Pharmacological characterization of a new milrinone analogue

In a new series of milrinone analogues (esters of 2-substituted 5-acetyl-1,6-dihydro-6-oxo-3-pyridinecarboxylic acids), ethyl 5-acetyl-1,6-dihydro-6-oxo-2-phenyl-3-pyridinecarboxylate (compound 2f) has been found to be more potent and more effective than milrinone as a positive inotropic agent while affecting only marginally the frequency rate of guinea-pig isolated atria. This finding prompted us to study the mechanism of cardiac action of compound 2f in electrically driven left atrium from reserpine-treated guinea pigs. Compound 2f induced a statistically significant increase in the contractile force at a concentration as low as 1 microM, while the minimum effective concentration of milrinone was 10 microM. The beta-blocker propranolol (0.1 microM) caused a marked inhibition of the inotropic effect of compound 2f. Adenosine deaminase (1 and 2 U/ml) inhibited significantly and in a concentration-dependent manner the increase in inotropism induced by compound 2f and the adenosine deaminase-resistant response was abolished by 0.1 microM propranolol. In the presence of 0.1 microM propranolol, compound 2f (5 to 30 microM) antagonised in competitive manner the negative inotropic effect induced by N6-(R-phenylisopropyl) adenosine (R-PIA) (0.01-1.0 microM), a stable adenosine receptor agonist. Schild regression analysis gave in fact a slope of 1.02 +/- 0.06 and the pA2 value for compound 2f was 5.41 +/- 0.28. Compound 2f also inhibited phosphodiesterase (PDE) III isolated from calf heart, this inhibition being quantitatively significant only at the highest concentrations tested (0.5 M to 1 mM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)