In the present study, interaction of the ATP-sensitive K+-channel blocker glibenclamide with enantiomers of the antihypertensive drug, cicletanine, was studied on ischaemic myocardial function, lactate-dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and early reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation (VF). Isolated working rat hearts subjected to 10-min coronary artery occlusion followed by 2-min reperfusion were perfused with 1.5x10(-5)-6.0x10(-5)M D-cicletanine[+] (BN50417) and L-cicletanine[-] (BN50418), respectively. Their interaction with 10(-7) M glibenclamide was also studied. The most effective concentration of BN50418 (3x10(-5) M) increased ischaemic aortic flow (AF) from its non-treated control value of 20.3+/-1.16 to 30.3+/-2.6 ml min-1(P<0.01), decreased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) from 1.81+/-0.05 to 0.97+/-0.08 kPa (P<0.001), attenuated ischaemia-induced increase in LDH leakage from 164+/-41 to 14.8+/-20 mU min-1g-1 wet wt. (P<0.01) at the 10th-min of coronary occlusion, and reduced VF upon reperfusion. Glibenclamide did not considerably affect cardiac performance, however, it inhibited the anti-ischaemic but not the antiarrhythmic effect of BN50418. BN50417 (3x10(-5) M) tended to improve ischaemic AF to 24.2+/-1.1 ml min-1, and significantly attenuated ischaemia-induced increase in LVEDP to 1.3+/-0.08 kPa (P<0.01), relative increase in LDH release to 29.4+/-44 mU min-1g-1(P<0.05), and alleviated reperfusion-induced VF. Glibenclamide abolished the anti-ischaemic and antiarrhythmic effect of BN50417. The cardioprotective effect of both enantiomers of cicletanine involves a glibenclamide-sensitive mechanism, however, the antiarrhythmic effect of BN50418 is not glibenclamide sensitive. BN50418 is the more potent enantiomer of cicletanine in terms of its cardioprotective effect.
Copyright 1999 The Italian Pharmacological Society.