Pharmacological study of SR 47436, a non-peptide angiotensin II AT1-receptor antagonist, in conscious monkeys

Abstract

Objective: The hypotensive and hormonal responses of an AT1-subtype angiotensin II receptor antagonist, SR 47436, were investigated and compared with those of DuP 753 (losartan), the leading AT1-receptor antagonist, and captopril and enalapril, two major angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, in conscious, sodium-replete and sodium-depleted non-human primates.

Design and methods: Blood pressure and heart rate were measured in conscious, chronically instrumented sodium-replete (n = 3-5) and sodium-depleted (n = 4) cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Plasma renin activity (PRA), active renin and angiotensin II plasma concentrations were determined.

Results: SR 47436 induced a dose- and time-related fall in blood pressure in sodium-depleted monkeys; the blood pressure-lowering effect was obtained at a range of doses from one-third to one-tenth the equihypotensive dose of DuP 753 after intravenous and oral administrations. The hypotensive effect obtained with SR 47436 was similar to that of captopril and was sustained in sodium-replete monkeys, although it was weaker and less long-lasting than that of enalaprilat. In both sodium-depleted and sodium-replete monkeys the AT1 antagonist and ACE inhibitors caused similar increases in PRA and active renin. However, although angiotensin II levels increased after SR 47436 or DuP 753 treatment, they decreased after treatment with enalaprilat. Modest decreases in the heart rate sometimes accompanied the hypotension, irrespective of the compound tested.

Conclusion: These data demonstrate that the AT1 antagonist SR 47436 is an effective hypotensive agent in both sodium-replete and sodium-depleted monkeys, with an intrinsic potency three to 10 times that of DuP 753 and similar to that of ACE inhibitors.