Cardiovascular action of a new carbenoxolone derivative

The circulatory effects of oleanoic acid sodium hydrogen succinate (OSS), an analogue of the anti-ulcer drug, carbenoxolone, were investigated. As carbenoxolone produces such adverse effects as sodium retention and a subsequent elevation of the arterial blood pressure in man, the present study was aimed at determining whether OSS is similar or different from it in this respect. Carbenoxolone, (43,3 mg/kg po) and OSS (66,6 mg/kg po) were given to rats twice daily for 4 weeks. The systolic blood pressure was elevated already after the first week of treatment. The hypertension was accompanied by bradycardia, which increased with the time of treatment. In the blood an increase in the creatinine level, a decrease in the urea level, and a slight elevation in sodium concentration were found after the treatment, while the potassium concentration during the whole treatment period (4 weeks) remained unchanged. Although the principal aldosterone-like effects of carbenoxolone were attributed to the oxygen presence in position 11 of the glycyrrhetinic acid ring, [8], the absence of an oxygen at that position in OSS did not cause the loss of the adverse circulatory effect.