The antagonism of nicotine-induced cardiovascular responses by DMAE and DEO analogs

A series of quaternary ammonium compounds cinsisting of 4, 4'-bis-[N-(2, 2-diethoxyethyl)-N, N-dimethylammonioacetyl]-biphenyl dibromide (DMAE) and 4, 4'-bis-[N, N-di(2-ethoxyethyl)-N-methylammonioacetyl]-biphenyl dibromide (DEO) analogs was investigated for selective nicotine antagonism. Each series of compounds contained the monophenyl (MPh.DMAE, MPh.DEO); biphenyl (DMAE, DEO); terphenyl (TPh,DMAE, TPh.DEO); half-molecule (1/2DMAE, 1/2DEO); p-phenyl half-molecule (p-Ph.-1/2DMAE, p-Ph.-1/2DEO) and biphenyl half-molecule (p-BPh.-1/2DMAE, p-BPh.-1/2DEO) analogs. Studies were conducted on isolated spontaneously beating guinea pig atria and anesthetized dogs. Relative potencies of the DMAE and DEO series to antagonize the nicotine (20 mug/ml) induced positive chronotropic effect of the guinea pig atria were determined as follows: DMAE (1.0); TPh.DMAE (0.82); P-Ph.1/2DMAE (0.59); DEO (0.54); MPh.DMAE (0.27); TPh.DEO (0.26); MPh.DEO (0.18); p-Ph.-1/2DEO (0.16); 1/2DMAE (0.03); 1/2DEO (0.02); p-BPh.-1/2DMAE (less than 0.01); p-BPh.-1/2DEO (less than 0.01) and C-6 (0.85). The I50 to antagonize nicotine induced responses by DMAE was 0.13 muM (0.10 mu/ml). Several of the above analogs were studied in the dog and their ability to antagonize nicotine (100 mug/kg) induced positive chronotropic effects were compared with their ability to inhibit transmission through the stellate or the superior cervical ganglia. The I50 doses of the drugs antagonizing nicotine, impairing superior cervical ganglionic transmission and the corresponding fold shifts in the dose--response curves follow: DMAE (120 mug/kg, 3.0 mg/kg, 25); TPh.DMAE (40 mug/kg, 1.10 mg/kg, 30), DEO (45 mug/kg, 1.30 mg/kg, 25) and C-6 (140 mug/kg, 0.42 mg/kg, 0.42 mg/kg, 3.0). These findings are suggestive of the hypothesis that receptors normally activated by endogenously released ACh in the stellate or superior cervical ganglia of the dog may be dissociated from those receptors activated by nicotine which results in an increase in blood pressure or heart rate. Clinical implications are that TPh.DMAE as well as other DMAE analogs may pose less of a problem with hypotension than hexamethonium as a nicotine antagonist.