potent HCV protease inhibitor currently in phase III clinical trials. BI 201335 showed a good Caco-II permeability (8.7 × 10(-6) cm/sec) and in vitro metabolic stability (predicted hepatic clearence (CL(hep)) <19% Q(h) in all species tested). Single dose PK revealed a clearance of 17, 3.0 and 2.6 mL/min/kg in rat, monkey and dog respectively, with a corresponding oral bioavailability of 29.1, 25.5 and 35.6%. Comparative plasma and liver PK profile in rodents showed a high liver Kp in the rat (42-fold), suggesting high target tissue distribution. Simple allometry based on animal PK predicted a human oral CL/F of 168 mL/min, within two-fold of the observed value (118 mL/min) at 240 mg in healthy volunteers. Allometry of volume of distribution generated a low exponent of 0.59, and a much lower predicted Vss/F (5-fold less than observed). Several different approaches of Vss/F prediction were evaluated and compared with the value observed in human. The averaged Vss/F from preclinical animals provides the best estimation of the observed human value (169 L vs. 175 L). Corresponding human "effective" t(1/2) values were also compared. The predicted human t(1/2) based on the CL from allometry with metabolic corrections and the averaged animal Vss represented the best estimation of the clinical data (12.1 vs. 17.2 hr). The present study demonstrated that the good preclinical ADMEPK profile of BI 201335 is consistent with that observed in the clinic. While preclinical data accurately predicted the human CL, the prediction of human Vss seems to be more challenging. The averaged Vss/F from all tested preclinical animals provided the best prediction of human Vss and the resulting "effective" t(1/2).
Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a 21-amino acid peptide produced by endothelial cells, results from the cleavage of preproendothelin, generating Big ET-1, which is then cleaved by the ET-converting enzyme (ECE) to form ET-1. Big ET-1, like ET-1, is released by endothelial cells. Big ET-1 is equipotent to ET-1 in vivo, whereas its vasoactive effects are less in vitro. It has been suggested that the effects of Big ET-1 depend on its conversion to ET-1. ET-1 has potent vasoactive effects in the newborn pig pulmonary circulation, however, the effects of Big ET-1 remain unknown. Therefore, we studied the effects of Big ET-1 in isolated perfused lungs from 1- and 7-day-old piglets using the ECE inhibitor, phosphoramidon, and the ETA receptor antagonist, BQ-123Na. The rate of conversion of Big ET-1 to ET-1 was measured using radioimmunoassay. ET-1 (10(-13) to 10(-8) M) produced an initial vasodilation, followed by a dose-dependent potent vasoconstriction (P < 0.001), which was equal at both ages. Big ET-1 (10(-11) to 10(-8) M) also produced a dose-dependent vasoconstriction (P < 0.001). The constrictor effects of Big ET-1 and ET-1 were similar in the 1-day-old, whereas in the 7-day-old, the constrictor effect of Big ET-1 was less than that of ET-1 (P < 0.017).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.