In order to explain the potent antihypertensive activity of the modestly active (IC50 = 3.2 microM) dihydropyrimidine calcium channel blocker 5, we carried out drug metabolism studies in the rat and found 5 is metabolized to compounds 6-10. Two of the metabolites, 6 (IC50 = 16 nM) and 7 (IC50 = 12 nM), were found to be responsible for the antihypertensive activity of compound 5. Potential metabolism of 6 into 7 in vivo precluded our interest in pursuing compounds related to 6. Structure-activity studies aimed at identifying additional aryl-substituted analogues of 7 led to 17g,j,p with comparable potential in vivo, though these compounds were less potent than 7 in vitro. To investigate the effects of absolute stereochemistry on potency, we resolved 7 via diastereomeric ureas 19a,b, prepared from 18 by treatment with (R)-alpha-methylbenzylamine. Our results demonstrate that the active R-(-)-enantiomer 20a of 7 is both more potent and longer acting than nifedipine (1) as an antihypertensive agent in the SHR. The in vivo potency and duration of 20a is comparable to the long-acting dihydropyridine amlodipine. The superior oral antihypertensive activity of 20a compared to that of previously described carbamates 2 (R2 = COOEt) could be explained by its improved oral bioavailability, possibly resulting from increased stability of the urea functionality.

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2-Heterosubstituted-4-aryl-1,4-dihydro-6-methyl-5-pyrimidinecar box ylic acid esters 8, which lack the potential CS symmetry of dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, were prepared and evaluated for biological activity. Biological assays using potassium-depolarized rabbit aorta and radioligand binding techniques showed that some of these compounds are potent mimics of dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers. The combination of a branched ester (e.g. isopropyl, sec-butyl) and an alkylthio group (e.g. SMe) was found to be optimal for biological activity. When compared directly with similarly substituted 2-heteroalkyldihydropyridines 9, dihydropyrimidines 8 were found to be 30-fold less active. The solid-state structure of dihydropyrimidine analogue 8g shows that these compounds can adopt a molecular conformation which is similar to the reported conformation of dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers.

To enhance the intrinsic potency of dihydropyrimidine calcium channel blockers, we have modified the structure of previously described 2-heteroalkyl-1,4-dihydropyrimidines 2 to 3-substituted 1,4-dihydropyrimidines 3. Structure-activity studies using potassium-depolarized rabbit aorta show that ortho, meta-disubstituted aryl derivatives are more potent than either ortho- or meta-monosubstituted compounds. While vasorelaxant activity was critically dependent on the size of the C5 ester group, isopropyl ester being the best, a variety of substituents (carbamate, acyl, sulfonyl, alkyl) were tolerated at N3. Our results show dihydropyrimidines 3 are significantly more potent than corresponding 2-heteroalkyl-1,4-dihydropyrimidines 2 and only slightly less potent than similarly substituted 2-heteroalkyl-1,4-dihydropyridines 4 and 5. Whereas dihydropyridine enantiomers usually show 10-15-fold difference in activity, the enantiomers of dihydropyrimidine 3j show more than a 1000-fold difference in activity. These results strengthen the requirement of an enamino ester for binding to the dihydropyridine receptor and indicate a nonspecific role for the N3-substituent.

Mitochondrial F(1)F(0)-ATPase normally synthesizes ATP in the heart, but under ischemic conditions this enzyme paradoxically causes ATP hydrolysis. Nonselective inhibitors of this enzyme (aurovertin, oligomycin) inhibit ATP synthesis in normal tissue but also inhibit ATP hydrolysis in ischemic myocardium. We characterized the profile of aurovertin and oligomycin in ischemic and nonischemic rat myocardium and compared this with the profile of BMS-199264, which only inhibits F(1)F(0)-ATP hydrolase activity. In isolated rat hearts, aurovertin (1-10 microM) and oligomycin (10 microM), at concentrations inhibiting ATPase activity, reduced ATP concentration and contractile function in the nonischemic heart but significantly reduced the rate of ATP depletion during ischemia. They also inhibited recovery of reperfusion ATP and contractile function, consistent with nonselective F(1)F(0)-ATPase inhibitory activity, which suggests that upon reperfusion, the hydrolase activity switches back to ATP synthesis. BMS-199264 inhibits F(1)F(0) hydrolase activity in submitochondrial particles with no effect on ATP synthase activity. BMS-199264 (1-10 microM) conserved ATP in rat hearts during ischemia while having no effect on preischemic contractile function or ATP concentration. Reperfusion ATP levels were replenished faster and necrosis was reduced by BMS-199264. ATP hydrolase activity ex vivo was selectively inhibited by BMS-199264. Therefore, excessive ATP hydrolysis by F(1)F(0)-ATPase contributes to the decline in cardiac energy reserve during ischemia and selective inhibition of ATP hydrolase activity can protect ischemic myocardium.

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2,5-Dihydro-4-methyl-2-phenyl-1,5-benzothiazepine-3-carboxylic acid esters, based on the structures of dihydropyridines and diltiazem, were synthesized from o-aminothiophenol and 2-(phenylmethylene)- 3-oxobutanoic acid esters. Biological evaluation in the potassium-depolarized rabbit aorta suggests that these compounds are calcium channel blockers. The in vitro activity was further confirmed by electrophysiological techniques. Structure-activity studies for the aromatic substitution showed that the 2-nitro derivative was the most potent (IC50 = 0.3 microM) compound in vitro while the ethyl ester was slightly better than the corresponding methyl ester. Replacement of sulfur with nitrogen atom provided 2,5-dihydro-4-methyl-2-(3-nitrophenyl)-1,5-benzodiazepine-3-carboxylic acid ethyl ester, which was only slightly less active than the corresponding benzothiazepine. Derivatization of the nitrogen in 2,5-dihydro-4-methyl- 2-(3-nitrophenyl)-1,5-benzothiazepine-3-carboxylic acid methyl ester with a (dimethylamino)ethyl group (present in diltiazem) provided 2,5-dihydro-5-[(dimethylamino)ethyl]- 4-methyl-2-(3-nitrophenyl)-1,5-benzo-thiazepine-3-carboxylic acid methyl ester, which was found to be equipotent to diltiazem in vitro. Radioligand binding studies using [3H]nitrendipine and [3H]diltiazem showed that the compound with the free nitrogen binds competitively into the dihydropyridine binding site while the molecule in which the nitrogen is alkylated with a (dimethylamino)ethyl group interacts competitively with both diltiazem and dihydropyridine binding sites. Our results therefore show that 2,5-dihydro-4-methyl-2-phenyl-1,5-benzothiazepine-3-carboxylic ester is a good starting point for designing dihydropyridine as well as diltiazem mimics.

The ATP-sensitive potassium channel (Katp) openers cromakalim (1), pinacidil (2), aprikalim (3), and diazoxide (4) are potent antihypertensive agents acting via peripheral H Diazoxide (4) vasodilation.1 The original excitement about the discovery