Pharmacological characterization of the imidazoline receptor which mediates inhibition of noradrenaline release in the rabbit pulmonary artery

Summary Imidazoline receptors involved in modulation of noradrenaline release were characterized in the rabbit pulmonary artery preincubated with [³H]noradrenaline and superfused with physiological salt solution containing cocaine, corticosterone and propranolol. Tritium overflow was evoked by transmural electrical stimulation.The ₂-adrenoceptor blocking imidazolines tolazoline, BDF 6100 [2-(2-imidazoline-2-ylamino)-isoindoline] and BDF 7572 (4,7-dichloro-derivative of BDF 6100) increased the electrically evoked ³H overflow; the concentration-response curves were bell-shaped. In contrast, two other imidazolines, i. e. moxonidine and clonidine, two guanidine derivatives structurally related to BDF 6100, i. e. aganodine and BDF 7579 [4-chloro(2-isoindolinel)-guanidine], as well as the catecholamine noradrenaline concentration-dependently inhibited the evoked ³H overflow. The concentration-response curves for moxonidine, clonidine, aganodine, BDF 7579 and noradrenaline were shifted to the right by rauwolscine. The apparent pA₂ value of rauwolscine against moxonidine was 8.22, whereas those against clonidine, aganodine, BDF 7579 and noradrenaline were in the range of 6.37–6.77 and, hence, considerably lower than reported for ₂-adrenoceptors. In the presence of rauwolscine an inhibitory effect was also observed with the ₂-adrenoceptor blocking imidazolines tolazoline, BDF 6100, BDF 7572, and the imidazolineST 587 [2-(2-chloro-5-trifluoromethylphenylimino)-imidazoline]; the rank order of potency of all guanidines and imidazolines investigated was: aganodine > BDF 7579 > BDF 7572 > BDF 6100 > clonidine > ST 587 > moxonidine > tolazoline. Amiloride, 1-benzylimidazole and histamine were ineffective. After irreversible blockade of -adrenoceptors by preexposure to phenoxybenzamine, evoked ³H overflow was still inhibited by aganodine, BDF 7579 and noradrenaline. Under this condition the maximal effects obtainable with the guanidines and in particular with noradrenaline were lower than in the presence of rauwolscine.These findings are compatible with our previous suggestion that imidazoline receptors mediating inhibition of noradrenaline release exist on the sympathetic nerve terminals of the rabbit pulmonary artery. Comparison of the present data with those obtained in other preparations containing imidazoline recognition sites revealed that those sites are different from the present ones. It is conceivable that the receptor characterized here represents an allosteric site of the ₂-adrenoceptor or a so far undescribed -adrenoceptor subtype since it can be activated not only by imidazolines and guanidines but also by noradrenaline and can be blocked by rauwolscine. Comparison of the properties of isoindolines substituted with either aminoimidazoline or guanidine reveals that the imidazolines (e.g. BDF 7572) possess both ₂-adrenoceptor antagonistic and imidazoline receptor agonistic properties, whereas the analogous guanidines (e. g. aganodine) are imidazoline receptor agonists as well as ₂-adrenoceptor agonists.Send offprint requests to M. Göthert at the above address