Open AccessPropafenone Interacts Stereoselectively with β1 and β2-Adrenergic Receptors
Author(s) -
Donald M. Burnett,
Joseph Gal,
Nancy R. Zahniser,
Alan S. Nies
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
journal of cardiovascular pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1533-4023
pISSN - 0160-2446
DOI - 10.1097/00005344-198811000-00017
Subject(s) - propafenone , pindolol , stereoselectivity , receptor , chemistry , affinities , pharmacology , high performance liquid chromatography , adrenergic , stereochemistry , medicine , biology , biochemistry , chromatography , catalysis , atrial fibrillation
In order to determine whether the new antiarrhythmic agent propafenone interacts stereoselectively with beta-adrenergic receptors, the potencies of both the (-) and (+) isomers were determined using in vitro binding assays. (-)-Propafenone was the more potent isomer and competed with 125I-pindolol in a simple manner in both rat cerebral cortical and cerebellar membranes with Ki values of 32 +/- 1.7 and 77 +/- 5.8 nM, respectively. In contrast, competition curves for (+)-propafenone in the same tissues were more complex and revealed two binding sites with affinities 10- to 75-fold less potent than those for (-)-propafenone. Moreover, the (+)-propafenone was found by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis to be contaminated with 3% of the more potent (-)-isomer; this contamination accounted for most of the apparent activity of the (+)-propafenone. These data suggest that interactions of propafenone with both beta 1- and beta 2-receptors are markedly stereoselective for the (-) isomer. It is possible that beta-adrenergic receptor blockade by the (-) isomer may be responsible for some of the adverse clinical effects that have been reported with propafenone therapy.