cilansetron and Colitis

As the use of the 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist alosetron (GlaxoSmithKline) and the 5-HT(4) receptor agonist tegaserod (Novartis) in patients with irritable bowel syndrome has been associated with cases of ischaemic colitis, the effects of alosetron, cilansetron (Solvay) and tegaserod on the rat splanchnic circulation were evaluated.. Phenobarbital-anaesthetised rats were instrumented to record blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery and transverse colon and to calculate mesenteric and colonic vascular conductance.. Intravenous alosetron (0.03-0.3 mg.kg(-1)) did not alter blood pressure or heart rate but reduced mesenteric blood flow and vascular conductance by 15-20%. This activity profile was also seen after intraduodenal alosetron and shared by the 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist cilansetron. In contrast, blood flow, vascular conductance and intraluminal pressure in the colon were not modified by alosetron and cilansetron. Intravenous or intraduodenal tegaserod (0.3-1.0 mg.kg(-1)) had no inhibitory effect on mesenteric and colonic blood flow. Peroral treatment of rats with alosetron or tegaserod for 7 days did not modify mesenteric haemodynamics at baseline and after blockade of nitric oxide synthesis. Mild inflammation induced by dextran sulphate sodium failed to provoke a vasoconstrictor effect of cilansetron in the colon.. Alosetron and cilansetron, not tegaserod, caused a small and transient constriction of the rat mesenteric vascular bed, whereas blood flow in the colon remained unaltered. The relevance of these findings to the treatment-associated occurrence of ischaemic colitis in patients with irritable bowel syndrome remains open.

Topics: Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; Animals; Blood Pressure; Carbazoles; Carbolines; Clonidine; Colitis; Colon; Fasting; Female; Heart Rate; Indoles; Mesenteric Artery, Superior; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Pyridines; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Regional Blood Flow; Serotonin 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists; Serotonin 5-HT4 Receptor Antagonists; Splanchnic Circulation; Vasoconstrictor Agents; Vasodilator Agents

We investigated the possible involvement of 5-HT3 receptors in the colonic motor alterations and abdominal pain evoked by rectal distension (RD) in rats, under normal and inflammatory conditions. Responses to RD were evaluated by electromyography in rats treated with 5-HT3 antagonists (ondansetron and cilansetron, 0.1 and 1 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), before and 3 days after intrarectal administration of TNB/ethanol. RD evoked a significant (P < 0.05) and gradual inhibition of the occurrence of colonic spike bursts (SB) and a gradual increase in abdominal SB from 11 mm in diameter on wards. Ondansetron and cilansetron (0.1 mg/kg) significantly reduced both the colonic (62 and 66%, respectively) and the abdominal response (28 and 61%, respectively) for an 11 mm diameter of RD. After TNB/ethanol, both colonic and abdominal responses to RD were significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced and appeared for a lower diameter (9 mm) (colon: 4.8 +/- 0.9 vs 8.4 +/- 1.1, abdomen: 7.7 +/- 1.5 vs 0.5 +/- 0.4). Cilansetron (0.1, 1 mg/kg) significantly (P < 0.05) attenuated the TNB-induced colonic motor inhibition, while ondansetron and cilansetron (0.1, 1 mg/kg) reduced the TNB-induced increase in abdominal response. We conclude that 5-HT and 5-HT3 receptors mediate RD-induced viscerosensitive alterations in rats, both in normal conditions and during TNB-induced rectocolitis. However, the relative efficacy of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists depends on the experimental conditions (intact or inflamed bowel) and does not appear to increase with the dose.

Topics: Abdominal Pain; Animals; Carbazoles; Colitis; Gastrointestinal Motility; Male; Ondansetron; Pyridines; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Serotonin; Rectum; Serotonin Antagonists