Phosphoramidon blocks the pressor activity of big endothelin[1-39] and lowers blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
In porcine aortic endothelial cells, the 21-amino acid peptide endothelin-1 (ET-1) is formed from a 39-amino acid intermediate big endothelin (big ET) by a putative endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE) that cleaves the 39-mer at the Trp21-Val22 bond. Because big ET has less than 1% of the contractile activity of ET-1, inhibition of ECE should effectively block the biological effects of big ET. Big ET injected intravenously into anesthetized rats produces a sustained pressor response that presumably is due to conversion of big ET to ET-1 by ECE. We determined the type of protease activity responsible for this conversion by evaluating the effectiveness of protease inhibitors in blocking the pressor response to big ET in ganglion-blocked anesthetized rats. The serine protease inhibitor leupeptin, the cysteinyl protease inhibitor E-64, and the metalloprotease inhibitors captopril and kelatorphan were ineffective at blocking the pressor response to big ET. However, the metalloprotease inhibitors phosphoramidon and thiorphan both dose-dependently inhibited the pressor response to big ET, although phosphoramidon was substantially more potent than thiorphan. None of the inhibitors blocked the pressor response to ET-1 and none had any effect on blood pressure when administered alone as an i.v. bolus to the ganglion-blocked anesthetized rat. However, phosphoramidon infused intravenously at 20 mg/kg/h for 4 h lowered the mean arterial pressure (MAP) in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) whereas kelatorphan at the same dose did not. Our results suggest that ECE is a novel metalloprotease and that ECE inhibitors could have therapeutic potential for the treatment of hypertension.
McMahon
E G
EG
Searle Research & Development, G. D. Searle & Co., St. Louis, MO 63167.
Palomo
M A
MA
Moore
W M
WM
D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019332:Endothelin-1; D000072396:Endothelin-Converting Enzymes; D016232:Endothelins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
D019332:Endothelin-1; D016232:Endothelins; D006020:Glycopeptides; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D011498:Protein Precursors; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D000072396:Endothelin-Converting Enzymes; C008890:phosphoramidon