The influence of the way of regression on the results obtained by the receptorial responsiveness method (RRM), a procedure to estimate a change in the concentration of a pharmacological agonist near the receptor

Front Pharmacol. 2024 May 2:15:1375955. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1375955. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

The receptorial responsiveness method (RRM) enables the estimation of a change in concentration of an (even degradable) agonist, near its receptor, via curve fitting to (at least) two concentration-effect (E/c) curves of a stable agonist. One curve should be generated before this change, and the other afterwards, in the same system. It follows that RRM yields a surrogate parameter ("cx") as the concentration of the stable agonist being equieffective with the change in concentration of the other agonist. However, regression can be conducted several ways, which can affect the accuracy, precision and ease-of-use. This study utilized data of previous ex vivo investigations. Known concentrations of stable agonists were estimated with RRM by performing individual (local) or global fitting, this latter with one or two model(s), using a logarithmic (logcx) or a nonlogarithmic (cx) parameter (the latter in a complex or in a simplified equation), with ordinary least-squares or robust regression, and with an "all-at-once" or "pairwise" fitting manner. We found that the simplified model containing logcx was superior to all alternative models. The most complicated individual regression was the most accurate, followed closely by the moderately complicated two-model global regression and then by the easy-to-perform one-model global regression. The two-model global fitting was the most precise, followed by the individual fitting (closely) and by the one-model global fitting (from afar). Pairwise fitting (two E/c curves at once) improved the estimation. Thus, the two-model global fitting, performed pairwise, and the individual fitting are recommended for RRM, using the simplified model containing logcx.

Keywords: A1 adenosine receptor; RRM; adenosine; atrium; global fitting; heart; interstitial concentration; local fitting.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was supported by the European Union and the State of Hungary under grant numbers TKP2021-EGA-18 and TKP2020-NKA-04. (Project no. TKP2021-EGA-18 has been implemented with the support provided by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation of Hungary from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund, financed under the TKP2021-EGA funding scheme. Project no. TKP2020-NKA-04 has been implemented with the support provided from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the 2020-4.1.1-TKP2020 funding scheme.) In addition, this research was supported by the University of Debrecen Program for Scientific Publication.