Antihypertensive and general pharmacological properties of budralazine

Antihypertensive and general pharmacological properties of 1-[2-(1,3-dimethyl-2-butenylidene)hydrazino]phthalazine (budralazine) were studied in comparison with those of hydralazine. Single oral administration of budralazine (4--15 mg/kg) to DOCA/saline hypertensive rats resulted in a dose-related and sustained antihypertensive effect which was 2--3 times less potent than that of hydralazine. However, there were no remarkable differences between both drugs in the hypotensive magnitude after the 4-week treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with their higher doses. After single oral administration, budralazine was about 8 times less potent than hydralazine in increasing plasma renin activity in normotensive rats. At effective antihypertensive doses, budralazine inhibited spontaneous motor activity (mice), gastrointestinal propulsion (mice), gastric emptying rate (rats), gastric secretion (rats), urine output and urinary electrolyte excretion (rats) as well as carrageenan-induced paw edema formation (rats), which were essentially less potent than those produced by hydralazine. Budralazine at 6 mg/kg i.v. exhibited a slowing of neocortical EEG (cats) and a slight increase in spinal monosynaptic potentials (cats) and inhibited gastrointestinal motility (dogs). The same dose of hydralazine produced an increase in occurrence of the neocortical fast waves, an inhibition of the monosynaptic potentials and the carotid sinus reflex (dogs) and a stimulation of intestinal motility followed by prolonged and marked reduction. Budralazine (10(-5) g/ml) slightly potentiated contractile response of isolated guinea-pig vas deferens to noradrenaline, whereas hydralazine (10(-4) g/ml) inhibited the response. Budralazine (10(-5) g/ml), like hydralazine (10(-4) g/ml), produced a nonspecific antagonism against the contractile response of isolated guinea-pig ileum to various spasmogens, and both drugs (10(-4) g/ml) reduced either spontaneous motility or oxytocin-induced motility in isolated rat uterus.