u-50488 and Hypertension

Opioids/opiates are commonly administered to alleviate pain, unload the heart, or decrease breathlessness in patients with advanced heart failure. As such, it is important to evaluate whether the myocardial opioidergic system is altered in cardiac disease. A hamster model of spontaneous hypertension was investigated before the development of hypertension (1 mo of age) and in the hypertensive state (10 mo of age) to evaluate the effect of prolonged hypertension on myocardial opioidergic activity. Plasma beta-endorphin was decreased before the development of hypertension and in the hypertensive state (P < 0.05). There was no change in cardiac beta-endorphin content at either time point. No differences were detected in cardiac or plasma dynorphin A, Met-enkephalin, or Leu-enkephalin, or in cardiac peptide expression of kappa- or delta-opioid receptors. mu-Opioid receptor was not detected in either model. To determine how hypertension affects myocardial opioid signaling, the ex vivo work-performing heart was used to assess the cardiac response to opioid administration in healthy hearts and those subjected to chronic hypertension. Agonists selective for the kappa- and delta-opioid receptors, but not mu-opioid receptors, induced a concentration-dependent decrease in cardiac function. The decrease in left ventricular systolic pressure on administration of the kappa-opioid receptor-selective agonist, U50488H, was attenuated in hearts from hamsters subjected to chronic, untreated hypertension (P < 0.05) compared with control. These results show that peripheral and myocardial opioid expression and signaling are altered in hypertension.

Topics: 3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Benzamides; beta-Endorphin; Blood Pressure; Cricetinae; Cyclic AMP; Disease Models, Animal; Dynorphins; Enkephalin, Leucine; Enkephalin, Methionine; Hypertension; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular; Myocardial Contraction; Myocardium; Piperazines; Receptors, Opioid, delta; Receptors, Opioid, kappa; Systole; Ventricular Remodeling

It remains unclear whether the activation of kappa-opioid receptors has strong hypotensive effects under hypertensive condition, and the underlying mechanisms have not yet been investigated. Therefore, the present study is designed to use spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) to investigate the effects of a kappa-opioid receptor agonist on the regulation of urinary formation in hypertensive conditions and to identify its underlying mechanism.. The hemodynamics, urine flow rate, vasodilatation of isolated renal artery, and plasma hormones were determined by physiological in vivo experimental technique, isolated artery perfusion technique and radioimmunoassay.. Intravenous administration of U50, 448H significantly decreased mean arterial blood pressure in both Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and SHR. However, the blood pressure vasodepressor effect of U50, 448H was much more profound in SHR than in WKY rats. Administration of U50, 448H in SHR not only caused significantly greater effects in increasing urine volume and decreasing plasma anti-diuretic hormone than in WKY rats, but also caused significant reduction in plasma angiotensin. Moreover, vasodilatory effect of U50, 488H was significantly exhibited in the renal artery segments isolated from SHR. All effects described above were abolished by nor-binaltorphimine.. These data indicate that the depressor effect of U50, 488H in SHR is significantly stronger than that in WKY rats, and the effect is mediated or modulated by a kappa-opioid receptor sensitive mechanism. The sensitized hypotensive effect of U50, 488H in SHR may be attributed, in part, to its vasodilatory effect, enhanced beneficial effect on plasma humoral factors, and stronger diuretic effect in these hypertensive animals.

Topics: 3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer; Angiotensins; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Diuresis; Hypertension; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Receptors, Opioid, kappa; Renal Artery; Urodynamics; Vasodilation; Vasopressins

The kappa-opioid receptor exerts a negative modulatory action on the beta-adrenoceptor and the action is blunted in adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). In order to determine whether the blunted negative modulation of the beta-adrenoceptor by the kappa-opioid receptor contributes to the development of hypertension, the electrically induced intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) transient was measured in single ventricular myocytes of SHR at 4, 6, 8 and 13-week-old and the age-matched Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. The electrically induced [Ca2+]i transients were augmented by norepinephrine (NE), a beta-adrenoceptor agonist, over four-fold in WKY rats of all ages studied and in SHR of 4 and 6 weeks of age. The enhancing effect of NE in 8- and 13-week-old SHR was, however, only approximately three-fold, significantly lower than the corresponding values in age-matched WKY rats. Similarly, the electrically induced [Ca2+]i transients were also augmented by forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, by approximately two-fold in WKY rats of all ages and SHR aged 4 and 6 weeks. In SHR aged 8 and 13 weeks, the effect of forskolin was only 1.5-fold, significantly lower than the two-fold increase in the corresponding WKY rats. The enhancing effects of NE and forskolin were attenuated by U50,488H, a selective kappa-opioid agonist, by approximately 50 and 25%, respectively, in both types of rats of all ages studied, with the exception of 13-week-old rats. In rats of this age group, the attenuations by U50,488H on the enhancing effects of NE and forskolin were 17 and 9% in SHR, respectively, significantly less than the corresponding 54 and 29% in WKY. The fact that attenuation of U50,488H on the enhancing effects of NE and forskolin only occurs in 13-week-old SHR when hypertension has been fully developed indicates that the attenuated inhibitory modulation of kappa-opioid receptor stimulation does not contribute to the initiation of hypertension. Interestingly, the enhancing effects of NE and forskolin on the electrically induced [Ca2+]i transient was attenuated in SHR aged from 8 weeks when the blood pressure was rapidly increasing. The different time courses of altered responses to U50,488H, and NE and forskolin suggest that the attenuated negative modulation of kappa-receptor stimulation on the beta-adrenergic receptor is not due to the signal transduction pathway activated by beta-adrenergic stimulation. In 13-week-old SHR with the arterial blood pressure restored to

Topics: 3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer; Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; Age Factors; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Body Weight; Calcium; Captopril; Colforsin; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Hypertension; Male; Myocardium; Norepinephrine; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; Receptors, Opioid, kappa; Systole

1. The modulatory actions of both adenosine A1 and kappa 1-opioid receptor agonists on beta-adrenoceptor stimulation in the heart of both spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were compared. 2. In both types of rats, both R(-)-N6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA), an adenosine A1 receptor agonist, and U50 488H, a kappa 1-opioid receptor agonist, inhibited the stimulatory effects of beta-adrenoceptor activation on electrically induced [Ca2+]i transients measured by a spectrofluorometric method with fura-2/AM as the calcium indicator. The effects of these two agonists were blocked by their respective antagonists, namely 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-diprolxanthine and norbinaltorphimine. 3. The inhibitory actions of both R-PIA and U50 488H on beta-adrenoceptor augmentation of electrically induced [Ca2+]i transients in the heart were more significantly reduced in SHR than in WKY rats, suggesting the negative modulatory actions of endogenous substances on beta-adrenoceptors were impaired in SHR, which may contribute to hypertension.

Topics: 3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer; Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; Adrenergic beta-Agonists; Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Calcium; Fluorescent Dyes; Fura-2; Heart; Hypertension; Isoproterenol; Male; Myocardial Contraction; Myocardium; Norepinephrine; Phenylisopropyladenosine; Purinergic P1 Receptor Agonists; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Receptors, Opioid, kappa; Spectrophotometry

We previously demonstrated centrally mediated hypotensive and bradycardic effects of dynorphin A(1-8) (DA1-8) on microinjection into various areas of the hippocampal formation (HF) of both anesthetized and conscious male normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The purpose of the present study was to determine whether other dynorphin fragments also had this activity. We microinjected DA1-8, dynorphin A(1-13), dynorphin A(1-17), dynorphin B (DB), and the nonpeptide kappa-opioid agonist U-50,488H into HF areas previously found to react to DA1-8, at doses ranging from 0.05 to 50 nmol. The subjects were male SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats in which arterial pressure and heart rate were monitored. Dose-related centrally mediated hypotension and bradycardia were found in both strains with all agents used, except for DB, which had no effects. Similarly injected drug vehicle was also without effect. In general, the responses were greater in SHR than in WKY rats. Preinjection of the active HF areas with 2 nmol of nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI), a selective kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, which itself had no blood pressure or heart rate effects, abolished both the decrease in blood pressure and heart rate of all dynorphins and U-50,488H. The results demonstrated the equivalent abilities of all the dynorphin fragments studied, except DB, to cause HF-mediated hypotension and bradycardia. The results with U-50,488H and nor-BNI strongly implicate kappa-opiate receptor activation of the HF in these effects.

Topics: 3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Dynorphins; Heart Rate; Hippocampus; Hypertension; Male; Molecular Sequence Data; Naltrexone; Peptide Fragments; Pyrrolidines; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Reference Values

The present study examined whether the renal sympathetic nerves contribute to the renal excretory responses produced by kappa opioid receptor agonist administration in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Intravenous infusion of the kappa opioid receptor agonists, ketocyclazocine (KC) and U-50488H, produced increases in urine flow rate. KC and U-50488H infusion also resulted in a marked and sustained antinatriuresis which was promptly reversed by low-dose naloxone (50 micrograms/kg i.v.), thus suggesting an opioid receptor-mediated action of both agonists. Although these kappa agonists did not produce changes in glomerular filtration rate or renal plasma flow, efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity increased with the same time course as the antinatriuretic response. To investigate whether the decrease in urinary sodium excretion was mediated via the increase in efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity, experiments were repeated in SHR with prior bilateral renal denervation. These studies demonstrated that similar renal excretory responses (diuresis and a naloxone reversible antiinatriuresis occurred during infusion of KC and U-50488H in renal denervated as were seen in intact SHR. These studies indicate that the renal excretory responses to the kappa opioid agonists KC and U-50488H are not mediated through changes in renal hemodynamics or via a pathway requiring intact renal innervation. Because an antinatriuretic response was observed in renal denervated SHR, this suggests that kappa opioid receptor agonists may influence the renal tubular reabsorption of sodium by additional naloxone-sensitive mechanisms independent of intact renal innervation.

Topics: 3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl)-benzeneacetamide, (trans)-Isomer; Animals; Cyclazocine; Diuresis; Ethylketocyclazocine; Hemodynamics; Hypertension; Kidney; Male; Pyrrolidines; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Receptors, Opioid; Receptors, Opioid, kappa; Sympathetic Nervous System