title: Different in vivo properties of three new inhibitors of catechol O-methyltransferase in the rat.
abstract: 1. We compared three new catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors (OR-611, Ro 40-7592 and CGP 28014; 10 and 30 mg kg-1, i.p.) in male rats given levodopa (L-DOPA, 50 mg kg-1, i.p.) and carbidopa ((-)-L-alpha-methyl dopa, 50 mg kg-1, i.p.). In some studies pretreatment with pargyline (80 mg kg-1, i.p.) was used to block the function of monoamine oxidase (MAO). 2. Decreases of hypothalamic and striatal 3-O-methyl-dopa (3-OMD) levels were used as measures of the inhibition of peripheral COMT. The inhibition of brain COMT activity was estimated by decreases of hypothalamic and striatal homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT; after pargyline) levels. 3. The three COMT inhibitors studied had different individual characteristics. OR-611 was primarily a peripherally acting COMT inhibitor, decreasing 3-OMD levels in the striatum (to 31-52%) and in the hypothalamus (to 16-27%) both in the control and pargyline-treated animals at 1 and 3 h. It did not have any effect on brain HVA and 3-MT. 3. Ro 40-7592 was a broad spectrum COMT inhibitor decreasing striatal and hypothalamic 3-OMD (always to less than 30%), HVA (to less than 50%) and 3-MT levels (to less than 23%) significantly both at 1 and 3 h. It was more potent than OR-611. 4. CGP 28014 functioned as a weak COMT inhibitor in the periphery inhibiting 3-OMD formation only at 3 h. In contrast, it was fairly potent in decreasing the brain HVA and 3-MT levels at 1 h (to 37-22% and 42-35% in the striatum, and to 57-33% and 64-35% in the hypothalamus, respectively) but not at 3 h. Since CGP 28014, unlike OR-611 and Ro 40-7592, did not generally increase the brain DOPA, dopamine or DOPAC levels, it was not a typical COMT inhibitor.
authors.affiliation: University of Helsinki, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Finland.
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Männistö
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tuomainen
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Tuominen
mesh_terms: D000578:Amidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001577:Benzophenones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D002230:Carbidopa / Q000494:pharmacology; D065098:Catechol O-Methyltransferase Inhibitors; D002396:Catechols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D007980:Levodopa / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008750:Methyldopa / Q000378:metabolism; D009570:Nitriles; D009596:Nitrophenols; D011728:Pyridones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D000077867:Tolcapone
chemical_list: D000578:Amidines; D001577:Benzophenones; D015306:Biogenic Monoamines; D065098:Catechol O-Methyltransferase Inhibitors; D002396:Catechols; D009570:Nitriles; D009596:Nitrophenols; D011728:Pyridones; C067181:N-(2-pyridone-6-yl)-N',N'-di-n-propylformamidine; D007980:Levodopa; C071192:entacapone; D008750:Methyldopa; D000077867:Tolcapone; D002230:Carbidopa; D006719:Homovanillic Acid